Switzerland legend Ricardo Rodriguez says winning their Group B decider against Canada in Vancouver on Wednesday has to be part of the plan if the Nati are to go all the way at this edition.
After conceding an added-time equaliser in a surprise 1-1 draw with Qatar, Murat Yakin’s side swept past Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 in a contest containing all five goals after the 73rd minute.
“We want first place,” said Rodriguez (via Blick), whose 1,289 minutes at the World Cup are the most of any player in Switzerland’s history.
“If you want to be world champions, you have to be able to beat every team. I’m just trying to enjoy every game and play as if it were my last World Cup match.”
Co-hosts Canada finished strongly in a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, then continued that momentum by crushing Qatar 6-0 with the help of a hat-trick for the country’s all-time record scorer, Jonathan David.
“This is not a normal moment for the country and we need to accentuate the success of this moment,” argued head coach Jesse Marsch, whose margin of victory means they will win their section with a draw against Switzerland.
“We’ll stay grounded and we won’t get ahead of ourselves. I’ll make sure that the team is, in all ways, ready to focus and concentrate and compete to win the group and set ourselves up, truly, for success at this tournament.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar, who each have one point, meet simultaneously in the final round of Group B matches.
With their section rivals each on four points, that fixture will decide third place barring a hefty goal difference change.
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World Cup 2026: Switzerland v Canada team news
Canada’s Ismael Kone has had surgery on a broken leg the midfielder suffered against Qatar and could be replaced by Nathan Saliba, who scored with a free-kick after replacing him.
One of Kone’s other potential stand-ins, 58-cap Stephen Eustaquio, missed the media section of training on Sunday but participated fully on Monday, according to Sportsnet.
Centre-back Moise Bombito returned from injury as a substitute against Qatar and could be in contention to start, having replaced the booked Derek Cornelius at half-time.
Captain Alphonso Davies could make his comeback from a hamstring issue.
Rodriguez shares the record of 14 appearances for Switzerland at the finals with Granit Xhaka, although the left-back failed to complete 90 minutes in a World Cup game for the first time when he was substituted on matchday two.
Ruben Vargas was replaced by Fabian Rieder against Bosnia and Herzegovina before coming on for the forward with 19 minutes remaining.
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