Injured captain Alphonso Davies is likely to miss Canada’s opening World Cup match, but head coach Jesse Marsch is optimistic that the full-back will still contribute to the tournament.
The 25-year-old player sustained a hamstring injury during Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final against Paris St-Germain on May 6, and the German club indicated he would be sidelined for “several weeks.”
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During a season plagued by injuries, Davies made only 13 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern.
Canada will kick off their World Cup campaign on home soil against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12, followed by matches against Qatar and Switzerland on June 18 and 24 in Vancouver.
“I believe Alphonso will participate in the World Cup,” Marsch shared with reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Canada is training ahead of announcing their 26-man World Cup squad this Friday.
“He likely won’t be ready by June 12, but we’ll see.”
Davies was among the 32 players called up for the camp, but Marsch noted that the Canadian captain would only rejoin the team just before their friendly against Uzbekistan on June 1 in Edmonton.
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The team also has a preparatory match against the Republic of Ireland scheduled in Montreal on June 5.
Davies last represented Canada in March of last year against the United States, when he incurred an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
He was also unavailable for the March 2026 friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia due to a hamstring strain.
The former Vancouver Whitecaps left-back was part of Canada’s 2022 World Cup squad and scored in a 4-1 loss to eventual semi-finalists Croatia during the group stage.