Canada continues historic World Cup run with first knockout berth | OneFootball

By Ben Steiner

VANCOUVER — Despite falling 2-1 to Switzerland on Wednesday afternoon in Vancouver, the Canadian men's national team have made yet more history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, securing advancement to the tournament's knockout stages for the first time.

While Canada fell short of their stated goal of winning Group B and securing more iconic home matches, the squad is still making unforgettable memories.

After notching their first-ever World Cup point and win during the historic group stage, Les Rouges will now prepare to face the Group A runners-up in Los Angeles in the Round of 32, as they're set to play in the United States for the rest of the tournament.

Switzerland, who topped Group B, will have the Vancouver-based pathway Canada so badly craved, potentially through the Round of 16.

"It's a home World Cup, but after the group stage, and you're not getting to stay in your home country, it's definitely a bit frustrating because that crowd's been so good for us. It's kind of a letdown that [we] can't play another game in front of them," prefaced former CF Montréal and Nashville SC fullback Alistair Johntston. "But at the same time, we're in the knockout stage of a World Cup. There's quite a bit of excitement with that right now...

"It shows how far we've come ... So we're going to just take that momentum that we can go toe-to-toe with the best teams, and see what we can do now that we go down to LA."

For as much as the home World Cup was chalked up to be for the Canadian men’s national team, the home part is now complete.

Now, it just takes a different road, where they will surely face a raucous crowd in Los Angeles, especially if the favorites to qualify as Group A runner-up, South Korea, prove to be their Round of 32 opponent. Should Les Rouges win that match, it would be another challenging test in the Round of 16 in Houston.

No celebrations yet

Some fans partied into the night after Canada picked up their first World Cup win against Qatar last week, but the team felt bittersweet emotions despite the massive victory.

After their locker room DJ and key midfielder Ismaël Koné broke his leg, they were down, almost more somber than after the loss that ended their dreams of playing knockout matches on home soil.

For a team that has taken great strides at nearly every step, they’ve yet to embrace a chance to celebrate. The mood in the home buildings has been upbeat throughout the tournament, but the team, still dreaming, remains focused on bigger goals.

For Promise David, who netted Canada’s lone tally against the Swiss with the first World Cup goal of his career, it might take dinner and a good sleep to refocus before looking ahead to the biggest game in Canadian soccer history.

He knows this team has come a long way.

In 1986 and 2022, Canada's only two previous men’s World Cup appearances, they scored only twice and lost six games. Aside from the home-game focus, this group stage will be seen as a celebratory moment — a first win, four points and a legitimate chance to advance to the Round of 16.

"Of course, we'd love to top the group, but we're into the knockout stage," said Johnston. "This is the bare minimum of what we want, and that goes to show where we're at as a program. With knockouts, anything can happen.

"Hopefully, as much of that crowd as possible will travel down with us and [we'll] be able to play off their energy and see what we can do. We're in a great place."

Finding new energy

There is no anxiety around the Canadian group, even as they bid adieu to the World Cup home game, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

On Wednesday, they put forth a valiant effort, but were doomed by two defensive errors in the early stages of the second half. 

That came after a first half, where Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau and Toronto FC fullback Richie Laryea answered the call in big moments, keeping Canada level heading into the break. Head coach Jesse Marsch, who admitted the possibility of playing captain and Bayern Munich superstar Alphonso Davies was nothing but a “decoy,” said that the first half wasn’t good enough. 

“We need to wake the f*** up,” Promise David said of the topic of Marsch’s postgame speech. “We were a bit slow and sluggish and gave them too much time on the ball, and I don’t think we were aggressive as we could’ve been.”

Canada had to battle against the highest-ranked team in the group without several key pieces, with Koné and Davies out and vice-captain Stephen Eustáquio limited to 32 minutes.

Under the bright lights of the moment and the occasion, former CF Montréal star Nathan Saliba provided a stunning assist. Still, the team could not ultimately overcome two critical mistakes at the back.

O CANADA! From hockey country to World Cup contender?!

Familiar territory

Although they'll leave home soil, Canada will be familiar with playing in Los Angeles, having done so countless times in Concacaf competitions, handling hostile crowds in matches against Mexico and the USMNT in the past. 

Regardless of who the opponent is, there’s confidence that Les Rouges can get the job done and continue adding to their World Cup story. 

“We’re going to be in an environment that we're honestly used to, where there are fewer Canadian fans than the opposition, and we've done fine with that as well in the past, so I know we’ll be okay,” said Laryea.

“We’re going to be ready to give it all we’ve got.”