Friday is the day circled on many Canadian soccer fans’ calendars, as the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup gets underway — including Canada’s first game just 90 minutes after.
At 3 p.m., Canada is set to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina at the upgraded 43,000-seat Toronto Stadium in the highly anticipated start to the tournament for the Canadians.
The gates opened for fans four hours prior to kickoff to enjoy pre-game festivities, with thousands of people already flooding downtown Toronto’s streets.
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Toronto will host Canada’s opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m. at Toronto Stadium, featuring performances by Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince, among others.
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The matches of the 104-game tournament began Thursday, with Mexico playing South Africa and Korea playing Czechia in Mexico City. In total, Canada will host 13 games in Toronto and Vancouver.
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Canada set to face Bosnia in FIFA World Cup opener
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The two nations have never competed against one another in international football, adding an additional element of suspense for how the game will pan out.
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The 65th–ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina team stunned the 12th-ranked Italy on penalty kicks in a playoff qualifier final back in April.
Canada is ranked 3oth by FIFA, automatically qualifying for the tournament since the country is a co-host.
Canada appeared at the 1986 and 2022 World Cups but lost all six matches without a single draw. The team failed to score in 1986 and managed just two goals across three games in 2022.
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For Bosnia and Herzegovina, the nation has only competed in the 2014 Rio de Janeiro World Cup, beating Iran by a 3-1 score, but ended up losing to Argentina and Nigeria.
Below is a list of matches being played in Toronto Stadium:
- Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, June 12, 3 p.m. Eastern kickoff
- Ghana vs Panama, June 17, 7 p.m. Eastern kickoff
- Germany vs Ivory Coast, June 20, 4 p.m. Eastern kickoff
- Panama vs Croatia, June 23, 7 p.m. Eastern kickoff
- Senegal vs Iraq, June 26, 3 p.m. Eastern kickoff
- Group K runner-up vs Group L runner-up, July 2, 7 p.m Eastern kickoff
Additionally, below are the matches set to be played in BC Place in Vancouver:
- Australia vs Türkiye, June 13, 9 p.m. Pacific kickoff
- Canada vs Qatar, June 18, 3 p.m. Pacific kickoff
- New Zealand vs Egypt, June 21, 6 p.m. Pacific kickoff
- Switzerland vs Canada, June 24, 12 p.m. Pacific kickoff
- New Zealand vs Belgium, June 26, 8 p.m. Pacific kickoff
- Winner Group B vs 3rd Group E/F/G/I/J, July 2, 8 p.m. Pacific kickoff
- Winner Match 85 vs Winner Match 87, July 7, 1 p.m. Pacific kickoff
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