Group B

The Host's Backyard

Canada Bosnia and Herzegovina Qatar Switzerland

Venues: Toronto, Vancouver, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Seattle

The Group

Group B is the most watchable of the opening stage's quieter groups, built around a genuine three-way scrap for the two qualification spots. Switzerland are the standout team and short enough in the group-winner market at -125. Murat Yakin has led the Nati to six consecutive World Cups, guided them past Italy at Euro 2024, and assembled a spine of Manuel Akanji, Gregor Kobel and Granit Xhaka that is built for knockout football. Yakin's compact 4-2-3-1 does not concede soft goals. They march out of this group. Canada are the emotional story. Jesse Marsch has won 14 of his 31 games in charge, plays all three matches on home soil in Toronto and Vancouver, and carries the all-time top scorer Jonathan David, now at Juventus with 39 international goals. The cloud: Alphonso Davies is nursing a hamstring and will miss the opener. Bosnia and Herzegovina got here by knocking Italy out on penalties in Zenica on March 31, which buys them serious credibility. Sergej Barbarez deploys a pragmatic 4-2-3-1, leans on set pieces and a compact defensive block, and has Edin Džeko, 146 caps, 72 goals, leading the line at 40. Qatar arrive genuinely flat. Under Julen Lopetegui, they lost to Ireland in a warm-up friendly, failed to win a match at the December Arab Cup, and rank 55th in the world. Their squad is almost entirely domestically based, with Akram Afif the lone world-class exception. Qatar at +3000 to win the group is a market to leave alone.