Canada’s captain, Alphonso Davies, is set to play on Thursday against Qatar after recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him during the team’s World Cup opener, as confirmed by coach Jesse Marsch.
Davies sustained the injury last month while competing for Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals. Despite being limited during an open training session earlier this week, he has progressed in the return-to-play protocol.
“He’s trained this week, and he will be available for tomorrow’s match. We’ll assess how the game unfolds before deciding how best to utilize him,” Marsch stated on Wednesday evening.
Since tearing his ACL in the CONCACAF Nations League finals in March 2025, Davies has not represented Canada. He boasts an impressive record of 15 goals in 58 international matches.
“We’ve made great progress, and Alphonso looks really strong,” Marsch added. “It’s all about evaluating the game situation, the moment, and how we feel he can contribute. But he is ready and available.”
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Canada began their World Cup journey with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday in Toronto. Late in the game, substitute Cyle Larin netted the equalizer in the 78th minute.
Qatar also achieved a 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Saturday in Santa Clara, California, with Boualem Khoukhi scoring during stoppage time to secure Qatar’s first-ever point in World Cup history.
As a result, all four teams in Group B are currently tied with one point heading into their next matches.