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Canada to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in FIFA World Cup opener
The 2026 edition marks the first time the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host the tournament.
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Prabhjot Paul Singh - Thu, 02, Apr 2026
- 00:38 EDT
- 7
FIFA / Instagram/@fifaworldcup
Italy will miss the FIFA World Cup 2026, its third consecutive absence from the tournament. It failed to qualify for the event set to begin in June across North America.
Canadian soccer fans will miss a potential Canada-Italy clash. Italy lost 2-1 (4-1 on penalty kicks) to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final of its UEFA playoff qualifier Tuesday, ending its World Cup hopes.
With the win, Bosnia and Herzegovina secured its place and will face host Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland in Group B.
ALSO READ: FIFA rocked with fans cancelling WC tickets
World Cup excitement has already gripped Canada, with host cities Toronto and Vancouver seeing increased activity through warmup games and training sessions.
The 2026 edition marks the first time the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host the tournament.
Bosnia and Herzegovina will face Canada in the opening match for both teams on June 12 in Toronto.
Misses from Italy’s Francesco Esposito and Bryan Cristante in the penalty shootout sealed the defeat, extending Italy’s World Cup drought to 12 years after missing the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
Bosnia and Herzegovina converted all four of its penalty attempts.
The match saw late drama as Haris Tabakovic scored an equalizer in the 79th minute to force penalties.
Italy had earlier taken a 1-0 lead but was reduced to 10 men before halftime when center-back Alessandro Bastoni received a red card in the 41st minute for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Despite dominating possession 65-35 and outshooting Italy 30-9, including 11 shots on target to Italy’s three, Bosnia and Herzegovina could not secure victory in regulation time.
Bosnia and Herzegovina last qualified for the World Cup in 2014, its first appearance, where it was eliminated in the group stage.
In other European qualifiers, Sweden defeated Poland 3-2 to secure a spot in Group F, Türkiye beat Kosovo 1-0 to qualify for Group D, and Czechia edged Denmark 3-2 on penalties to claim a place in Group A. Congo and Jamaica will compete for a spot in Group K, while Iraq and Bolivia will face off for a place in Group I.
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