Jesse Marsch insists Canada will “go for it” in Los Angeles, having lost home advantage by qualifying for the World Cup round of 32 with second place in Group B.

Canada knew a draw in their final game against Switzerland would be enough to ensure they finished in top spot and play their first-ever knockout-stage game in Vancouver.

However, Ruben Vargas and Johan Manzambi’s early second-half goals were enough to secure Switzerland a 2-1 win, with Promise David’s goal proving a consolation in the end.

Canada qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup with just four points (W1 D1 L1), the fewest by a home nation to qualify from the group stage since the United States in 1994 (also four).

They have also lost their last three matches at the tournament when drawing at half-time, previously doing so against France and Russia in 1986.

But Marsch is determined not to dwell on this result and is confident Canada will still put out their best performance despite having to travel to the USA.

“Look, it’s been awesome, and that’s the disappointment, is we just want to continue the energy that’s taken place here in Canada,” he said on ITV.

“I’ve been through these World Cups, and I’ve been through different big moments in my career, and I know that when you get one big win, like building on that is so important.

“I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to get a win or a draw to keep us here. I’m so thankful for the energy in the country, and certainly in the stadium here.

“But we’re going to go to LA, we’re going to go where it’s probably going to be an away crowd, and it’ll be a little bit tougher, but we still want to electrify our country and play really well down there, and go after it.

“Still, we’re exactly where we want to be. We finished second in the group, we’re in the knockout phase, and now let’s go for it.”

For the first time ever, we are in the knockout stage of a men’s World Cup! #CANMNT pic.twitter.com/JjQrN9RURP

— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) June 24, 2026

Switzerland, meanwhile, got the result they needed to leapfrog Canada into top spot and get a potentially more inviting draw as they will face one of the best third-place teams.

They have qualified from the group stage in each of the last four World Cups (2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026), while they finished top of the group for just the second time in the competition (also 2006).

The game hinged on their fast start to the second half, with Vargas’ opener coming 39 seconds after the break – it is the fastest goal after the break since Daniel Agger’s own goal against the Netherlands (32 seconds) in 2010.

Manzambi also played a key role again, scoring his third goal of the tournament, and Murat Yakin was thrilled with how his team saw out the result.

“We made life a bit difficult for ourselves. But it was a solid team performance,” he said.

“We got off to a great start in the second half with the two goals. The opponent then opened up and brought on attacking players, which made things a bit difficult for us.

“We lost possession somewhat carelessly and gave them even more hope. But in the end, we saw it through, and that’s the most important thing. Now we can enjoy this moment of being top of the table.

“Now we first have to wait and see which opponent we have. With such large distances, two or three days of rest are certainly important.”