Canada and Uzbekistan face off in a friendly on Monday night ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the final tuneup week for both teams as World Cup co-host Canada prepares for their third tournament appearance, while Uzbekistan are set to make their debut.
Canada is a -160 favourite to win on the FIFA soccer odds, while a draw is +240 and Uzbekistan is a +425 underdog. The total is pegged at 2.5.
Canada vs. Uzbekistan World Cup TV and match info
Date: Monday, June 1, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta
Time: Pre-game coverage at 7 p.m. ET, kickoff at 9 p.m. ET
How to watch in Canada: TSN on TV, TSN.ca, TSN app
Weather: Rain expected (10-15 mm). Wind 30 km/h to 50. Low of 8 °C.
Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET from Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta. The game can be streamed on TSN in Canada, starting with pre-match coverage at 7 p.m. ET.
Keep in mind, it will be a wet night in Edmonton, with 10-15 mm of rain expected. That is obviously significant given Commonwealth Stadium, home of the CFL’s Elks, does not have a retractable roof.
Canada vs. Uzbekistan predicted starting XI lineups
Canada predicted starting lineup:
Maxime Crepeau, Alistair Johnston, Derek Cornelius, Joel Waterman, Richie Laryea, Tajon Buchanan, Stephen Eustaquio, Ismael Kone, Stephen Eustáquio, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin
With Canada losing Marcelo Flores for the World Cup due to a ruptured ACL over the weekend, coach Jesse Marsch also ruled out midfielders Ali Ahmed and Jacob Shaffelburg on Monday due to injuries, although they are available for the tournament. Captain Alphonso Davies joined the team in Edmonton on Sunday night, but he won’t play against Uzbekistan and he is questionable for the World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 because of a hamstring injury.
There is good news, however, as defender Richie Laryea will be in the lineup on Monday after recovering from a thigh injury. Another important defender, Moise Bombito, will also see limited minutes as he works his way back from a broken leg suffered in October. Most players will play 45 minutes with substitutions at halftime.
Maxime Crepeau will start the first half in goal and Dayne St. Clair will start the second half as Marsch makes the final decision on the No. 1 option for the World Cup.
Uzbekistan World Cup odds and news
As mentioned, Uzbekistan will make history with their first World Cup appearance ever. They are led by one of the greatest defenders of all-time in Fabio Cannavaro, a member of Italy’s 2006 World Cup championship team. With Cannavaro at the helm, Uzbekistan hasn’t allowed a goal in three of their last four matches.
In fact, Uzbekistan’s 2-1 friendly loss against Uruguay last October was their only defeat since losing to Qatar in a World Cup qualifying match in 2024. However, here’s a word of warning: while Uzbekistan is unbeaten in their last three international matches as the visiting team, they only won one of those games, beating North Korea 1-0 in 2024.
Jonathan David is one of Canada’s best men’s players of all-time and at just 26, he is in line to exponentially grow his legacy at a home World Cup. The Juventus forward had an underwhelming debut season in Serie A, so there will be no shortage of incentive to perform at the World Cup as he looks for a transfer out of Italy. It all starts with getting off on the right foot in the final tuneup games.
World Cup 2026 bracket and futures
Canada has the second-shortest odds to win Group B at +240 and they -450 to reach the knockout round for the first time.
Oddsmakers expect a tougher road for Uzbekistan as they are -125 favourites to finish last in Group K and +3300 long shots to win a stacked field against Portugal, Colombia and DR Congo.
Canada vs. Uzbekistan score prediction
Canada sits 20 places higher than Uzbekistan in the FIFA World rankings, so while I think they will win in front of their home crowd, the poor weather conditions should bring a low scoring affair.
