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.
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.
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.
The gates are expected to open four hours prior to kickoff to allows spectators to enjoy the pre-game festivities.
At 3 p.m., Canada is set to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina at Toronto Stadium in the highly anticipated start to the tournament for the Canadians.
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 team with a 4-1 score 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.
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, 3pm Eastern kickoff
- Ghana vs Panama, June 17, 7pm Eastern kickoff
- Germany vs Ivory Coast, June 20, 4pm Eastern kickoff
- Panama vs Croatia, June 23, 7pm Eastern kickoff
- Senegal vs Iran, June 26, 3pm Eastern kickoff
- Group K runner-up vs Group L runner-up, July 2, 7pm Eastern kickoff
Additionally, below are the matches set to be played in BC Place in Vancouver:
- Australia vs Türkiye, June 13, 9pm Pacific kickoff
- Canada vs Qatar, June 18, 3pm Pacific kickoff
- New Zealand vs Egypt, June 21, 6pm Pacific kickoff
- Switzerland vs Canada, June 24, 12pm Pacific kickoff
- New Zealand vs Belgium, June 26, 8pm Pacific kickoff
- Winner Group B vs 3rd Group E/F/G/I/J, July 2, 8pm Pacific kickoff
- Winner Match 85 vs Winner Match 87, July 7, 1pm Pacific kickoff
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