Former England forward Ian Wright has hit out at Canada coach Jesse Marsch after his side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Prior to the game, which was played at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada sat atop the Group A standings. A draw would have been enough for them to secure their berth in the knockout phase as group toppers.
Unfortunately for Les Rouges, Promise David's strike (76') was just a consolation as goals from Ruben Vargas (46') and Johan Manzambi (57') secured a 2-1 win for Switzerland. While both teams qualified for the knockout round courtesy of Bosnia and Herzegovina's 3-1 win over Qatar, the Swiss have an added advantage after their victory.
Their Round of 32 clash will be played in Vancouver, which means that they will have no travel and sufficient rest ahead of the clash. Meanwhile, Canada will have to renounce their home advantage and travel to Los Angeles for their first fixture of the knockout phase.
After the game, Wright was critical of Marsch's timid and hesitant approach. Speaking on ITV, the former Arsenal man said (via HITC):
“It doesn’t make sense that you have an opportunity to win a game and stay in your country, where you’re going to have the fans’ support, and then talk about how much he believes in the heart of this team."
He should have had that at the start of the game today, so they could stay here and have a better chance. Sometimes, he sounds a bit performative to me. I don’t want to be nasty or anything, but he just sounds like he’s saying the right thing for the sake of saying it," Wright added.
Canadian fans will be hoping for a better showing from their side in their first-ever knockout stage at a FIFA World Cup.
"Anything can happen" - Canada star makes claim after qualifying for Round of 32 at 2026 FIFA World Cup
Canada star Alistair Johnston claimed that his side achieved 'the bare minimum' after qualifying for the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Les Rouges' previous two attempts at the tournament (1986, 2022) ended in the group stage. Co-hosting the 2026 edition, they made the most of their home advantage to secure their first-ever knockout stage qualification.
Speaking after the game, Johnston praised his side's efforts and spoke about the unpredictability of the knockout stage. The defender, who plays his club football for Scottish giants Celtic, said (via Waking the Red):
"It's Canada Soccer. We're into the knockout stage of a World Cup. Of course, we'd have loved to top the group, but we're into the knockout stage. This is the bare minimum of what we wanted. That goes to show where we're at as a program. When you get into knockouts, anything can happen."
Results elsewhere confirmed that Canada will face off against South Africa on Sunday (June 28) in their Round of 32 clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.