The wait is finally over for Canada. After two World Cups defined by heartbreak — three straight defeats in both 1986 and 2022 — Jesse Marsch’s side opens its home tournament on Friday with a chance to do something the country has never managed: claim a point, and ideally three, on the grandest stage. A favourable Group B draw has stoked genuine belief, and the opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina at a sold-out BMO Field is exactly the sort of match Les Rouges will feel they must take.
Bosnia arrives with their own story to tell. The Zmajevi reached just their second World Cup the hard way, beating Wales and then four-time champions Italy on penalties in the European playoffs. Captain and all-time top scorer Edin Džeko, still a goal threat at 40, leads a squad that blends 2014 veterans with a fast-rising young core. This is the first match of the group for both teams, so there are no prior results to lean on — only ambition and nerves.
The biggest team-news question hangs over Canada’s talisman. Captain Alphonso Davies is doubtful for the opener as he recovers from a hamstring injury, with Marsch viewing the later group games in Vancouver as a more realistic return target. Bosnia, by contrast, head into matchday one with a settled side and no significant absences reported, allowing Sergej Barbarez to name close to his strongest XI.
Date, kickoff time, and where to watch on TV and streaming
Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina kick off at 3 p.m. ET on June 12, 2026, in Toronto. English-language coverage runs through TSN, with CTV also part of the country’s World Cup broadcast family, and French-language viewers served by RDS. Cord-cutters can stream the match live via TSN+ and Crave.
The stadium: BMO Field (Toronto Stadium)
The match is staged at BMO Field (rebranded “Toronto Stadium” for the tournament) on the city’s lakeshore at Exhibition Place. Temporarily expanded for the World Cup to 45,736 seats with new upper-tier stands at both ends, the venue has been transformed into an enclosed, bowl-like ground. The natural-grass pitch was relaid to FIFA standards, and with the open corners now filled, the closed bowl promises the loudest atmosphere Toronto soccer has known.
Possible lineups
Canada (4-3-3): St. Clair; Johnston, Cornelius, Waterman, Adekugbe; Eustáquio, Koné, Choinière; Buchanan, David, Shaffelburg.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (4-2-3-1): Vasilj; Dedić, Katić, Muharemović, Kolašinac; Tahirović, Hadžiahmetović; Bajraktarević, Demirović, Alajbegović; Džeko.
Other things to do in Toronto:
22 July 2026 10:00 + more dates
22 July 2026 10:00 + more dates
21 July 2026 00:00 + more dates
