Canada falls 2-1 to Switzerland, advances to FIFA World Cup knockout round

The sold-out crowd didn’t quite get the outcome they were hoping for in Vancouver but fans say there’s still a lot to celebrate.

Canada is through to the knockout round of the FIFA World Cup despite falling 2-1 to Switzerland in their final game of the tournament’s group stage on Wednesday.

The result saw the Swiss win Group B and earn a round-of-32 match in Vancouver on July 2 against the third-place team from Group E, F, G, I or J.

Canada finished second in the group and will play Group A’s runner-up in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Ruben Vargas opened the scoring in the 46th minute and Johan Manzambi followed with a goal in the 57th.

Promise David replied for Canada in the 76th minute, just one minute after coming in off the bench for Tajon Buchanan.

Canada began the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12 before thumping Qatar 6-0 last Thursday for their first ever win in the men’s tournament.

Coach Jesse Marsch was forced to switch up his midfield against Switzerland after Ismaël Koné saw his leg broken in two places during the win over Qatar.

The 24-year-old midfielder from Montreal was in the building on Wednesday, sitting on Canada’s bench with his left leg bandaged following surgery.

The sold out crowd of 52,479 cheered as he was shown on the big screen being pushed to the sideline in a wheelchair before kickoff.

The two sides spent much of the first half feeling one another out.

Switzerland had the first real chance of the match in the 11th minute when Breel Embolo launched a shot from near the penalty spot, only to see Canada ‘keeper Maxime Crepeau come up with the stop.

The rebound popped out to Manzambi, who saw his attempt blocked by defender Derek Cornelius.

The Canadians came close eight minutes later off a free kick taken by Mathieu Choinière. Winger Tajon Buchanan ticked the ball from just above the six-yard box and Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel got in the ball’s path.

There was some pushing and shoving in the 31st minute after Swiss captain Granit Xhaka went to kick the ball and caught Canadian striker Cyle Larin in the process. The two players shared a hug after Larin got up off the turf, but both were shown the yellow card.

Switzerland had a solid opportunity before the half with a free kick just above the penalty area, but Xhaka sent the ball sailing well over Canada’s net, drawing cheers from the boisterous red-clad crowd.

Winger Ali Ahmed came within inches of giving Canada the lead late in the first half with a shot from inside the area. Kobel made a diving save to poke it out of harm’s way and both teams headed to the locker room with the score knotted at 0-0.

Vargas changed that just one minute into the second half.

Manzambi skipped the Sevilla midfielder a pass and Vargas put it in off the goalpost to give Switzerland a 1-0 lead in the 46th minute.

Manzambi doubled the advantage 11 minutes later after Canadian defender Luc de Fougerolles missed a ball above the penalty area, then slipped, giving the 20-year-old Swiss midfielder time and space to send a right-footed shot in.

Marsch followed with a series of offensive-minded substitutions, including bringing Promise David on for Buchanan in the 75th minute.

The decision paid off one minute later when Nathan Saliba chipped a cross over to the big striker and he made no mistake in driving a sliding right-footed shot in, cutting Canada’s deficit to 2-1.

With time ticking down, Marsch stood on the sidelines, pumping his arms in an attempt to hype up the crowd. They responded with chants of “Let’s go Canada!”

Many fans got to their feet in the third minute of stoppage time as Alistair Johnston threw the ball in from near the corner flag. David received the ball on his head but sent the ball down and Kobel dropped to his goal line and denied the equalizer.

Bosnia finished third in the group after defeating Qatar 3-1 in Seattle.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2026.