It was the moment Canadian soccer fans had dreamt about since they learned North America would host the biggest tournament of the summer.
A win for Canada’s men’s national team on home soil.
The pressure was on to deliver as a heavy favourite.
Canada met the moment with a dominant 6-0 win over Qatar that tied the all-time tournament record for the largest margin of victory by a host nation.
Canada also set the tournament records for the most goals in a match and the largest margin of victory ever by a CONCACAF team.
Cyle Larin set the tone with the first goal in Vancouver.
Jonathan David became the first CONCACAF men’s player to score a hat-trick in the tournament in nearly a century (1930), matching Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the most goals through Matchday 1.
With a dominant victory, Canada’s odds to win Group B were cut from +160 as the second choice to -175 as the favourite at FanDuel.
Despite securing a 4-1 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina, Switzerland’s odds to win Group B climbed from +110 to +140 at FanDuel.
Canada can clinch first place in Group B with a win or draw versus Switzerland next Wednesday in Vancouver.
Canada to win or draw is -195 at FanDuel.
The narrative has shifted from proving they can compete on soccer’s biggest stage to finishing the job and locking up top spot in Group B in front of their home fans.
For now, the entire country can catch its breath and enjoy the moment after a record-setting performance in the first-ever tournament win by the men’s team.
Fellow host nation Mexico locked up first place in Group A with a 1-0 win over South Korea last night.
Next up, the focus shifts to Group D as another host nation gets the opportunity to clinch first place with a win this afternoon.
Let’s set the stage for today’s tournament action and lock in one final FanDuel Best Bet for the week in this Morning Coffee column for Friday June 19th, 2026.
United States, Australia Set For Group D Showdown
The United States entered the tournament as the favourite to win Group D at +130.
Turkiye was considered their most likely challenger for top spot as a close second choice at +175, followed by Paraguay at +400 and Australia at +800.
While the US certainly lived up to their part with a 4-1 win over Paraguay in their opener, Australia stunned Turkiye with a 2-0 victory.
https://x.com/TSN_Sports/status/2065979521225142392
That upset led to Australia’s odds to win Group D being slashed from +800 to +390 at FanDuel.
Australia can clinch first place in the group with another upset win over the Americans at +400.
This is unchartered territory for the Socceroos, which have never won their group.
They’ll be playing with house money today with a chance to book their spot in the knockout stage with a win or draw.
For the United States, the pressure is on to deliver as the Group D favourite on home soil.
The US to win outright is -165 at FanDuel.
The match to end in a draw is +340.
After cashing the over 2.5 goals in their 4-1 win over Paraguay, I’m going to run it back with the over today.
The Australian players demonstrated their confidence when they called their shot ahead of a win over Turkiye.
I’m not sure they will be satisfied with a single point against the United States.
Meanwhile, the Americans continued to play high-event soccer in their win over Paraguay.
Seven of their last eight matches have featured three or more goals.
I’ll lock in the over 2.5 goals at -114 as a FanDuel Best Bet for the match.
I’ll also lock in Folarin Balogun 2 or more shots on target at +120 and Balogun anytime goal at +150.
Balogun led the way for the US with a pair of goals in their victory over Paraguay.
With Christian Pulisic nursing an injury, Balogun’s skill set will be relied on even more against Australia.
Hopefully, Balogun can lead the way again in a Group D match that features plenty of goals this afternoon.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
