The Latest from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada

2:45 p.m.

Brazilian referee Ramon Abatti has the whistle for Canada’s Group B finale against Switzerland at BC Place. Abatti was the referee for the 2024 Olympic men’s gold-medal game and worked the Club World Cup last year. He is joined by fellow Brazilians Danilo Manis and Rafael Alves on the lines, with Peru’s Kevin Ortega serving as fourth official and Juan Soto of Venezuela handling VAR duties.

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2:40 p.m.

Fifteen-year-old Matthew Ring from Vancouver is in the front row at the city’s FIFA Fan Festival for the second Canada match in a row. He and his boisterous friends featured in news footage of Canada’s 6-0 defeat of Qatar last week, and they’re back for more, pressed up against the railing in front of the big screen at the PNE amphitheatre. He says he got up at 6:30 a.m. and queued for hours to get his prime position because he loves Canada so much.

2:25 p.m.

Canada’s starting 11 started their warm-up with Canadian rapper/singer AP Dhillon’s “Born Winner” blasting from the speakers. Switzerland followed with Dario G’s “Carnaval de Paris,” a song synonymous with major international soccer occasions. The contrast was fitting. Canada entered the afternoon on the verge of winning Group B and earning a home Round of 32 match at BC Place, while Switzerland is looking to spoil the party and seize top spot for itself.

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2:10 p.m.

Players from both teams took the field for warm-ups. The Canadians wore their black pre-game shirts with Canada written in yellow down the spine. The crowd cheered enthusiastically as injured midfielder Ismaël Koné came out in a wheelchair, clapping and waving as he was pushed to the sideline area.

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1:40 p.m.

Veteran midfielder Stephen Eustáquio is not part of Canada’s starting 11 in today’s Group B showdown with Switzerland. Eustáquio, who wore the captain’s armband in the previous two games, is experiencing muscle tightness, according to a TSN report. Canada is already down a midfielder, with Ismaël Koné out with a broken leg. Mathieu Choinière and Nathan Saliba will start in midfield as Canada goes with a 4-2-4 formation.

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1:31 p.m.

Cheers greeted the Canadians as they took to the field ahead of warmups. Several players donned headphones as they took in the scene inside BC Place. Cameras also captured injured midfielder Ismaël Koné coming off the team’s bus on crutches.

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1:20 p.m.

Switzerland has arrived at BC Place. Players walked out onto the field wearing maroon warm-up jackets and shorts and used their phones to record the somewhat subdued atmosphere inside the stadium.

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1:02 p.m.

The Canada supporters’ march to BC Place is underway, led by five enormous Vancouver police horses. Like much of the crowd, the horses are wearing Canadian flags as capes as they lead the contingent that’s chanting, singing and has been setting off red smoke canisters. The street is packed as they head towards the “last mile” walk to the stadium

12:50 p.m.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is among the fans at the Canada supporters’ march to BC Place, draped in a Canadian flag. Sim has been a vocal champion of the tournament, saying this week that the city has been ‘absolutely killing it.’

12:35 p.m.

It’s safe to say the Swiss fans will be outnumbered by Canada supporters in BC Place Stadium, but it’s hard to tell visually. Supporters of both sides are heading into the stadium ahead of kickoff at noon local time, and both contingents are dressed primarily in red and white, the national colours of both countries.

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12:25 p.m.

Canada fans assembling for their march to BC Place stadium in Vancouver have been practising the Canadian canoe row, which appears to have been inspired by the viral Viking row popularized by Norwegian players and fans. The Canadian version is one-sided and best enjoyed standing, while the Norwegian version is typically performed seated and involves rowers paddling on both sides.

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12:03 p.m.

Vancouver police say five of their horses will be leading the fan march by Canadian supporters to BC Place that is scheduled to set off around 10 a.m. local time (1 p.m. ET). Police say the horses — Larry, Kingston, Angus, Bud, and Nelson — are a mix of Clydesdale, Percheron draft, quarter horse cross, and thoroughbred cross horses. They’re telling fans to give the horses that each weigh 1,600 to 1,800 pounds plenty of space and not to pat them.

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12 p.m.

Canada fans plan to honour injured midfielder Ismaël Koné ahead of today’s World Cup match against Switzerland, waving thousands of No. 8 cards during their march to BC Place. Koné suffered a broken leg in Canada’s 6-0 win over Qatar after a tackle by midfielder Asim Madibo, who later visited the Canadian player in Vancouver alongside Qatar’s sports minister. Photos of the visit were posted last night on the Qatar Football Association’s Instagram account.

11:30 a.m.

Swiss supporters are gathering at Vancouver’s Olympic Village Square for their fan march to BC Place Stadium. The nation’s consulate general is telling them to have their red shirts ready, flags packed and “cowbells polished.”

10:20 a.m.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to be among the more than 52,000 fans at BC Place today as Canada closes out Group B play against Switzerland at the FIFA World Cup. Carney visited Canada’s locker room following last week’s 6-0 win over Qatar in Vancouver and delivered what goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau described as a heartfelt message about the team’s performance and Canadian values. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković attended Croatia’s 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto last night.

9:45 a.m.

Team Canada’s World Cup run could deliver a major economic lift for Vancouver. A new BMO Economics analysis estimates that each additional Canada match played in Vancouver could generate about $70 million in local spending, largely through bars, restaurants and watch parties. The bank says the tournament could add between $1.5 billion and $6.5 billion to Canada’s GDP, with the impact growing if Canada advances deep into the knockout stage.

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 8:45 a.m.

Canada faces Switzerland in Vancouver this afternoon with first place in Group B on the line, but much of the attention will be on captain Alphonso Davies, who is expected to make his first appearance of the tournament after recovering from a hamstring injury. Davies is not expected to start but could come off the bench as Canada looks to secure top spot in the group. The Canadians and Swiss enter the finale tied on four points, with Canada holding the tiebreaker on goal differential. A win or draw would keep Canada atop Group B and earn a round-of-32 game at BC Place on July 2.

8:45 a.m.

The World Cup’s final round of group-stage play begins Wednesday with Group B matches Canada-Switzerland and Bosnia-Herzegovina-Qatar at 3 p.m. Group C follows at 6 p.m. with Scotland-Brazil and Morocco-Haiti, before Group A wraps up at 9 p.m. with Czechia-Mexico and South Africa-South Korea. Several knockout-round spots remain up for grabs, with Scotland among the teams trying to advance and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Qatar, South Africa and Haiti needing results to stay alive. Mexico has already secured first place in Group A, and veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa could make what is expected to be his final World Cup appearance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

The Latest from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada

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