2026 World Cup: Canada's Ismaël Koné stretchered off with potential leg injury

Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné has been stretchered off in Canada’s World Cup match against Qatar after suffering a potentially nasty 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 afterwards, grabbing at his left leg, and trainers quickly came to tend to him. The Canadian reserves also surrounded him as he was receiving treatment. Madibo 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 that potential severity of the injury. Qatar was already down a player, thanks to a red card from Homam Ahmed in the 33rd minute. The addition red forces the team to finish the game with only nine players. Koné waved at the crowd as he was taken off, with his left leg in an air cast. He was replaced by Nathan Saliba. This story will be updated.