VANCOUVER — Canadian defender Richie Laryea says he and his teammates know they weren't at their best when the nation opened its FIFA World Cup campaign last week.
They also know they'll need to be better when they continue the tournament Thursday against Qatar in Vancouver.
"I think it's a tale of two halves for us in the last match," Laryea said on Tuesday. "First half where we're not as aggressive as we usually are, and maybe not on the front foot on every single situation versus the second half, you see it's a completely different game for us.
"I think that's what we kind of took from the film session, knowing that we need to be exactly who we were in the second half for the full match this Thursday.”
Canada, ranked 30th in FIFA's latest standings, started its World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto last Friday.
No. 56 Qatar stunned many with a 1-1 draw against favoured Switzerland the following day to leave each team in Group B with a single point.
Canada and Qatar have only faced off once previously, with the Canadians taking a 2-0 victory at a friendly in Austria back in September 2022.
Both teams are very different today, said Stephen Eustaquio, Canada's vice captain.
“I think if you look at the group stage right now, they have the same possibilities as us to go through the group, right? So they're gonna come with everything, obviously," he said. "It’s gonna be a very hard game, but at the same time, we're ready for it. We're ready for it.
"I think the Bosnia game was a good game for us to get confidence, to score our first goal, to get our first point in the World Cup, something that we didn't accomplish in Qatar. But at the same time, we have to deserve to be on such a stage like this. And I think we're gonna do it.”
The 19th-ranked Swiss meet No. 64 Bosnia in Los Angeles on Thursday before Canada takes on Qatar in Vancouver.
Several analytics models have improved Canada's outlook since the opening round of matches. The Athletic projects Canada has an 87 per cent chance of reaching the round of 32 and a 43 per cent chance of winning the group. Soccer analyst Michael Caley gives Canada a 53 per cent chance of finishing first.
“We can lose to anybody, but we also know if we're at our best, that we can beat anybody," said right back Alistair Johnston. "That's something that we understand, I think, as a group. And it's what makes it frustrating when we don't play our at our best, because there's such a big discrepancy, I think, between when we're really at it and when we're not.
"So it’s going to be really important right from the first whistle (on Thursday) that we don’t waste that first half, kind of like we did against Bosnia.”
Questions still linger around whether Canada captain Alphonso Davies will be available on Thursday.
The star left back has been recovering from a hamstring injury and following return-to-play protocols since joining the national squad in Edmonton at the end of May. The team did not provide an update on his status at training on Tuesday.
Davies was injured while playing for Bayern Munich in a Champions League semifinal in early May. He warmed up with teammates during Tuesday's training session, running and passing the ball, but did not participate in the portion of practice open to reporters.
"I don't know if he can play. I mean, he hasn't been training with us," Eustaquio said. "But what I can say, what he can bring to the team, he can bring his leadership, which is very important for us."
Davies has not played for Canada since March 2025, when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in a CONCACAF Nations League match against the United States.
Canada's head coach Jesse Marsch and midfielder Ismaël Koné were scheduled to speak with the media on Wednesday evening.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2026.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
