Canada’s Ismael Kone waves to crowd as he is stretched off after being fouled by Qatar’s Assim Madibo during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B match. (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
(Fran Santiago via Getty Images)
Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné was stretchered off during Canada‘s World Cup win over Qatar after suffering a gruesome leg injury.
Koné was tackled by Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo about 10 minutes into the second half of Thursday’s game. Koné looked in pain immediately afterward, grabbing at his left leg, and athletic trainers quickly came to tend to him. It took little time for Canada’s medical staff to bring out the stretcher, while the Canadian reserves surrounded him as Koné was receiving treatment.
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Koné waved at the crowd as he was taken off, with his left leg in an air cast. Multiple players were emotional as he was taken off the field.
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Madibo, who was visibly distressed as Koné was being treated, was initially assessed a yellow card for the contact, but it was upgraded to a red card after review. The broadcast did not show replay of the tackle, indicating the potential severity of the injury.
(Video of the incident can be found here, but viewer discretion is advised.)
In a mark of sportsmanship, Canadian forward Tajon Buchanan joined Madibo’s teammates in comforting him.
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Qatar was already down a player, thanks to a red card from Homam Ahmed in the 33rd minute. The additional red forced the team to finish the game with only nine players.
Koné was replaced by Nathan Saliba, who scored five minutes later, and immediately lifted up Koné’s jersey in celebration.
Canada went on to smack Qatar 6-0 for the nation’s first World Cup win. But Koné’s injury still appeared to be a sticking point, with the two teams scuffling a bit after the final whistle. Canadian coach Jesse Marsch and Qatari coach Julien Lopetegui weren’t too friendly during their postgame handshake.
In a postgame news conference, Marsch seemed to confirm that Koné had broken his leg, saying that he “could hear the bone snap,” via The Athletic’s Tom Bogert. Marsch also said that Koné was taken to a local hospital in Vancouver and will undergo surgery, via The Associated Press.
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“Everybody was crushed when it happened, but we had to find a way to stay focused, we knew that Ismaël wanted us to finish the job,” Marsch said, via the AP. “There’s a lot of thoughts that go through our heads right now, we’re all thinking about him, but we’re all very proud of what we are.”
