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After a lengthy wait, Canada learned its opponent for the country's first men's World Cup match on home turf on Tuesday, confirming a clash against No. 66-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto.
After drawing 1–1 through regular time and surviving extra time, the Eastern European side pulled off a stunning upset against No. 12-ranked Italy in a penalty shootout 4–1 before a raucous crowd in Zenica, securing their place in this summer's tournament via the UEFA Path A qualifying bracket.
Although the venue had a listed capacity of under 10,000, supporters were crammed into Bilino Polje Stadium, with flares lighting up the streets and stands hours before kickoff and throughout the match, just steps from the touchlines.
With the win, Bosnia and Herzegovina head to their second World Cup in history and make their return to the tournament for the first time since Brazil 2014. Prior to the jubilant victory on home ground, they relied on a penalty shootout triumph over Wales in the semifinal, stunning the Cardiff crowd after 40-year-old forward Edin Džeko netted the 1–1 equalizer in the 86th minute.
For the first time since 2014...
🇧🇦 Bosnia-Herzegovina have qualified for the #FIFAWorldCup! pic.twitter.com/3ZPVWzxZJJ
While Bosnia and Herzegovina have appeared in just one World Cup since declaring independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, they still boast more tournament success than Canada, having claimed a victory over Iran back in 2014.
Canada continues to search for its first positive result at a World Cup, having endured three defeats and three shutouts at Mexico 1986, before managing two goals yet still losing all three group stage fixtures at Qatar 2022.
For Canada, the dream is a memorable World Cup run, with the likes of Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies, Juventus's Jonathan David, and CF Villarreal's Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi all looking to capitalize on home advantage.
Following the World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Canada will take on Switzerland and Qatar at Vancouver's 54,000-seat BC Place, with the possibility of hosting both the Round of 32 and the Round of 16 in Vancouver as well, should they advance from the group.
"Looking ahead to the World Cup, I want to start instituting what I think I want to call a 'Red out,' right?" Canada manager Jesse Marsch said of the summer. "I want to see our fans all in red in the whole stadium...we need every stadium to be packed with red."
Canada World Cup Group B: Dates, Opponents, Locations
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Group B: Game 2
Group B: Game 3
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Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings extensive experience, having covered North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for major outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.