Canada's Ismael Kone Hospitalized After Being Carted Off with Gruesome Injury During World Cup Match

Team Canada midfielder Ismaël Koné was carted off the field and hospitalized after suffering a gruesome broken leg during the second half of Thursday's 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Qatar in Vancouver.

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch told reporters Friday that Koné broke his tibia and fibula and underwent surgery.

After the injury, Koné posted a lengthy message to his Instagram account, thanking his teammates for their support:

Canada's Moïse Bombito shared a photo on his Instagram story of himself visiting Koné in the hospital Thursday night.

Marsch said after the game he knew "right away" Koné's injury was similar to the broken leg Canada's Tajon Buchanan suffered in training in 2024.

He also told reporters Qatar's Assim Madibo, who was shown a red card after the injurious play, came to Canada's dressing room to apologize to Koné.

Koné suffered his injury in the 53rd minute after a tackle from Madibo. He waved to the crowd as he was carried off the field on a stretcher.

Nathan Saliba later held Koné's jersey up after scoring in the 64th minute to put Canada up by four goals.

The play resulted in the second red card of the game for Qatar, who had seen Homam Ahmed sent off in the 33rd minute.

There were nine minutes of stoppage time added after the second half following the injury delay. Canada's Jonathan David took advantage of the extra time by completing a hat trick.

Canada ultimately claimed a 6-0 win over Qatar to overtake Switzerland for the Group B lead.

Koné, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Tuesday, plays for the Serie A club Sassuolo. He had appeared in 41 career matches for Canada heading into Thursday.

Despite a scare regarding a possible wrist injury suffered in a friendly against Ireland earlier this month, Koné was named Superior Player of the Match after helping Canada open the tournament last Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto.

Thursday's win against Qatar marked Canada's first ever World Cup victory. Canada will likely be tasked with continuing without Koné when the team resumes group stage action Wednesday against Switzerland in Vancouver.