Qatar Draws Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina in World Cup Groups 2026
Qatar drew Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina in world cup groups 2026, and the schedule is set across three North American cities in June 2026. Julen Lopetegui’s side opens against Switzerland on 13 June in San Francisco, then faces Canada on 18 June in Vancouver and Bosnia and Herzegovina on 24 June in Seattle.
Lopetegui’s Qatar schedule
The first match comes at noon local time in San Francisco, followed by a 3pm local-time kickoff in Vancouver and another noon start in Seattle. Those dates run from 13 June to 24 June, with the tournament opening on 11 June.
Lopetegui said, "We are aware of the magnitude of the responsibility placed upon us," and added, "We will spare no effort and will give everything we have to make the fans who stand behind us and support us happy and proud." He has been in charge since May 2025 and is likely to use a 4-2-3-1 formation when the tournament starts.
Qatar’s qualifying burden
That group arrives after a qualification run that demanded late work from Qatar. It finished fourth out of six teams in its main qualifying group, drew 0-0 with Oman and beat the United Arab Emirates 2-1 to secure a place at the finals.
The numbers from that campaign point to the problem Lopetegui has to manage. Qatar conceded 24 goals in 10 games and ended with a minus seven goal difference, while it won only one of 11 games under him before the World Cup warm-up matches.
Canada and Bosnia await
Qatar’s route to the finals also came after preparations were hit in March, when friendlies against Serbia and Argentina were cancelled. Lopetegui has previously coached Spain, Real Madrid, Wolves and West Ham, but this assignment carries a different pressure after Qatar’s turn as 2022 World Cup host.
He said after qualification, "Life owed me a World Cup," and later added, "We’ve been working for this moment for months and everything has turned out well." Akram Afi is one of the names inside the campaign, but the task now is much simpler to state than to solve: turn a tight qualifying finish into points against Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
