Canada settled for a draw in its World Cup opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina in front of a raucous crowd in Toronto.
Considering how things started for the Canadians on Friday, it wasn't the worst outcome.
Cyle Larin — who had just entered the game — scored in the 78th minute to make it 1-1 after Canada fought from behind for the majority of the afternoon. Bosnia's Jovo Lukic scored in the 21st minute with a nifty header off a corner kick, briefly quieting
the home crowd.
Next up: The United States plays Friday's nightcap against Paraguay in Inglewood, California.
The World Cup gets into the meat of its schedule starting Saturday, with at least four games each day until June 27.
Mexico opened the tournament on Thursday with a dominant 2-0 win over South Africa in front of a boisterous crowd at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium.
Fox is the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of the World Cup with all 104 matches in English on Fox or FS1. All matches are also available on the Fox One app. Telemundo and Universo will broadcast all of the matches in Spanish. Peacock is the streaming home for Spanish-language broadcasts while Telemundo also has an app that includes all the matches.
— Qatar vs. Switzerland, 3 p.m. EDT in Santa Clara, California (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Brazil vs. Morocco, 6 p.m. EDT in East Rutherford, New Jersey (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Haiti vs. Scotland, 9 p.m. EDT in Foxborough, Massachusetts (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock)
— Australia vs. Turkey, midnight EDT in Vancouver, British Columbia (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)
The Americans — who enter the tournament ranked 17th by FIFA — hope that matches on their home soil can lead to a World Cup breakthrough. The U.S. has advanced to the knockout round in four of the last six World Cups it has played, but hasn't been able to get past the quarterfinals. Coach Mauricio Pochettino was hired in 2024 after successful stints at several European clubs. It's a big tournament for forward Christian Pulisic, who enters this World Cup in his prime and with high expectations.
The Americans' first opponent, Paraguay, is the lowest-ranked team in Group D at No. 47 and back in the World Cup for the first time in 16 years. Ramon Sosa and Julio Enciso are among the team's best players.
Qatar was an automatic qualifier for the 2022 World Cup because it was the host country, but earned its way into the field this time. Almoez Ali is the country's career scoring leader with 60 goals in 126 international appearances.
Switzerland qualified for its sixth straight World Cup and enters the tournament as the 19th-ranked team. The Swiss have never won a knockout-round game despite advancing out of their group three times. Switzerland is led by midfielder Granit Xhaka, who has 145 caps.
Brazil has one of the most historically successful teams, winning World Cups in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. But the Brazilians haven't been quite as good over the last few decades, losing in the quarterfinals in four of the last five tournaments. They're still a formidable squad — ranked No. 6 coming into Saturday's match.
Morocco — the No. 7 team — is one of Africa's best squads and made World Cup history in 2022, reaching the semifinals before losing to France.
Haiti is in the World Cup for the second time and first since 1974. The Haitians — one of the lowest-ranked teams in the field at No. 83 — made the tournament by beating out more established Central American powers like Costa Rica and Honduras.
Scotland is back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Scott McTominay is one of the team's best players and has 14 goals in his last 33 international appearances.
Australia is making its sixth straight World Cup appearance and seventh overall. The Australians — ranked No. 27 — reached the round of 16 during the 2022 tournament before losing to eventual champion Argentina.
Turkey is back in the World Cup for the first time since 2002, when it finished third. It's been a country on the rise over the past few years and is up to No. 22 in the rankings.
The head of the Palestinian Football Association is waiting in Mexico City for permission to enter the United States with other federation heads attending the World Cup.
Jibril Rajoub went to the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday. But he is among several people accredited to attend the World Cup who have been denied visas or have yet to receive them from the United States.
The Palestinian team did not qualify for the World Cup, but FIFA typically invites the heads of football associations from around the world to the event every four years, which it frames as a celebration of global unity.
— A Bosnian song about disillusionment with the American Dream becomes a World Cup banger
— Soccer fans around the world watch the World Cup, in photos
— Visa denial sidelines Thomas Partey for Ghana’s World Cup opener against Panama in Toronto
— Mexico coach Javier Aguirre’s youth gamble sparks a victory in the World Cup’s opening match
— Canada had lost all of its six World Cup games before fighting to a draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
