Vincent Kompany
Former Belgium and Manchester City captain on BBC One

Image source, Reuters

I look at this Canada team and I think Belgium will be worried about the pace and the threat in behind because all those caps can take a little bit of speed away from you.

In general, I still see Belgium as favourites, I still see this as a good game for us to start the tournament.

Belgium

Attempts to bring the Qatar World Cup experience to Belgium have backfired after a planned fan zone event was cancelled due to lack of interest.

The fan zone, which had an "Arabian Nights" theme, was set to be open on Belgium matchdays in the town of Vilvoorde.

But fewer than 1,000 tickets had been sold for Belgium’s three group games when organisers decided to pull the plug.

Read more about this here., external

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Scott
Former England and Arsenal defender on BBC One

Image source, Rex Features

A bronze medal for the women's team in 2015 changed the face of football in Canada. They've won another bronze medal and a gold and the expectation and interest around the Canadian team is everything.

John Herdman, who was the coach with the women's team before, and he's done the same with the men. Everyone back home is now excited by this team and they didn't have that feeling with this group of players before. He has brought them together.

Ahead of the next World Cup, they want them to have a good showing and do well.

Image source, Getty Images

You wait years and years to play at the World Cup and then you find out you're appearing in back-to-back tournaments.

Canada will feature at the 2026 edition whatever happens in Qatar.

The next World Cup is being hosted by Canada, United States and Mexico who, as a result, qualify automatically.

By the way, the 2026 World Cup takes place in June and July.

A summer World Cup? Hooray!

Rio Ferdinand
Former England defender on BBC One

Image source, PA Media

Belgium have got six players with over 100 caps, potentially eight at the end of this tournament with Courtois and De Bruyne totting up their caps.

They have experience and the experience counts for something, you have to respect that. Eden Hazard is coming into this tournament, you don't know what you're going to get from him, given his injures and what he has gone through at Real Madrid.

This tournament will definitely tell you if they're past it but they haven't got to where we imagined they would. We were sat here years ago saying they were one of the favourites to win it and they haven't got there. That's the holy grail.

Image source, Getty Images

Only one member of Canada's team was born the last time the country played at the World Cup.

Captain Atiba Hutchinson was three-years-old when Les Rouges appeared at Mexico '86.

The 39-year-old is the second-oldest outfield player in World Cup history after Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who was 42 in 1994.

Nadine Yousif
BBC reporter, Toronto, Canada

Image source, Reuters

Canada has never scored a World Cup goal. Any player that does will go down in history - joining the likes of Christine Sinclair, who helped clinch the country's first-ever women's football gold medal at the recent Tokyo Olympics.

Canada is one of the host countries for the 2026 World Cup, so this year's run is just the beginning.

Read more: Canada reach first World Cup since 1986.

Image source, .

Eleven of Belgium's World Cup squad are aged 30 or over.

Six - Toby Alderweireld (124), Jan Vertonghen (142), Axel Witsel (127), Romelu Lukaku (102), Eden Hazard (123) and Dries Mertens (107) - have 100 caps or more.

For some, this could be their last World Cup gig. Will the Red Devils deliver in Qatar?

Image source, BBC Sport

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has opted to start Michy Batshuayi in the absence of injured Romelu Lukaku, who is expected to miss the first two group games. Eden Hazard also starts and captains the team despite playing only 98 minutes for Real Madrid in La Liga this season.

Defender Jan Vertonghen has recovered from the injury that kept him sidelined in the build-up to the tournament to take his place in the starting XI.

Belgium XI: Thibaut Courtois; Leander Dendoncker, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen; Yannick Carrasco, Youri Tielemans, Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne, Timothy Castagne; Eden Hazard, Michy Batshuayi

Image source, BBC Sport

Bayern Munich forward Alphonso Davies is fit to start for Canada along with Lille forward Jonathan David.

Cyle Larin, the top scorer in Concacaf World Cup qualifying, is on the bench.

