Ian Wright and Patrick Vieira weren’t impressed with Jesse Marsch’s comments after Canada’s defeat to Switzerland at the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday afternoon.

After a draw against Bosnia and a 6-0 rout of Qatar, Canada went into their third and final group game against Switzerland knowing a draw or better would see them qualify for the knockout rounds as group winners.

However, they were unable to get the result they needed as Switzerland picked up all three points. Promise David’s 76th minute goal wasn’t enough for Les Rouges as they suffered a 2-1 defeat, condeming them to a second-place finish in Group B.

Jesse Marsch Speaks Out After Switzerland Defeat

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

A win for Canada would have seen them contest their last 32 match in front of their own fans in Vancouver. They have missed that opportunity, though, and will now have to travel to Los Angeles.

The 52-year-old expressed his disappointment at not being able to play their last 32 match in Canada. He told ITV: “It’s been awesome [playing in Canada]. And that’s the disappointment. We just want to continue the energy that’s taken place here in Canada.

“You know, I’ve been through these World Cups, and I’ve been through different big moments in my career. And I know when you get one big win, building on that is so important. And so, I’m disappointed we weren’t able to get the win or draw today to keep us here.

“I’m so thankful for the energy and the country, and certainly in the stadium here today, but we’re going to go to LA. It’s probably going to be an away crowd, it’s going to be a little tougher, but we still want to electrify our country and play really well down there and go after it still.”

It was hoped that Canada’s star player, Alphonso Davies, would play his first minutes at the tournament. The Bayern Munich ace has not yet featured for his nation in the tournament as he recovers from a hamstring injury. He was named on the bench once again for the game against Switzerland, but he did not make his way onto the pitch.

Speaking about his decision not to sub Davies on, despite Canada needing a goal, Marsch said: “Alphonso will be ready. We thought about Alphonso, but we’re just trying to manage him and not put him in a situation where we felt like he’ll be in danger. But he should be ready for the next match.”

Peter Cziborra via Reuters

Wright wasn’t impressed with Marsch’s post-match interview, saying he sounded a bit ‘performative’.

Wright said: “It doesn’t make sense that you’ve got the opportunity, to play a game, win a game, and stay in your country, where you’ll have the fan’s support. And then he’s talking about how much he believes in this team and the heart of this team. They should have had that at the start of the game so that they could stay here and have a better chance.

Duncan Ferguson couldn’t understand why Davies did not play any minutes. The Scotsman said: “He’s on the bench, if he’s on the bench so he can put him on can’t he?”

While Vieira also questioned how much Marsch wanted Canada to play their last 32 match in Vancouver. He said: “If you really want to stay in Vancouver, you would have approached the game in a different way. If Davies is fit, he has to play 15 minutes or half-an-hour.

“You need to give him some game-time for him to be ready for the next game. He can’t start. If he didn’t come on today, then it will be very difficult for him to start. Or that will be a massive gamble on his side.

Canada now face a very tough path to the World Cup final. They will play their last 32 match on Sunday, June 28, with South Korea their likely opponents.

UFC Freedom 250 took place at the White House, home of incumbent US President, Donald Trump, on Trump’s 80th birthday on the night of the 14th of June.

It was put on at great expense to the UFC and parent company, TKO. The cost to put the event on reportedly exceeded $60 million. However, it seems that the paychecks for the fighters who took to the Octagon that night were nowhere near that figure, not even combined.

One such fighter’s earnings have stumped one of the most famous boxing promoters in the world in Eddie Hearn, who passionately highlighted the disparity in pay between the two sports in relation to the level of competition.

UFC Freedom 250 Fighter Pay

Amber Searls via Imagn Images

The biggest earner from the show was Alex Pereira, who, in the penultimate fight of the night, was bested by Ciryl Gane, who earned the interim heavyweight title. However, despite tasting defeat, the Brazilian still pocketed a healthy $10 million. The Frenchman, on the other hand, despite winning, only received $1.25 million.

Those in the main event, Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, with the latter scoring the upset, took home $2.5 million and $2.95 million, respectively.

The eight fighters who competed in the four fights before Sean O’Malley versus Aiemann Zahabi shared a combined figure that was only $500,000 more than what Gane earned, coming in at a bill of $1.73 million.

