Canada and Tigres UANL winger Marcelo Flores suffered a ruptured ACL during the Concacaf Champions Cup final against Toluca on Saturday, ruling him out of the 2026 World Cup.
In a social media post, Flores expressed his gratitude, writing, “I’m sorry for the delay in responses during these tough times. My ACL is gone. Thank you to everyone for your messages. I haven’t been able to check my phone, but I promise to respond to each one of you. I truly appreciate your concern and will come back stronger.”
The injury occurred when Flores was dribbling inside the opponent’s penalty area and appeared to catch his foot on the grass, collapsing in pain on his right leg. Medical staff from Tigres assisted him off the field, as he was unable to bear any weight on the leg.
This unfortunate incident took place only 15 minutes after Flores had entered the match as a substitute in the second half.
Canada’s manager, Jesse Marsch, confirmed the injury during a news conference on Sunday, expressing that both he and the team are heartbroken for Flores.
Marsch had announced Flores as part of the 26-player World Cup roster just a day prior, alongside notable players such as Alphonso Davies and Stephen Eustáquio.
Flores initially represented Mexico internationally before making a FIFA one-time switch to join the Canadian men’s national team. Born in Canada to a Mexican father, he was eligible to represent both nations.
Marsch had called up Flores for the January window to participate in a friendly against Guatemala, but Flores was unable to join the camp as his change of association had not been finalized.
Flores eventually made his debut for Canada during the March international window, playing in matches against Iceland and Tunisia.