Canada XI: Milan Borjan; Alistair Johnston, Kamal Miller, Steven Vitoria; Junior Hoilett, Stephen Eustaquio, Atiba Hutchinson, Richie Laryea; Tajon Buchanan, Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies.

Alphonso Davies has an incredible backstory. Born in a refugee camp in Ghana, to Liberian parents who fled the civil war in their home country, he moved to Canada aged five.

The 22-year-old is now a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador.

Davies, a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich, said he will donate all of his World Cup earnings to charity.

"He's just a high-quality individual," says Canada boss John Herdman.

"I think everyone sees that. Alphonso's done a great thing there and we're all proud of him for it. He underlines what Canada is. It is a country that accepts all."

Want to hear a feel-good story?

Image source, Reuters

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Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

Belgium have had their own "Golden Generation" over the last few years but have always come up short at major tournaments and the fear now is that there will be nothing to show for this superb group of players.

Roberto Martinez was appointed as coach in 2016, reaching the World Cup semi-final in 2018 and losing in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals to Italy.

The great names such as Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne are still there along with others but Belgium just seem a bit, shall we say, long in the tooth.

Pressure is on Martinez to come up with success. He has certainly been given a good crack at it.

Belgium

Image source, Getty Images

No European team has qualified for as many World Cups as Belgium without ever winning it. This is their 14th appearance.

June 1986. Liverpool are champions of England, Steaua Bucharest are champions of Europe and Canada are appearing at the World Cup for the first time.

Managed by Englishman Tony Waiters, who was born in Southport, Les Rouges impressed defensively in their first game in Mexico against France, only conceding a late Jean-Pierre Papin goal.

They then lost their next two group games 2-0 to Hungary and the Soviet Union to finish without a point or a goal.

Nevertheless it inspired an entire generation of Canadians to take up the sport.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Protesters in Brussels, Belgium, are out on the streets before their country's game with Canada to show red cards to Fifa in a rally to raise awareness of the human rights situation of LGBT+ people in Qatar.

Image source, Rex Features

Image source, Rex Features

Nadine Yousif
BBC reporter, Toronto, Canada

Image source, Getty Images

Canadian football fans are used to donning the jerseys of other countries during the World Cup - but this year is different. A young, promising Canada team will play on the world stage for the first time in 36 years, setting the nation up for a historic run, no matter what the outcome.

Canada's multicultural communities have long been the heart of football fandom in a nation whose athletic prowess on the world stage is often recognised for other sports, like ice hockey.

But in recent years, football in Canada has experienced something of a renaissance.

Now, Canada has a national team filled with high-calibre players who defied the odds and advanced to the world's biggest sports event for the first time since 1986.

Read more: Canada ready for historic game.

Belgium

Image source, Getty Images

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, appointed in 2016, must be sick of hearing the term 'golden generation' wheeled out at every interview.

But the facts are that this is probably the last realistic chance to win silverware with his glittering crop of stars. The core of their team is still the one that trips off the tongue like few others in world football.

Kevin de Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Axel Witsel, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku have become as synonymous with Belgium to football fans as waffles, chocolate and beer.

Yet despite that talent pool, they’ve come up short every time.

Will this be Belgium's year?

Image source, .

Forget Morocco because Canada are the hipster team at this tournament, and it is good to see them back at a World Cup for the first time since Mexico 1986.

I have got them down as finishing fourth in Group F but I am not ruling them out of causing a shock or two if Alphonso Davies is fit and Jonathan David can get among the goals.

Belgium are quite an obvious choice as group winners and they should certainly win this opening game, but I have got reservations about them in defence - Roberto Martinez still relies a lot on Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, who are both getting on a bit now.

Going forward, there are a couple of doubts too. Romelu Lukaku is carrying an injury and it feels like a long time since we saw Eden Hazard at his best - so they are probably not going into this World Cup as strong as they were at the last one.

Prediction: 2-0

Read: Chris Sutton's predictions for the opening round of World Cup games.