Group B at the 2026 World Cup will see one of three co-hosts in action as Canada look to progress from the group stage for the first time in their history.
While Switzerland appear to be the group's biggest danger, both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar will be hopeful of securing the one win that might be enough to earn a place in the knockout rounds.
Teams
- Canada
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Qatar
- Switzerland
Fixtures
Date | Fixture | Kick-off (BST) | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
12th June | Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina | 20:00 | Toronto Stadium |
13th June | Qatar v Switzerland | 20:00 | San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
|
18th June | Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina | 20:00 | Los Angeles Stadium
|
18th June | Canada v Qatar | 23:00 | BC Place |
24th June | Switzerland v Canada | 20:00 | BC Place |
24th June | Bosnia and Herzegovina v Qatar | 20:00 | Seattle Stadium |
Canada
As one of three co-hosts, Canada didn't need to qualify for the World Cup, and have experienced mixed results in their pre-tournament friendlies, losing at home to Australia in October last year, but being unbeaten in seven in the run-up to the summer showpiece.
Manager
Jesse Marsch
Former Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch is currently in the Canada dugout having taken charge two years ago. He quickly led Canada to the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa America, losing to eventual winners Argentina, and losing the third-place play-off to Uruguay on penalties, though were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on penalties to Guatemala.
While international success often comes from being hard to beat, Marsch’s Canada are vertical and direct, though it remains to be seen how successful that approach is at a summer World Cup.
Key Player
Alphonso Davies
The Bayern Munich man has carried the weight of the Canada national team on his shoulders for the best part of a decade, despite still only being 25 years old.
Davies will feature in the World Cup but faces a race to be fit for the opener, and Marsch will be mindful of keeping his star man fresh considering his long history of injury issues, failing to start more than 24 games in any of his seven full Bundesliga seasons.
Breakout player
Luc de Fougerolles
London born and raised, most recently spending the year in Belgium with Dender EH, Luc de Fougerolles represents his father’s Canada.
A centre-back who’s been asked to deputise for the injured Derek Cornelius and Moise Bombito, De Fougerolles looks set to add to his 12 Canada caps.
Odds
Switzerland look the best team in the group, but Canada have home advantage and will fancy their chances against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar.
With one win likely enough to progress, Marsch’s men should at least book their place in the round of 32.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Though they weren’t handed the toughest group, Bosnia and Herzegovina did enough to come second and secure a play-off place. They needed a late equaliser from Edin Dzeko to force extra time and then penalties against Wales, before putting Italy to the sword via the same method to qualify for their second World Cup.
Manager
Sergej Barbarez
An outspoken critic of the running of Bosnian football, Sergej Barbarez was handed the chance to make a difference from the dugout in 2024. Promising passion and patriotism on his arrival, Barbarez has gone a long way to revolutionising the side, and few will compete as fiercely as Bosnia and Herzegovina this summer.
Barbarez prioritises defensive robustness and physicality, but his side will pose plenty of threat on the counter-attack, if not via raw pace, through technical ability.
Key player
Edin Dzeko
Now 40 years old, don’t be fooled into thinking that Dzeko is purely there in the absence of any suitable younger options. The former Manchester City man scored six goals in qualifying, bettered by only Erling Haaland, Marko Arnautovic, Memphis Depay and Harry Kane.
The veteran will play a different role now, serving as a link-up man, but still possesses the nous to be a threat in the box.
Breakout player
Kerim Alajbegovic
Bosnia are one of the youngest sides at the World Cup, with 22 players under the age of 30 and 11 under the age of 25. Indeed, only two of the squad have cleared 40 caps.
While Amar Dedic and Esmir Bajrakterevic will be fixtures in the side for years to come, the 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic looks the most exciting of the current crop, and led the way with three assists for Bosnia in qualifying.
Creative and technical, the Bayer Leverkusen youngster will be key to Bosnia’s counter-attacking style.
Odds
Given they knocked out Italy to get here, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have no fears given the group they’re in with none of the game’s biggest hitters present. They’ll have to battle home advantage when taking on Canada in the tournament’s first game and Switzerland look the biggest threat, but a win against Qatar should see them reach the knockouts.
Qatar
Given the chance to atone for an underwhelming 2022 World Cup as hosts, Qatar had to go through the fourth round of qualifying, when a strong home record wasn’t enough to book a place from the third round. On the road, Qatar lost 4-1, 3-0, 5-0 and 3-1 Iran, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates and Kyrgyzstan respectively.
Manager
Julen Lopetegui
Being sent packing by Spain in bizarre circumstances on the eve of the 2018 World Cup having agreed to join Real Madrid after the tournament, Julen Lopetegui finally gets the chance to coach at a World Cup.
A wholly different prospect to his time with Spain, Lopetegui must be pragmatic against the stronger sides in the group.
Key player
Akram Afif
Any success Qatar have this summer hinges on Akram Afif, who serves as the side’s primary creative threat.
Winner of the MVP at the 2023 Asian Cup, 29-year-old Afif is closing in on a decade with Qatari side Al Sadd, and has 133 caps to his name, scoring 41 goals.
Breakout player
Al Hashmi Al Hussain
In an experienced squad with plenty of international experience, the 22-year-old Al Hashmi Al Hussain may be entrusted to line up in a back four that will need to be robust enough to keep sides at bay.
Odds
Having squeaked through qualification, Qatar are well up against it, and while they could have been given a tougher group, it’s tough to see them posing too much of a threat against the other three sides.
Switzerland
Switzerland have qualified for each of the last five World Cups and have reached the round of 16 four times and gone out at the group stage once. Not unlike Mexico, it feels like Switzerland enter these tournaments with a high floor but low ceiling. Things are different this time, however.
Breezing through their qualifying group which featured a 4-1 and 2-0 win over Sweden, Switzerland are expected to not just reach the knockouts, but impose themselves in the group stage.
Manager
Murat Yakin
Murat Yakin has been in charge of Switzerland since 2020, and while he’s not yet taken Switzerland to new heights, there’s an added quality and consistency about the side. Yakin survived the 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Portugal at the 2022 World Cup, and was unlucky in losing on penalties to England at the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Key player
Granit Xhaka
While many thought Granit Xhaka’s best days were behind him, the industrious midfielder found a new lease of life with Bayer Leverkusen. The move to newly promoted Sunderland could have been one final, easy payday for the veteran, but Xhaka was outstanding at the Stadium of Light, leading the Black Cats to a top-half finish, and he’ll be equally important this summer.
Breakout player
Johan Manzambi
While Granit Xhaka’s place is untouchable, and Remo Freuler or Michel Aebischer should line up alongside the skipper, it’s hard to see the all-action Johan Manzambi not featuring at some point.
The midfielder is a proper, old-fashioned box-to-box sort, balancing physicality with poise making him a threat all over the pitch.
Odds
There are question marks around each of Switzerland's opponents, and while it's not hard to see them dropping points to either Bosnia or Canada, they could also win all three games and cruise into the knockouts as the best side in the group.
- World Cup Group A Preview: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
- World Cup Group C Preview: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- World Cup Group D Preview: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkiye
- World Cup Group E Preview: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
- World Cup Group F Preview: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
- World Cup Group G Preview: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- World Cup Group H Preview: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- World Cup Group I Preview: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
- World Cup Group J Preview: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- World Cup Group K Preview: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
- World Cup Group L Preview: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
Odds displayed in the above article were correct at time of writing and are subject to change or withdrawal at any time.
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