Canada claims historic draw in FIFA World Cup opener
Cyle Larin’s dramatic second-half goal gave Canada a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
The result, in front of a raucous home crowd in Toronto, gives Canada its first-ever point in a senior men’s FIFA World Cup. Canada’s two previous appearances, at Mexico 1986 and Qatar 2022, ended with three losses and early elimination.
But the draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina gives Canada a good chance at advancing out of Group B in the 2026 tournament, being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“It was special for me,” Larin told TSN after the match. “I score when Canada needs me.”
Indeed, Canada has never lost a game in which Larin scored. That made his exclusion from head coach Jesse Marsch’s starting lineup on Friday a bit of a surprise.
The rest of the lineup was predictable, with Maxime Crépeau having already been announced as Canada’s starting goalkeeper.
Alistair Johnston, Derek Cornelius and Richie Laryea were joined on defence by 20-year-old Luc de Fougerolles, replacing a recovering Moïse Bombito. Stephen Eustáquio (serving as team captain), Ismaël Koné, Liam Millar and Tajon Buchanan made up the midfield.
At striker, Jonathan David was joined by Tani Oluwaseyi. Larin, who had 30 goals in 90 national-team games coming into Friday, began the match on the bench.
Regular team captain Alphonso Davies, meanwhile, was unavailable for the match as he continues recovering from a leg injury.
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The first clear-cut scoring chance came in the 17th minute, and it came to Canada. David unleashed a left-footed shot from within the penalty area, but it was saved by Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj
The first goal would come to the visitors, in the 21st minute. Striker Jovo Lukić got his head on the end of a corner kick, opening the scoring for a team that loves scoring off set pieces.
Oluwaseyi got the next quality chance, in the 32nd minute, but lifted his left-footed shot just over the crossbar. The Canadians kept pressing for an equalizer, earning 10 corner kicks in the first half alone. But the score remained 1-0 at the break.
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Laryea thought he’d equalized in the 53rd minute when he was sprung through and slipped the ball past Vasilj. But a last-moment defensive clearance deflected his shot back off the crossbar.
“I saw it pass the goalie so I thought it was a goal, but the guy made a great play,” Laryea told reporters after the match. “Nine times out of ten it’s an own goal, he puts it in his own net. But it’s a crossbar and it goes out, so it’s a great play.”
As the game wore on, Canada hadn’t converted any of its numerous scoring opportunities.
Marsch made three attack-minded substitutions in the 61st minute, bringing in Jacob Shaffelburg, Promise David and Ali Ahmed. The trio brought an attacking spark but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Then Larin entered in the 76th minute — and the impact was immediate.
Two minutes after he arrived, Larin’s clever turn at the edge of the penalty area gave him the chance to blast home the goal that sent Toronto Stadium into euphoria.
“It was amazing,” said Laryea, who regularly plays in the stadium as a member of Toronto FC. “It was loud, it was a great atmosphere for us to play in.
“It was a great goal, a great finish, and it changes the momentum of the game.”
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Canada continued pressing, looking for a winning goal. But it wasn’t to be, leaving fans and players to wonder what might have been.
“We’ll feel like, after we’ve played this game, that we could have scored a lot more goals and won this match,” said Laryea.
His teammate, Koné, said it was “a relief” when Larin’s goal went in, though he also mentioned the chances Canada didn’t convert.
“We did everything we could to give ourselves a chance to score,” midfielder Koné told reporters after the match. “We were on top of them, we were pushing the game. We created so many chances, we hit the bar.”
Qatar and Switzerland, the other two teams in Group B, face off in Santa Clara, California on Saturday at 12 pm PT/3 pm ET.
Canada’s next two matches are both at BC Place in Vancouver. First up is Qatar on June 18, then Switzerland on June 24.
Teams earn three points for a win, and one for a draw in the group stage. The top two teams in Group B will advance to the Round of 32, while the third-place finisher could also qualify, depending on other results.
A win against Qatar would virtually guarantee Canada a spot in the Round of 32. But for that to happen, the team will need to translate its numerous scoring opportunities into more goals.
“We’ll be playing at home again in Vancouver,” said Larin. “We’ve just got to push the limit and be killers in front of goal.”
