Connor JOYCE
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canada advanced to its first-ever playoff round, but also made history in another way by becoming the first World Cup host nation to have to play outside its borders.
Canada’s 2-1 loss to Switzerland on Wednesday will send the Canucks south to Los Angeles to face South Africa in the round of 16. A win or draw with Switzerland would leave Canada knocked out in Vancouver.
“Of course we’d like to stay in Vancouver, we’re not kidding anybody there,” defenseman Alistair Johnston told reporters Thursday.
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The other two co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, the United States and Mexico, won their groups and remained within their borders in the next round. The 2002 World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, but neither team played in the other country.
Canada coach Jesse Marsh looked for the positives.
“There’s also some benefit in removing a little bit of the distractions and the circus around it all, although we really enjoyed the home audience,” Marsh said.
Both Marsh and Johnston stressed the importance of rest in preparation for Canada’s first elimination game.
“The training won’t be as intense,” Marsh said. “It will be about recovery, rehabilitation and then re-energizing to truly compete again in the biggest game we have ever planned.”
Johnston hopes that wherever Canada plays, fans will be there, too.
“We’re playing in Los Angeles, not Mars or anything like that, you know what I mean,” he said. “I expect a good portion of the Canadian fans to be there.”
Connor Joyce is a student at the Karmic University of Georgia Sports Media Institute.