Maha Christopher
Canada midfielder Ismaël Koné has been ruled out after suffering a broken leg during his side’s 6-0 victory over Qatar at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to ESPN, the 24-year-old was stretchered off in the second half after a challenge from Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo during Thursday’s Group B clash at BC Place.
Players from both teams immediately called for medical assistance after Koné went down, with Canada captain Stephen Eustáquio among the first to reach the injured midfielder.
“I saw his leg. I saw that something wasn’t right,” Eustáquio said after the match.
Following a VAR review, Madibo was shown a straight red card for the challenge, leaving Qatar to finish the game with nine men after Homam Al Amin had earlier been sent off.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch described the injury as a major blow for the team.
“I haven’t spoken to Ismaël yet, but he’s at the hospital,” Marsch said after the game.
“He will prepare for a surgery. His family is with him at the hospital. Look, it happened right in front of the bench. We could all hear it.”
“So your heart goes out to him, and everybody’s a little shaken by the whole experience because of the nature of the injury and also because Ismaël is a big part of the heart of our team. It will be a big loss for us.”
Despite the setback, Canada maintained their focus and secured a dominant victory to move to the top of Group B.
As Koné was taken off the field, he received a standing ovation from the home crowd and was seen waving to supporters from the stretcher.
“But look, you saw also that he was waving to the crowd and almost making everybody else feel at ease with the fact that he’s injured,” Marsch said.
Canada striker Jonathan David, who scored a hat-trick in the match, questioned the need for the challenge that led to the injury.
“If there’s a play where you cannot win the ball, there’s no point. It’s just to hurt people,” David said.
Nathan Saliba, who replaced Koné, paid tribute to his teammate by raising Koné’s shirt after scoring Canada’s fourth goal.
The injury overshadowed an otherwise historic afternoon for Canada, who recorded their first-ever World Cup victory and strengthened their chances of reaching the knockout stage.
