After a tremendous first day in Mexico, we go north of the border where Canada will kick off Friday's action with the first match of a host involved double-header with the USA in the nightcap and are we excited for this one.
The all New England Revolution winger battle between Canada's Tajon Buchanan and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Esmir Bajraktarevic. Jesse Marsch probably was going to have the Canucks in a much better place than four years ago when Canada went down in flames in the group of death but the homefield will surely help.
Switzerland however could still be the favorites in this group, but not overwhelmingly so. How much the two higher ranked sides can impose their will on the game and translate that into goals will determine who wins this group but don't count out Bosnia in particular, they will compete every step of the way. Qatar is not in the same form they were in as hosts four years ago but still play a lot of close games.
Why a primer and not a preview? Because this is more of a handy reference guide than it is expert analysis. I did not watch or scout 32 international teams to prepare for the World Cup let alone 48 of them because I enjoy sleep and I am not apologizing.
TV SCHEDULE
Friday, June 12
Match 3: Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3 p.m. on Fox (Toronto)
Saturday, June 13
Match 5: Qatar vs. Switzerland, 3 p.m. on Fox (Santa Clara, Calif.)
Thursday, June 18
Match 26: Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3 p.m. on Fox (Los Angeles)
Match 27: Canada vs. Qatar, 6 p.m. on FS1 (Vancouver)
Wednesday, June 24
Match 49: Switzerland vs. Canada, 3 p.m. on Fox (Vancouver)
Match 50: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar, 3 p.m. on FS1 (Seattle)
GROUP B TEAM PRIMERS
Author's notes: FIFA Rankings are from the November 2025 listing at the time of the tournament draw and not the most recent June list. Players international caps / goals are relatively accurate but may not include the recent warm-up friendlies as research for these articles started weeks ago. Abbreviations next to the country names should be their official Olympic code on the TV score bug and the Letter/Number is their draw position for the group schedule not their pot from the initial tournament draw. Warm up friendlies in the USA are noted, otherwise vs/at indicates true home/away matches.
Jake Catanese
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA [BIH/B2]
Head Coach: Sergej Barbarez (BIH/YUG)
FIFA Ranking: 71 Nickname: Zmajevi (Dragons), Zlatni Ljiljani (Golden Lillies)
Qualification: UEFA (Europe) Group H Runners up, Playoff Path A Winners
Appearance: 2nd Best Finish: Group Stage (2014)
Roster Breakdown: 1 Domestic, 6 Germany, 3 Italy, 2 Czech Republic, 2 Croatia, 1 Austria, 1 Cyprus, 1 France, 1 Kazakhstan, 1 Poland, 1 Portugal, 1 Romania, 1 Netherlands, 1 Switzerland, 1 England, 1 Turkey
Recent Matches: UEFA Playoff D at Wales 1-1 (adv 4-2 on PKs), D vs Italy 1-1 (adv 4-1 on PKs); Friendly D vs North Macedonia 0-0, Friendly (St. Louis, MO) D v Panama 1-1
Player To Know: F/M Esmir Bajraktarevic, PSV Eindhoven (NED), 14 Int’l Caps/1 Int’l Goal – You knew the former New England Revolution homegrown was going to make an appearance here, especially after his spot kick clinched the Dragons’ berth into their second World Cup against Italy.
Player To Watch: FW Edin Dzeko, Schalke 04 (GER), 148 Int’l Caps/73 Int’l Goals – Scored one of Bosnia’s four goals in the 2014 group stage and might be used off the bench more but started and scored the late equalizer in the UEFA playoff semifinal against Wales to keep the dream alive and have 5 goals in the qualifying group stage.
Tournament Outlook
Bosnia was at one point 15 minutes away from direct World Cup qualification...until a late goal by Austria at home saw them enter the playoff where Bosnia needed a late goal and PKs to down Wales and Italy. This team is battle tested and has already proven they can punch above their weight and this is not an overwhelming group. Rankings aside I think Bosnia is the third best team in this group but their knockout chances might rely on them either getting a result against Canada or the Swiss or goal difference. We only have one data point from 2014 where Bosnia finished third behind Argentina and Nigeria on three points with an even GD number and with the new format I don’t know if a single win can assure a third place advancement.
Jake Catanese
CANADA [CAN/B1]
Head Coach: Jesse Marsch (USA)
FIFA Ranking: 27 Nickname: The Canucks, Les Rouges
Qualification: Hosts, CONCACAF (N. America)
Appearance: 3rd Best Finish: Group Stage (1986, 2022)
Roster Breakdown: 9 Domestic (MLS - USA/CAN), 5 England, 3 Belgium, 2 France, 2 Italy, 2 Spain, 1 Croatia, 1 Germany, 1 Scotland
Recent Matches: Friendly W vs Uzbekistan 2-0, Friendly vs Ireland
Player To Know: F/W Tajon Buchanan, Villarreal (ESP), 59 Int’l Caps/8 Int’l Goals – The former New England Revolution wide man was the breakout star for Canada during the previous qualification cycle, notched four goals in fourteen games in 2025 for the Canucks and had a fairly productive season in La Liga as well.
