World Cup 2026: Switzerland claims Group B over Canada; Bosnia and Herzegovina moves top among third-place teams

Switzerland claimed the World Cup 2026 Group B crown after beating Canada 2-1 thanks to second-half goals from Rubén Vargas and Johan Manzambi.

After a goalless opening 45 minutes, the Swiss scored twice in an 11-minute span to start the second half. Canada's defense left much to be desired and will force questions for manager Jesse Marsch to answer before the knockout rounds.

Less than a minute into the second half, Vargas was left unmarked on the back side of the Canada penalty box when a cross made its way through to him. A perfect touch set up his shot, which beat goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau.

World Cup schedule | Group schedule, results | Standings

Two missed headers allowed Switzerland striker Breel Embolo to come on to the ball and hold it just inside the Canada box. As three Canada players focused on Embolo, a wide-open Manzambi was set up to score his third goal of the tournament.

Promise David was subbed on late and scored for Canada with his first touch of the game, but the tournament co-hosts would not get close to an equalizer despite the sustained pressure.

The victory ensures that Switzerland will stay in Vancouver for their Round of 32 matchup against the third-place team from Group E, F, G, I or J on July 2. The loss means that Canada finishes second in Group B and has to travel to Los Angeles to play the runner up of Group A on June 28.

Group B table, results

		W	T	L	GD	Pts.
1	Switzerland	2	1	0	4	7
2	Canada	1	1	1	5	4
3	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1	1	1	-1	4
4	Qatar	0	1	2	-8	1

Friday, June 12: Canada 1, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1
Saturday, June 13: Switzerland 1, Qatar 1
Thursday, June 18: Switzerland 4, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1
Thursday, June 18: Canada 6, Qatar 0
Wednesday, June 24: Switzerland 2, Canada 1
Wednesday, June 24: Bosnia and Herzegovina 3, Qatar 1

Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Qatar, claim third place

Needing a win and a rout to have a chance to finish in the top two spots in Group B, Bosnia and Herzegovina could only muster a 3-1 victory over Qatar.

Kerim Alajbegović, a 34th-minute own goal and Ermin Mahmić helped the Bosnians to the win. Alajbegović's solo effort to open the scoring will go down easily as one of the goals of the tournament.

Despite the offensive output, Bosnia and Herzegovina finished six goals behind Canada in the goal-differential tiebreaker for second place. The win does the Bosnians atop the third-place finishers table with four points. It's a strong position to be in with a number of games left to play in Matchday 3, but it has most likely set them up for a clash against the U.S. in the knockout round.

Who will group winner, runner-up play in knockout round?

Group B winner: Switzerland
Matchup: Switzerland vs. Group E/F/G/I/J third place
Time: 11 p.m. ET
Date: July 2
Location: BC Place, Vancouver

Group B runner-up: Canada
Matchup: Canada vs. Group A runner-up
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Date: Sunday, June 28
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Can this group produce a World Cup winner?

It's unlikely, based off how these teams stack up against the rest of the field. The country with the best odds is Switzerland, but it's 80-1. Canada is below that around 150-to-1.