Group B PreviewThe second group to get underway, with co-hosts Canada opening their tournament against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto. Switzerland and Qatar complete the quartet in what shapes up as one of the more fascinating groups this summer.A winnable group on paper for any side, but Switzerland will start as favourites alongside Canada. However, dont count out Bosnia and Herzegovina after they knocked out Italy in the play-off final to quality.Table of ContentsGroup B Fixtures and Where to WatchCANADA: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, predictionBOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINAQATARSWITZERLANDPredicted Group B tableGroup B Fixtures and Where to WatchFixtureDateKick-off (all UK BST)VenueWhere to WatchCanada v Bosnia and HerzegovinaJune 129pmBMO Field, TorontoBBC 1 and iPlayerSwitzerland v QatarJune 138pmLevis Stadium, Santa ClaraITV and ITVXCanada v QatarJune 189pmBC Place, VancouverITV and ITVXSwitzerland v Bosnia and HerzegovinaJune 1912amLevis Stadium, Santa ClaraITV and ITVXSwitzerland v CanadaJune 242amBC Place, VancouverITV and ITVXBosnia and Herzegovina v QatarJune 242amAT&T Stadium, DallasITV and ITVXNow you know the schedule, lets take a look at every Group B team in detail.CANADA: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, predictionCoach: Jesse Marsch Qualification: Co-hosts Best World Cup: Group stage (1986, 2022)Canada host a World Cup on home soil for the first time, and the weight of that occasion is both the greatest gift and the greatest burden Jesse Marschs side carries into Group B.When they reached Qatar 2022 as fully-fledged qualifiers, it felt like a breakthrough moment, but now the expectation is something more.Marsch, who took charge in 2024 and steered Canada to the Copa America semi-finals before bowing out to Argentina, has assembled a squad capable of causing some surprises. The concern, as the tournament approaches, is fitness. Alphonso Davies suffered a hamstring strain in the Champions League semi-finals and arrives into camp doubtful for the opener, while other key names around the squad have carried knocks into the final weeks of the club season.Nonetheless, no team in Group B will relish playing Canada in front of a passionate home crowd.Star Player: Jonathan Davids time to shineCanadas all-time record goalscorer with 39 goals in 75 appearances, Jonathan David heads into the tournament as the focal point of everything Marsch wants to do going forward.His time at Juventus has been less productive than his Lille years, seven goals in 38 appearances across all competitions, but no one doubts the quality of a player who scored 87 goals in 178 games during his time in Ligue 1. At 26 and at a home World Cup, this is the moment the striker was built for. If Canada are going to make history, they will likely do it through him.Prediction: Canada to find way to knockout stagesCanada should qualify from this group. Their co-host status helps enormously, as does a draw that has spared them from the tournaments most dangerous sides. But nothing is guaranteed, and the opening game against Bosnia, a team that just knocked out Italy, could be the match that decides their tournament.BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINACoach: Sergej Barbarez Qualification: UEFA Playoff Path A winners Best World Cup: Group stage (2014)They did it the hard way. Sergej Barbarezs side navigated the UEFA playoffs with nerves of steel, beating Wales on penalties in Cardiff before a stunning 4-1 shootout win over Italy in Zenica that sent the country into dream-like scenes of celebration.Bosnia and Herzegovina are back at the World Cup for only the second time in their history, 12 years on from Brazil, and they arrive on the back of what their nation will consider a miracle result.Barbarez, himself a Bosnian football legend, has built his side on high energy and an aggressive physical setup. Benjamin Tahirovic and Armin Gigovic provide the engine in central midfield. Stuttgarts Ermedin Demirovic does the dirty work and links play. And at the front of it all, at 40 years old and gearing up for the last great act of an extraordinary career, is Edin Dzeko.The squad is largely a diaspora project, eight players come from German clubs spread across the top three divisions, the rest scattered across Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Eastern Europe. There is no Miralem Pjanic anymore; the former Juventus and Barcelona midfielder retired in December 2025, leaving Dzeko as the sole survivor from the golden generation that reached Brazil.Star Player: Dzeko still naughty in his fortiesPerhaps the most compelling story of the entire tournament. Dzeko turned 40 in March and is currently plying his trade in the 2.Bundesliga with Schalke, where he became the oldest goalscorer in the leagues history earlier this season.He scored six goals in the qualifying campaign, including a crucial late equaliser against Italy that forced the shootout. He is no longer the player who tore up the Premier League at Manchester City or terrorised defences at Roma, but what remains is his experience. Prediction: Beat Qatar and trust your luckBosnia are dangerous in the way that all teams built around a single transcendent figure can be. They will not make life easy for anyone in this group. But the gap in quality and experience between them and Switzerland is significant, and even Canada will fancy their chances. Third