Canada just did something it has never done in the entire history of the FIFA World Cup: win a match. And they didn’t just squeak by. They demolished Qatar 6-0 at BC Place in Vancouver on June 18, in a game so lopsided it barely qualifies as competitive.
Jonathan David scored a hat-trick. Qatar finished with nine players after collecting two red cards. The co-hosts are now within striking distance of advancing to the knockout rounds in front of their home crowd.
The match that made Canadian soccer history
Canada entered the 2026 World Cup as one of three co-hosts alongside Mexico and the United States, but hosting privileges don’t come with guaranteed results. The country’s only previous World Cup appearance, back in 1986, produced zero goals and zero wins across three matches. Four decades of waiting ended in roughly 90 minutes of one-way traffic.
David’s three goals anchored the performance, but he had plenty of help. Cyle Larin found the net, Nathan Saliba added another, and Qatar contributed an own goal to round out the rout. By the time Qatar was reduced to nine men through two separate red card incidents, the contest was already well beyond salvage.
