El Salvador Faces Uphill Battle Against Canada for Quarterfinal Berth

Canada and El Salvador will clash on Tuesday in a pivotal Group B matchup at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, with a place in the quarterfinals on the line. This will be the third Gold Cup meeting between the sides, with Canada holding a slight edge thanks to a win and a draw in previous editions.

Led by head coach Jesse Marsch, Canada sits atop the group with four points after a win over Honduras and a 1-1 draw against Curaçao. Nathan Saliba scored in both games, including one of the fastest goals in the team’s Gold Cup history.

El Salvador enters the match with one point and in need of a win to stay alive. La Selecta fell 2-0 to Honduras last time out, but veteran Darwin Cerén reached a career milestone with his 100th cap — just five shy of the national record.

Canada has dominated recent encounters, with back-to-back World Cup qualifying wins in 2021 and 2022. Yet El Salvador will be hoping to defy the odds, drawing inspiration from their last victory against Canada — a 4-1 win in 1997. On this stage, history is just a backdrop.