The Ubyssey

In their Round of 16 matchup against Morocco, Canada came out ready for a fight. They knew just how tough their opponent could be, facing the now sixth-ranked Morocco in the group stage during the 2022 World Cup, falling to them 2–1. But things have changed. Canada has changed. Throughout this World Cup, no longer has Canada looked like the team who had only ever qualified for two World Cups and gone 0–3 in the group stage of both.

The final World Cup match to be played in Canada refused to produce a winner for 120 minutes. In the end, it took a penalty shootout — and Swiss composure — to separate two sides who had spent two hours refusing to give each other an inch. On Tuesday afternoon at BC Place, Switzerland defeated Colombia 4–3 on penalties after a goalless draw to book its place in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.

It's May 8, 2026, and Dr. Elizabeth ‘Biz’ Nijdam sits in her ninth-floor office in Buchanan Tower. The assistant professor is surrounded by colourful books and board games she uses as materials for her courses in the department of Central, Eastern and Northern European studies. A recurrent online Faculty of Arts meeting is playing in the background, and is discussing AI and teaching.

Switzerland had waited nearly nine decades for another FIFA World Cup knockout victory, and they weren't about to let the opportunity slip away. On Thursday night at BC Place, Algeria controlled the ball for long stretches, completed more passes and often looked like the more polished team. Switzerland simply proved far more ruthless.

Mount Pleasant’s City Centre Motor Hotel, now the City Centre Artist Lodge, housed the One More Life Gallery and the fifth annual STICKY show this past weekend. The space was small, and the close-set walls were populated with sticky notes in grid-like patterns, each with unique illustrations. This was the second weekend of STICKY, where artists created original works on the 3” x 3” canvases of sticky notes. What sounds like a limitation appeared to bring out even more creativity.

If I hear about an exam database one more time, I’m going to throw my stuffed octopus across the newsroom. It’s a rote executive goal that has been reused after after . While I suppose the executives who have campaigned on an exam database have seen success, who exactly is this exam database serving? We had one a decade ago, back in 2015. The infrastructure had been built; the literal database was functional. Yet professors didn’t want to upload exams to the database.

UBC men’s basketball announced Thursday that new permanent head coach Phil Jalalpoor will be joining the Toronto Raptors’ staff as a guest coach for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The NBA Summer League began in 2002, as a series of off-season exhibition contests, where, with lowered stakes, teams can roll out different lineups, giving backups and younger players a chance to see the court.

Youth alcohol consumption in British Columbia has steadily declined over the past two decades, according to a provincial health officer report. Per the report, published May 27, only 38 per cent of youth aged 12-19 have tried alcohol beyond a few sips, down from 58 per cent in 2003. Moreover, among youth who tried alcohol, the proportion who reported drinking before age 15 declined from 80 per cent in 2003 to 66 per cent in 2023.

As the air thickens with heat and once-grey Vancouver blossoms into vibrant greens, it becomes clear that summer is upon us. While the season is known for outdoor celebrations and joyous festivities, it means only one thing for this local sad cinephile — afternoons watching the most gut-wrenching films one’s ever had the displeasure of viewing. I love nature as much as the next person, but there is nothing as cathartic as bawling my eyes out in a half-empty theatre in the middle of June.

The 2026 World Cup has become quite the Cinderella story for Canada. After having previously qualified for only two World Cups, losing all six games and scoring only one goal, Canada has now not just scored more, but has won one game, picked up a draw in another and took a top European team down to the wire in their one loss. Thanks to that performance, Canada made it out of the group stage, facing off against South Africa in their first-ever knockout stage game.