Player To Watch: The Davies/David’s - Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David, and Promise David highlight a legitimate world class attacking group though Davies usually operates out wide or as a wingback. Yes, the names are confusing, but I swear it’s three different players and yes, they’re all very good and it only seems like one player is everywhere all at once.
Tournament Outlook
Four years ago, Canada was an upstart side that went down swinging in glorious fashion to the tune of three group losses in a stacked group of Morocco, Croatia, and Belgium. This group is not nearly as daunting but still tricky.
I would peg them as co-favorites with the Swiss as far as winning the group. If this group can stay healthy, it always seems like someone has been out long term this cycle, there’s a surprising amount of depth here that could contend for a knockout win and maybe two on home soil. Stephen Eustaquio will always be one of the most underrated players in the tournament. Moise Bombito is staying on the roster and how much he can play could be a boon for the Canucks.
Jake Catanese
QATAR [QAT/B3]
Head Coach: Julen Lopetegui (ESP)
FIFA Ranking: 51 Nickname: The Maroon One
Qualification: AFC (Asia) Fourth Round Group A Winner
Appearance: 2nd Best Finish: Group Stage (2022)
Roster Breakdown: 25 Domestic, 1 Spain
Recent Matches: Friendly L at Ireland 0-1, Friendly (Los Angeles) vs El Salvador
Player To Know/Watch: FW Almoez Ali, Al-Duhail (QAT), 115 Int’l Apperances/55 Int’l Goals – Qatar's star striker has been tremendous the last few years as the Maroons have rocketed up into a regional power, but in five total appearances in the last year and a half he hasn’t scored and Qatar’s form reflects that.
Tournament Outlook
Survived Asia’s odd qualification by winning a round robin against UAE and Oman but otherwise have not had a lot of positive results go their way. Their March friendlies against Serbia and Argentina were cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in and around Iran which would have helped gauge where this team is right now. They were outclassed but not overwhelmed four years ago against Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands and I think that’s their ceiling again here but this a much easier group than four years ago.
Sam Lattof
SWITZERLAND [SUI/B4]
Head Coach: Murat Yakin (SUI)
FIFA Ranking: 17 Nickname: Rossocrociati (Red Crosses), Devils Rouges (Red Devils)
Qualification: UEFA (Europe) Group B Winner
Appearance: 13th Best Finish: Quarterfinals (1934, 1938, 1954)
Roster Breakdown: 2 Domestic, 9 Germany, 4 Italy, 4 England, 4 Spain, 3 France
Recent Matches: Friendly W vs Jordan 4-1, Friendly vs Australia (in USA)
Player To Know: MF Granit Xhaka, Sunderland (ENG), 145 Int’l Caps/17 Int’l Goals – The longtime Arsenal man is the most capped international ever for the Swiss and still covering a ton of ground in whatever midfield he plays in, with stops at Bayer Leverkusen during their invincible double in 23/24 and now Sunderland in the EPL.
Player To Watch: FW Breel Embolo, Rennes (FRA), 86 Int’l Caps/24 Int’l Goals – The Cameroonian born striker came up through the Swiss youth ranks at Basel and has been a consistent presence in both the Bundesliga and Ligue 1. He has 8 goals in 12 games since the start of 2025 for Switzerland.
Tournament Outlook
The ever steady, indomitable Swiss are rarely flashy but always so darn consistent but that hasn’t translated to any knockout wins at the World Cup in recent memory. Back-to-back quarterfinals in the Euros however means this team should be considered not just a group threat, but a knockout threat as well.
GROUP OVERVIEW
This group could be far more balanced than the world rankings would indicate. The Swiss are good but not usually in an overwhelming way, which leaves a high potential for a lot of ties in this group.
Likewise, Canada should be set for a much better showing than four years ago but also have a lot of draws in their recent matches. It could put a lot of pressure on Canada if they don't get a win against Bosnia to keep pace with what we expect is a Swiss victory over Qatar.
If we assume a certain level of chalk in Canada and Switzerland going through in some order, third place chances could be tricky here. I could see Bosnia or to a lesser extent Qatar sitting on two points and on the verge of a tournament exit despite what would be for them two very good performances and results.
I'm going to give the edge to the Swiss but the final matchday of SUI-CAN and BIH-QAT should be very dramatic for the Round of 32 setup.
Third Place Advancement: Mid (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
GROUP PREDICTIONS
- Switzerland 2. Canada 3. Bosnia and Herzegovina 4. Qatar
