{"id":96901,"date":"2026-06-20T18:01:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T18:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/96901\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T18:01:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T18:01:17","slug":"5-big-questions-for-canada-ahead-of-fifa-world-cup-match-versus-switzerland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/96901\/","title":{"rendered":"5 big questions for Canada ahead of FIFA World Cup match versus Switzerland"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tCanada Soccer\/Audrey Magny<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJune 20, 2026\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Sharing<\/p>\n

Canada has answered plenty of questions at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but some big ones remain ahead of their decisive final group-stage match.<\/p>\n

A week ago, there were numerous unknowns that have become knowns. Could Canada get a point-earning result on home soil? Yep<\/a>! Could they get a win? Sure could<\/a>! Could their top strikers show up in big moments? Indeed.<\/p>\n

And would Canadian fans in Toronto and Vancouver provide a true home-field advantage? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

Now, attention turns to Canada\u2019s match against Switzerland, at noon PT \/ 3:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, at Vancouver\u2019s BC Place. That match, combined with what happens between Qatar and Bosnia & Herzegovina, will determine the final standings in Group B.<\/p>\n

READ: How Canada can advance to the knockout stage at the FIFA World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

While Canadian fans are already dreaming of a match-up in the Round of 32\u2014or possibly even further\u2014we\u2019ll require a few more answers first.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the status of Alphonso Davies?<\/p>\n

This question has been lingering, unanswered, for weeks. Canada\u2019s captain, who suffered a hamstring injury in early May, is part of the World Cup squad but hasn\u2019t yet played.<\/p>\n

Head coach Jesse Marsch said Davies was available to play against Qatar on Thursday, but he didn\u2019t enter the match. <\/p>\n

\"\"Alphonso Davies on the sidelines during Canada\u2019s match against Qatar at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Vancouver (Canada Soccer\/Audrey Magny)<\/p>\n

Marsch alluded to Davies\u2019 health status in his pre-game press conference. He noted that if Canada could win Group B, their Round of 32 match wouldn\u2019t happen until July 2, giving Davies time to get to 100 per cent fitness.<\/p>\n

But could he see playing time against Switzerland, particularly if Canada desperately needs some attacking spark? Or will Marsch do everything possible to keep Davies on the sideline until the Round of 32?<\/p>\n

READ: This is our house: FIFA World Cup leaves lasting legacy in Toronto<\/a><\/p>\n

Is Mo\u00efse Bombito good to play a full 90?<\/p>\n

Bombito\u2019s health was another big question coming into the tournament, but we got a partial answer against Qatar. The talented defender played the second half, his first action of the tournament.<\/p>\n

He hardly had much to do, as Canada was already up 3-0 and nearly all of the second half saw Canada pressing the attack in Qatar\u2019s half. And 20-year-old Luc de Fougerolles has admirably filled in Bombito\u2019s spot through one and a half World Cup games.<\/p>\n

But Bombito can be a big difference maker for Canada. If he\u2019s fit to play the full match against Switzerland, it\u2019s very good news for the home side\u2019s chances.<\/p>\n

How will the team respond to Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9\u2019s injury?<\/p>\n

On the flip side, Kon\u00e9\u2019s devastating leg injury detracted from an otherwise joyous occasion at BC Place on Thursday. Bombito, who\u2019s at the tail end of a long-term recovery from a similar leg injury, accompanied Kon\u00e9 to the hospital after the match.<\/p>\n

The Canadian team rallied around the injured midfielder over the remainder of the match and in its aftermath. And Nathan Saliba staked his claim to that midfield spot by coming into the match and almost immediately scoring a terrific free kick goal.<\/p>\n

\"NathanCanada\u2019s Nathan Saliba holds up teammate Ismael Kone\u2019s jersey after scoring against Qatar in a FIFA World Cup match on Thursday. (Credit: Audrey Magny\/Canada Soccer)<\/p>\n

Marsch and fellow midfielder Stephen Eust\u00e1quio have both noted that Canada has lots of great options in midfield: Saliba, Mathieu Choini\u00e8re and Jonathan Osorio. <\/p>\n

But they\u2019ve also both said that Kon\u00e9 has special talents that will be tough to replace. So the question is, who starts in Kon\u00e9\u2019s place, and what impact does that have on Canada\u2019s strategic approach?<\/p>\n

How hard will Switzerland press for the full three points?<\/p>\n

Both Canada and Switzerland know what\u2019s at stake. If either team wins, they finish first in Group B, and the other side finishes second or possibly third. If it\u2019s a draw, Canada finishes first and Switzerland second.<\/p>\n

Canada likely won\u2019t put out the sort of full-on attack that saw them pump six goals past an over-matched Qatar. But Switzerland will also have to exercise caution, knowing Canada has the tools to hit on the counter-attack.<\/p>\n

Particularly if the match is tied into the second half, it remains to be seen if the Swiss are content with the second-place finish or if they\u2019ll push for first. And if it\u2019s the latter, can Canada take advantage?<\/p>\n

READ: 16 fun facts about members of Canada\u2019s FIFA World Cup squad<\/a><\/p>\n

Could the conditions play a factor?<\/p>\n

It may seem a strange question to ask about a roofed stadium on Canada\u2019s west coast in June. But anyone in attendance at the sold-out, boisterous match against Qatar could tell you that conditions inside BC Place were steamy.<\/p>\n

As of this writing, the temperature in Vancouver will feel like close to 30 C at midday on Wednesday. Combine that with 53,000 excitable people inside a closed structure and the players will surely be grateful for those mandated hydration breaks.<\/p>\n

It also creates the possibility of squad rotation for both sides, as both managers may look to rest key players ahead of the Round of 32. <\/p>\n

Who\u2019ll see the pitch for Canada in what is sure to be another wild day in Vancouver?<\/p>\n

And once the match is done, a new question arises for a team that\u2019s already exceeded expectations: just how far could Canada go?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Canada Soccer\/Audrey Magny June 20, 2026 Canada has answered plenty of questions at the 2026 FIFA World Cup,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[16174,17,16175,27749,1312,15822,11434,24707,27287],"class_list":["post-96901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-alphonso-davies","tag-canada","tag-canada-soccer","tag-cyle-larin","tag-fifa-world-cup","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-jonathan-david","tag-mens-soccer","tag-moise-bombito"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}