Qatar National Team Arrives in Canada to Prepare for 2026 World Cup Group Stage

Updated: 2026-06-19｜Live data should be confirmed against official announcements.

This piece was originally going to be about “Qatar arriving in Canada to prepare,” but by the time it was written, that match so eagerly awaited by Vancouver fans had actually already been played—and the result caught quite a few people off guard. On June 18 at BC Place in Vancouver, hosts Canada thrashed Qatar 6–0, claiming the first-ever win for the Canadian men’s side at a World Cup finals, and also the largest-margin victory by a CONCACAF team in men’s World Cup history. For those of us on the ground in Canada or watching from in front of the TV, this is a night that will likely be remembered for a long time.

This was Qatar’s second group match in Group B at this tournament. Qatar’s recent strength is genuinely worthy of respect—they were the 2019 Asian Cup champions (beating Japan 3–1 in the final) and have qualified for the World Cup finals in consecutive editions. But 2026 is the first time they reached the finals on their own merit rather than as hosts, which carries a different weight. Yet against a Canada side riding a wave of home momentum, they had almost no answer this night: Canada led overwhelmingly in shots across the match, striker Jonathan David produced a hat-trick, Cyle Larin and Nathan Saliba each scored once, and with a Qatar own goal added on, the score stretched all the way to 6–0. In the second half, Canada midfielder Ismaël Koné was carried off on a stretcher with a leg injury; please refer to subsequent announcements from Canada Soccer for his condition.

Laying out Qatar’s three Group B matches at this tournament makes their situation clearer—a win is hard to come by, but their opening match actually carried historic significance:

In the first match against Switzerland, Qatar equalized in stoppage time through a header from captain Boualem Khoukhi (officially recorded in the end as an own goal by Switzerland defender Miro Muheim), drawing 1–1 and grabbing their first-ever World Cup point. Unfortunately, they then ran straight into a red-hot Canada. After this heavy defeat, Qatar currently sit bottom of Group B and their hopes of advancing are already quite slim; by the calculations of several outlets, to keep even a sliver of a chance at reaching the round of 32, they must win their final match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24, while also depending on how other results go. For the exact qualification scenarios and calculations, it is best to rely on announcements from FIFA’s official match centre.

It is worth noting that Qatar actually play only this one match in Canada (the one against the hosts); their other two group matches are both scheduled within the United States. So on this World Cup trip, the Qatari players’ actual time in Vancouver was not long, and BC Place is for them more of an unforgettable but bitter away night.

For fans here in Canada, Canada has two host stadiums at this World Cup: BC Place in Vancouver and BMO Field in Toronto, both of which will stage multiple group matches and some knockout games. If you want to plan attending in person or watching locally, I’ve put together a Vancouver matchday guide that covers transit routes and the area around the venue—worth a look first. On broadcasting, Canada’s coverage this tournament runs across platforms under Bell Media: English on TSN, with CTV/Crave simulcasting every Canada match; French on RDS, with streaming available via TSN+, the CTV App and more. Actual broadcast times and the rest of the schedule should still be confirmed against each official channel’s announcements.