place is a realistic ceiling.QATARCoach: Julen Lopetegui Qualification: AFC Fourth Round Group winners Best World Cup: Group stage (2022)Qatars path to North America was anything but serene. Back-to-back Asian Cup champions in 2019 and 2023, they nonetheless stumbled through World Cup qualifying, finishing fourth in their third-round group, suffering a 3-0 defeat to Uzbekistan along the way before ultimately grinding through a final mini-group to secure their place. That inconsistency, and the circumstances of their appointment of Julen Lopetegui in May 2025, speaks to a team still searching for its identity on the world stage.Lopetegui is a name Premier League fans will know well, two spells in England with Wolves and West Ham, both brief, both underwhelming. His record with Qatar so far reads just two wins, one of which came in his very first game. Almost the entire squad is drawn from the Qatar Stars League, which gives the team a level of club chemistry that international sides rarely enjoy, but simultaneously limits their exposure to the elite nature of World Cup football. Star Player: Afif has chance to star on global stageTwice named Asian Player of the Year, Akram Afif is the most technically gifted player Qatar possess and the creative engine around which Lopetegui must build.Notably, he contributed 11 assists in World Cup qualifying, the most of any player across the entire AFC confederation. He is quick, direct and capable of producing moments of genuine quality.The question that has followed him throughout his career is whether he can translate performances built on the relative comfort of the Qatar Stars League onto the biggest stages.Prediction: Qatar facing early exitQatar are the groups weakest side and realistically face an uphill task to reach the round of 32. The three teams with them in the group are all superior on paper.However, they cannot be entirely dismissed. Afif and Almoez Ali are legitimate threats, and Lopeteguis tactical nous gives them a marginal edge over sides that have underestimated their structure before. A third-place finish with a potential route to the knockout rounds as one of the top eight third-placed teams is the best outcome.SWITZERLANDCoach: Murat Yakin Qualification: UEFA Group B winners Best World Cup: Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954)Switzerland are, on paper, the best team in Group B. Ranked 17th in the world, with a squad built on proven European talent, Yakins side arrive in North America with genuine belief that they can go further than the last-16 exits that have become almost a routine occurrence at recent World Cups.In five of their last six World Cup appearances, they have exited at that stage. The hunt for a quarter-final berth is the minimum objective.The spine of the team is excellent. Gregor Kobel is one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga. Manuel Akanji at Inter Milan is a World Cup-calibre centre-back.And in midfield, Sunderlands Granit Xhaka is captain for an unprecedented fourth consecutive World Cup and remains the architect who dictates tempo and sets the tone for the entire squad.Behind the experienced guard, there is youth and dynamism in the form of Ardon Jashari at AC Milan, Dan Ndoye at Nottingham Forest and Noah Okafor at Leeds United.Yakin has been characteristically pragmatic in his squad selection, mixing experienced veterans with younger talent. The loss of Xherdan Shaqiri, Yann Sommer and Haris Seferovic to international retirement has removed some of the most recognisable names from previous tournaments, but the overall standard has not dropped.Star Player: Great Granit will lead the SwissAt 33 and with 145 caps, Xhaka prepares for his fourth World Cup and, in all likelihood, his last. His move from Bayer Leverkusen to Sunderland raised eyebrows, but his quality shone through immediately, playing a huge role in the Wearsiders securing a Europa League spot a year after promotion to the Premier League.He is Switzerlands most-capped outfield player, their leader and their most important footballer. Will likely be one of the best midfielders at the tournament.Prediction: Top spot for SwitzerlandSwitzerland should top the group. Their quality, experience and tactical organisation give them a clear edge over the other three sides, and while Canada on home soil will be a difficult final group game, the Swiss have the tools to handle the occasion. A last-16 appearance is the floor.Predicted Group B tableWinsDrawsLossesPointsSwitzerland3009Canada2016Bosnia & Herzegovina1023Qatar0030 Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team Canada men's national soccer team FIFA World Cup granit xhaka Qatar National Football Team Switzerland National Football Team World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read World Cup 2026 Group A: Preview, prediction, players to watch, fixtures and TV details Jon Fisher 1st June, 2026 International round-up: Son inspires South Korea as Cape Verde stun Serbia Mitch Fretton 31st May, 2026 USA vs Senegal: Confirmed line-ups as pressure mounts on World Cup co-hosts George Nash 31st May, 2026 Germany vs Finland: Confirmed line-ups as Die Mannschaft gear up for World Cup Mitch Fretton 31st May, 2026 Scotland: Manchester United youngster called up to replace injured Billy Gilmour 101 GreatGoals 31st May, 2026 Carlo Ancelotti delivers definitive update on Neymars World Cup injury status: To be clear, Neymar will be with us Tom Rostance 30th May, 2026
