2026 FIFA World Cup: Group B preview, what to know

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·05 de junho de 2026

2026 FIFA World Cup: Group B preview, what to know

By MLSsoccer staff

Group B at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature co-hosts Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland.

Vídeos OneFootball

The top two teams from each group, as well as the top eight third-place finishers, each advance to the knockout phase (Round of 32).

Here's what awaits in Group B during the expanded 48-team tournament, which will unfold June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Group B schedule

June 12 - 3 pm ET: Canada vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina | Toronto, Ontario
June 13 - 3 pm ET: Qatar vs. Switzerland | San Francisco, California
June 18 - 3 pm ET: Switzerland vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina | Los Angeles, California
June 18 - 6 pm ET: Canada vs. Qatar | Vancouver, British Columbia
June 24 - 3 pm ET: Switzerland vs. Canada | Vancouver, British Columbia
June 24 - 3 pm ET: Bosnia & Herzegovina vs. Qatar | Seattle, Washington

Canada

FIFA World Ranking: 30th
How they qualified: Auto-qualified as host nation
Head coach: Jesse Marsch

Key players

Alphonso Davies: The Vancouver Whitecaps FC product and Bayern Munich superstar is regaining fitness after overcoming a series of injury setbacks.
Stephen Eustáquio: Canada's vice-captain behind Davies, Eustáquio has 1g/4a for LAFC this season while on loan from Portuguese side FC Porto.
Jonathan David: Canada's all-time leading scorer with 39 goals, David stars for Italian Serie A giants Juventus.
Moïse Bombito: The former Colorado Rapids center back made Canada's final squad after recovering from a broken leg while playing for OGC Nice.

World Cup history

This will be Canada's third World Cup appearance, and second in a row.

Les Rogues made group-stage exits at the 1986 and 2022 editions of the tournament.

Expectations

As tournament co-hosts, Canada have the pressure to deliver in front of their fans. That means at least getting past the group stage for the first time in history.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

FIFA World Ranking: 65th
How they qualified: UEFA playoff Path A winner
Head coach: Sergej Barbarez

Key players

Edin Džeko: At age 40, Džeko remains his country's most influential player with a record 73 international goals amid an equally legendary club career spanning two decades.
Esmir Bajraktarević: The New England Revolution homegrown product scored the game-winning penalty kick in the UEFA Playoff Final (Path A) that secured World Cup qualification for The Dragons.
Ermedin Demirović: The striker scored 12 goals during the 2025-26 German Bundesliga season to help VfB Stuttgart qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.

World Cup history

This will be Bosnia & Herzegovina's second World Cup appearance, after declaring independence in 1992.

The Dragons made a group-stage exit at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

Expectations

Bosnia & Herzegovina will be eying a first-ever knockout stage berth this summer.

Qatar

FIFA World Ranking: 55th
How they qualified: AFC qualification Group A (fourth round) winners
Head coach: Julen Lopetegui

Key players

Akram Afif: A two-time Asian Footballer of the Year (2019, '23), Afif features for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd.
Almoez Ali: Qatar's all-time leading scorer (55 goals), Ali led AFC 2026 World Cup qualifiers with 12 tallies.
Hassan Al-Haydos: The veteran striker is Qatar's all-time appearance leader (166 caps) and has served as captain since 2016.
Meshaal Barsham: The 28-year-old goalkeeper won Golden Glove honors during Qatar's run to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup title.

World Cup history

This will be Qatar's second World Cup, after hosting the 2022 edition of the tournament.

The Maroons exited the group stage during their World Cup debut four years ago.

Expectations

The underdogs of Group B, Qatar are eying their first-ever World Cup win after losing all three group-stage matches four years ago. Can they shock the world and advance out of Group B?

Switzerland

FIFA World Ranking: 19th
How they qualified: UEFA qualifying Group B winners
Head coach: Murat Yakin

Key players

Gregor Kobel: The veteran goalkeeper has been Borussia Dortmund's No. 1 since taking the job from current St. Louis CITY SC captain Roman Bürki.
Manuel Akanji: The Nati's backline anchor, Akanji spent this past season with Italian Serie A outfit Inter Milan on loan from Manchester City.
Granit Xhaka: His country's captain and biggest star, Xhaka pulls the strings in midfield for Switzerland and at the club level for Sunderland.
Breel Embolo: The Rennes striker was Switzerland's top scorer at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with two goals in four games.

World Cup history

This will be Switzerland's 13th World Cup appearance and sixth consecutive participation.

They've reached the quarterfinals three times – in 1934, 1938 and 1954.

Expectations

In addition to their three quarterfinal appearances, Switzerland have qualified for the knockout stages of the last three World Cups.

Anything less than that this summer would be a failure for the soccer-proud nation.