Jonathan David Hat-Trick Fires Canada to First-Ever World Cup Win, a 6-0 Rout That Headlines Matchday 2

Canada were the story of the 2026 World Cup's Matchday 2 across Groups A-D on June 18. At BC Place in Vancouver, the co-hosts thrashed Qatar 6-0 for their first-ever win at a men's World Cup, a six-goal margin that equaled the record victory margin for a host nation, matching Italy (1934), Brazil (1950) and Argentina (1978). On the same day fellow co-hosts Mexico beat South Korea 1-0 (covered separately). Elsewhere, Switzerland beat Bosnia & Herzegovina 4-1, the Czech Republic drew 1-1 with South Africa, and the USA beat Australia 2-0.

Canada's rout reshaped Group B. Jonathan David completed his first World Cup hat-trick — a right-footed volley from inside the box at 29' followed by goals in first-half and second-half stoppage time — to join Lionel Messi as the only players to score three goals in a single match at the 2026 World Cup. Cyle Larin had opened the scoring at 16', tapping in after the keeper spilled David's shot for his second of the tournament, with Nathan Saliba adding the fourth at 64' and a Mohamed Manai own goal making it five at 75'; it was 3-0 at the break. Qatar finished with nine men after red cards for Homam Ahmed in the first half and Assim Madibo in the second. Madibo's challenge broke the leg of Canada midfielder Ismael Kone, who was stretchered off, and head coach Jesse Marsch called the result 'an incredibly seminal moment' for Canadian soccer. Canada moved to four points atop Group B and, per ESPN, 'all but secured' a knockout place, though it is not yet mathematically clinched.

In the other Group B fixture, Switzerland beat Bosnia & Herzegovina 4-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles. The game was goalless and uneventful until the closing stages, when 20-year-old substitute Johan Manzambi — of Freiburg and the Europa League Young Player of the Season — volleyed in his first World Cup goal at 74', just 166 seconds after coming on. Bosnia were reduced to ten men when Tarik Muharemovic was sent off in the 80th minute for a last-man foul on Breel Embolo, triggering a Swiss surge of four goals from the 74th minute onward. Ruben Vargas made it 2-0 at 84' (assisted by Embolo) and Manzambi completed his brace at 90' (assisted by Vargas), before Granit Xhaka converted a stoppage-time penalty awarded for a foul on Djibril Sow; Ermin Mahmic volleyed a stoppage-time consolation for Bosnia. Switzerland, playing without the absent Xherdan Shaqiri, moved top of Group B on four points.

In Group A, the Czech Republic and South Africa drew 1-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Michal Sadilek struck at the sixth minute — the earliest goal of the tournament to that point — but the Czechs were wasteful, and South Africa earned their first point of the tournament when Teboho Mokoena converted a penalty nine minutes from time, at 83', after an inadvertent handball by Pavel Sulc; both sides remain mathematically alive heading into the final round. In Group D, the USA beat Australia 2-0 at Lumen Field in Seattle through a Cameron Burgess own goal at 11', forced by a dangerous Folarin Balogun cross, and an Alex Freeman header at 43' that stood after a VAR offside check. The win clinched the co-hosts' place in the Round of 32 with a group game to spare, taking the USA to six points; captain Christian Pulisic missed the match with a calf injury as a precaution. One note: outlets including ESPN, FIFA, Yahoo, NBC and CNN date this fixture to June 19, conflicting with the site's June-18 Matchday-2 grouping, though the 2-0 score is unanimous.

The qualification picture is shifting with every match. Check the live group standings, the new round-of-32 qualification-scenarios page (/scenarios), and the full schedule in your own time zone to see exactly what each team needs in its final group game to reach the Round of 32.