Canada 'in a good moment' heading into World Cup showdown with Switzerland

Canada's Cyle Larin (9) celebrates his goal against Qatar with Ali Ahmed (20) during the first half of a World Cup Group B soccer match, in Vancouver, on Thursday, June 18, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER — Canada controls its own destiny heading into the final group-stage matchup of this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

A win or a draw against Switzerland in Vancouver on Wednesday would see the Canadians win Group B and earn a round-of-32 game back at BC Place.

And that’s exactly what the national squad had planned from the beginning, said striker Cyle Larin.

“To go into the Switzerland game in a position to win the group, I think we’ve always expected that,” he said ahead of training on Monday.

“I think the group, we’ve always expected to be where we are, just from the quality we have in the group, the talent we have. I think we’ve always expected to be in this position.”

Not all onlookers shared those expectations.

Canada came into the tournament sitting at No. 30 in FIFA’s latest rankings, while Switzerland is No. 19.

Before thumping Qatar 6-0 in Vancouver last Thursday, the Canadian men had never won a World Cup game. Switzerland, meanwhile, has made it to the tournament’s knockout round five times.

Yet it’s the co-host nation that heads into Wednesday’s battle sitting atop the group. The two sides are tied on points with four apiece, but Canada is ahead on goal differential (plus-6).

“I think we’re in a great moment. We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing over the last game and last few games,” Larin said. ”I think it just all came together against Qatar, and we have to keep that momentum and keep pushing. I think the guys are ready for it, and ready to perform.”

Canada and Switzerland have only faced off once before, with the Canadians taking a 3-1 decision in May 2022.

The national team knows, though, that the Swiss present plenty of threats.

Playing in his fourth World Cup, defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka continues to be a crucial piece for the Nati, and scored on a penalty late in injury time to help Switzerland take a 4-1 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina last Thursday.

“He has a lot of quality on the ball and is a very smart player,” Larin said of the former Arsenal star. “Those players you have to be 100 per cent concentrated on everything because he can make a pass, he can control the game.”

Switzerland focuses a lot on possession and has players who are good at playing wide, said Liam Millar.

Canada’s task will be focusing on their own game instead of letting the opponents dictate play, he added.

“I feel like we still just need to keep our same way that we are. Just be the same, be aggressive, make sure that we don’t give these guys time on the ball,” he said.

“But if I feel like we can get tight to them and get aggressive with them and not give them time on the ball, it’s going to make them have to make a decision, and if we do that, I feel like we got a good chance.”

The Canadian coaches have given all of the players a solid game plan for taking down the Swiss, said defender Derek Cornelius, and now the team is ready to execute.

“I think we’ve been very aware that this is a very good Switzerland team that we’re coming up against,” he said. “They have experience, quality throughout the whole squad. So we need to be ready for it. We need to be aware of their threats and also try to exploit their weaknesses.”

Canada’s head coach Jesse Marsch will have to make at least one change to the starting 11 he deployed against Qatar after central midfielder Ismaël Koné was cut down early in the second half, suffering a broken leg in the process.

His friend Nathan Saliba came on in relief, making his World Cup debut, and scored off a free kick just minutes later. As he was mobbed by teammates, Saliba formed his fingers into an eight — Koné’s number — then grabbed his teammate’s jersey from the bench and held it up for the crowd.

Losing Koné’s creativity in the midfield will be a blow, Marsch admitted, but the coach believes the team has the necessary depth to patch the hole.

“Between Nathan, Mathieu Choiniere, Jonathan Osario, Niko Sigur, we’re going to have to figure out how to use all of our players to get the best out of each game and help fill in the void of what Ismael has meant to the team, which has been many, many things,” Marsch said.

“Koné’s been an incredible player, maybe our best player in the tournament so far. And he’s also a big personality in the group. So we’ll manage it, but it won’t be easy.”

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press