VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canada plays its final group stage game against Switzerland on Wednesday for a chance to advance to the finals. world cup Going to the knockout stage for the first time while staying at home.
All four teams in Group B had a chance to advance to Wednesday’s match, although Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina had long odds to win after the opening two games were tied.
A win or tie against Switzerland would advance Canada through the group and play a Round of 32 match at BC Place.
“Staying here in Vancouver is definitely our No. 1 goal,” Canada coach Jesse Marsh said Tuesday.
“I got goosebumps,” winger Liam Miller said of Canada’s first World Cup match in Vancouver.
“The Vancouver crowd, the national anthem, everything,” he said before the training session. “Being able to stay here and have that environment every game will be a huge advantage for us.”
Switzerland, which entered the group as the most likely candidate, is almost guaranteed to advance to the next round.
The winner of Wednesday’s match between Qatar and Bosnia in Seattle could also advance.
The Swiss are likely to advance regardless of Wednesday’s result, but finishing first would give them four days of extra rest and a path to a more lucrative tournament. Switzerland has only won their group at the World Cup once in their history, in 2006.
Swiss national team defender Manuel Akanji said, “I think we can win tomorrow if we show our best team.”
Akanji said he would not be satisfied with a draw.
Canada’s first World Cup victory A landslide victory over Qatar 6-0. Because of the lopsided difference, a draw with Switzerland would be enough for Canada to maintain top spot in the group and join fellow hosts Mexico and the United States in first place.
Marsh, who was appointed as Canada’s national team coach in 2024, said, “When I took over, I said… we have a clear goal. We want to win in our group.”
Switzerland took time to find their footing in the World Cup, conceding a late goal in their opening game in a 1-1 draw with Qatar, and only led Bosnia for the final 16 minutes. Won 4-1.
“The worst way to get a draw is to play for a draw,” Marsh said. “We’re going to go into this game with a winning mentality and tactics. We’re not going to be too conservative, we’re not going to be too aggressive. We’re going to be ourselves.”
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Drew Renner contributed to this report. Renner and Ben Kule are students at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