It is the fight purse of the aforementioned O’Malley that has left Hearn scratching his head, especially given his experience with the money thrown around in his area of expertise.

Eddie Hearn’s Reaction to Sean O’Malley’s Purse

The 47-year-old is no stranger to the big bucks. With his Matchroom Boxing stable and the promotion of Anthony Joshua‘s whole career, Hearn has seen, in some cases, several fighters on the same card earn multiples of what Pereira earned from the White House event, let alone the rest of those who were on the card, including “Suga” Sean.

O’Malley reportedly pocketed just $600,000 for his efforts. Now, the average person would think that amount of money for less than 10 minutes of work shouldn’t be something that is scoffed at. However, his earnings were just 6% of those of Pereira, so some frustration could be understood.

Hearn appeared to feel frustrated both for and at O’Malley and his fellow fighters, citing the purses of boxers as a reason to encourage those in the UFC to fight for higher pay.

“Those guys need to stop being suppressed. I’m just shocked by the mindset of, ‘Oh well, there’s nothing else we can do, really. It is what it is.’

Some may see Hearn as being ignorant in appearing to try to tell MMA fighters what to do. However, he has got a point, because MMA can be more dangerous than boxing. In boxing, the only shots are coming from the fists, whereas, in mixed martial arts, the clue is in the name, damage can be caused by punches, kicks, submissions, and takedowns. As a result, those in it should probably be paid more.

Canada are now facing a very tough route to the 2026 World Cup final after suffering a defeat to Switzerland in their match on Wednesday afternoon.

Jesse Marsch’s side went into the match in pole position in Group B and knowing that a point against the European side in Vancouver would be enough to see them clinch top spot.

However, Canada were not able to get the result they needed as they lost 2-1. Switzerland took a two-goal lead early in the second half courtesy of goals from Ruben Vargas and Johan Manzambi.

Promise David pulled one back with 14 minutes remaining but, despite their best efforts, they were unable to find an equaliser as Switzerland took all three points.

Canada’s Route to the 2026 World Cup Final

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

If Canada won their group, they would have played their last 32 match in front of their own fans at the Vancouver Stadium. That would have been a huge boost for Canada, but Switzerland will now have that privilege.

Instead, Canada will travel to Los Angeles to contest their first knockout match on Sunday, June 28. They will face the team that finishes second place in Group A: at the moment, that is South Korea. Their other potential opponents are Czechia or South Africa. Canada will fancy their chances, whoever they play.

It gets really tough for them in the last 16 and beyond, though.

BBC

As things stand, if they win their last 32 match, they will face either the Netherlands or Morocco. Both teams have been very impressive in the tournament thus far.

A possible quarter-final tie against France or Germany awaits. In the semi-finals, they could face Portugal or Spain. If they make it all the way to the final, they could play either Argentina, England or Brazil.

The bracket is not yet set, and their possible opponents are set to change. However, they would have definitely preferred to have topped the group.

Jesse Marsch Speaks Out After Canada 1-2 Switzerland

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

Marsch reflected on his side’s performance after the match. He said on ITV Sport:

“I know our team has heart. I know that we have a group that will give everything at every moment. And that’s something to be very proud of. And just the managing the little moments, given the start of the game I thought we were a little tentative and not really aggressive and not really sprinting enough. But, we’re going to focus on the positives, we’re going to focus on the response.

“Again, good performances off the bench. The only thing I wish I would have done differently, I was thinking about going five-at-the-back to really lock things down at half-time, and when we came out like that, then obviously I wish I would have done that. I think I should have done that.”

When asked about Canada’s crowds, Marsch replied: “It’s been awesome. And that’s the disappointment. We just want to continue the energy that’s taken place here in Canada.

“You know, I’ve been through these World Cups and I’ve been through different big moments in my career. And I know when you get one big win, building on that is so important. And so, I’m disappointed we weren’t able to get the win or draw today to keep us here.

“I’m so thankful for the energy and the country, and certainly in the stadium here today, but we’re going to go to LA. It’s probably going to be an away crowd, it’s going to be a little 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.”