Day: June 18, 2026

At long last, Canada has won a World Cup game. In its eighth attempt across three tournaments, Canada was lifted by Jonathan David’s hat trick in a comfortable 6-0 win over Qatar in Vancouver, moving to the top of Group B with four points from its first two matches at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Qatar’s performance, meanwhile, was marred by two red cards, including a vicious tackle that seriously injured Canada’s Ismaël Koné. The result puts Canada on the verge of advancing to the knockout stage, and it can win the group with either a victory or a draw against Switzerland. Qatar, meanwhile, now needs a stunning upset in its final game against Bosnia and Herzegovina to have any chance of advancing. Here are my four takeaways from the match: 1. Larin & David: Superb Together Before this World Cup, Canada’s biggest question was the form of strikers Cyle Larin and Jonathan David. Both have scored important goals and built impressive club resumes, but Larin had gone 14 games without scoring for Canada, while David was coming off a poor season with Juventus that fell well short of the level he had shown in France’s Ligue 1. In the opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch started David. After David struggled to make an impact, he was replaced by Larin, who scored the equalizer in a 1-1 draw. Against Qatar, Marsch switched to a two-striker formation with Larin and David playing together. It could not have gone any better. David and Larin showed excellent chemistry in the blowout win. David scored twice and Larin once, and both were repeatedly involved in Canada’s goals. On the opener, David’s shot was saved by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada, but the rebound fell to Larin, who headed it home. The third goal followed a similar pattern, with the roles reversed: Larin’s shot was saved, and David was there for the easy finish. The second goal was a beautiful individual effort from David, who volleyed home a ball that came off a deflected shot from Tajon Buchanan. Then finally, with Canada running away with it late and Qatar down to nine men, David took an attempted shot from Nathan Saliba and slotted it past Abunada. David finished the game with fantastic stats that included eight attempts, five on target, and three goals. Larin, meanwhile, was 10/13 in passing with three blocked shots, two on target and a goal. This was on the heels of rescuing Canada in the first game. Just as important as the goals, both Larin and David now have momentum heading into more important games at this World Cup. The narrative now is not about their struggles, but rather their quality. This is a formation that Marsch might now be considering for future games. David and Larin can play together and the two of them can overload the defense with strength and physicality. 2. The High Line Suffocated Qatar In Qatar’s first game, it managed a 1-1 draw against Switzerland, in large part because the Swiss lacked urgency, which turned into frustration. Marsch was not going to make the same mistake with Canada going against an inferior opponent. The American coach had his team play with a very high line that immediately pressured Qatar every time one of its players had the ball. When Canada won the ball, typically in Qatar’s half, Canada was almost immediately into a dangerous position. It wore down Qatar, which were making poor decisions towards the end of the first half. In the 33rd minute, a dangerous Canadian attack resulted in a red card for Qatar’s Homam Elamin, which essentially made a comeback impossible. From there, the blowout was on, and it allowed Canada to score enough goals to move atop the group and ensure that the team only needs a draw against Switzerland in the finale to win Group C. 3. Johnson And Buchanan Dominated The Right In addition to Larin and David, Canada also had standout performances from right back Alistair Johnson and right winger Tajon Buchanan, who both dominated their side of the field. Nearly every dangerous play was created by either Johnson, Buchanan or both. Buchanan, a speedy winger for Villarreal, was explosive, and it was his run down the middle that drew the red card for the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Johnson, who is a starter in Scotland with Celtic, was instrumental in his crosses and his passes into the final third. Both Johnson and Buchanan are of a similar background. Both were born in Canada in 1998 but came to the United States to play NCAA soccer, Johnson with St. John’s then Wake Forest, and Buchanan with Syracuse. Both then went into MLS via the MLS Superdraft. Johnson went to Nashville SC, followed by CF Montreal. Buchanan was with the New England Revolution. Now in 2026, both are with teams that were in the Champions League this past year and who will be in Europe’s top competition again next year. 4. Kone’s Gruesome Injury Casts A Pall The worst moment of the game — and the tournament — came in the 56th minute when Assim Madibo brutally fouled Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné. In the aftermath, the Canadian players became enraged toward the Qatari bench when the severity of the injury became obvious. Koné was stretched off but was able to acknowledge the enthusiastic Canadian fans with his leg fully wrapped. The Canadian players then huddled on the field together, and some were in tears. After Canada took a 4-0 lead, goalscorer Nathan Saliba found a Koné jersey and held it up to the crowd, who gave the gesture a warm ovation. Moving forward in this World Cup, Koné’s injury will surely continue to be a rallying cry for this Canadian team, which is tight-knit and wants to use this tournament to lift the sport in the country.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The referees have been active at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It took only 27 games across seven days for officials to allocate more red cards than they did during the entire 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. The record for red cards in a single World Cup stands at 28 in 2006. These moments led to penalty kicks, set pieces outside the box and offenses capitalizing on opponents down to 10 men. FOX Sports rules analyst Mark Clattenburg weighed in on the increase in red cards. “Players are well-behaved, but they’re just making mistakes in and around the penalty area, in maybe a panic,” Clattenburg said. “And not saying the players getting inside the penalty area and conceding the penalties are more than happy to commit a foul and commit a red card, knowing that they miss the next match, but now that they have 26 players on the roster, there are plenty of players to certainly cover [those] positions.” The record for red cards in a single World Cup is 28 in the 2006 edition of the tournament, and nine of those were straight red cards. Here’s a look at every red card and the impact they’ve had on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Madibo made an ill-timed tackle in the midfield on Canada’s Ismaël Koné. Koné was ultimately stretchered off the pitch as Qatar was reduced to nine men. With Canada taking an early 2-0 lead, Homam Ahmed’s desperate tackle on Tajon Buchanan just outside the box only made matters worse. Canada scored moments later against a 10-man Qatar side to increase the advantage to 3-0. Tarik Muharemović tackled Swiss striker Breel Embolo on the precipice of the 18-yard box, preventing a one-on-one between Embolo and the goalkeeper. Switzerland didn’t convert the ensuing set piece, but with Bosnia and Herzegovina down to 10 men, the Swiss went on to score three late goals and close out a 4-1 victory. As tempers boiled in the opening match, Mexico made it a three-red-card affair. César Montes took down Khuliso Mudau in an attacking position in the second minute of injury time. South Africa couldn’t capitalize on the set piece, and the match ended with a 2-0 Mexico victory. Themba Zwane was sent off for making contact with Brian Gutiérrez in the head during a South African attack. He put his team in a stick situation, down to nine men. Zwane’s suspension was extended from the normal one game to three after FIFA ruled it fell under Article 14’s rule for violent contact. In the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match, Sithole took down Mexico’s Brian Gutierrez just outside the box, earning a red card as the last line of defense between Gutierrez and the goalkeeper. Sithole’s red card led to a free kick from a threatening position, but Mexico couldn’t convert. However, in the 67th minute, Mexico capitalized on the one-man advantage as Raúl Jiménez scored his first World Cup goal.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports