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Canada head coach Jesse Marsch believes captain Alphonso Davies will participate in the World Cup, although he is unlikely to be ready for the team’s opening match due to injury.
Davies suffered a hamstring injury earlier this month while playing for Bayern Munich. Marsch included Davies on the team’s final 32-man training camp roster on Monday, but he will not rejoin the team until the end of the month to allow him to continue his rehabilitation with the German club.
“Bayern put him through certain protocols that they can do in Germany that they can’t do in North America. So that’s one of the reasons why he stayed in Germany, because we think they have advanced techniques in terms of treatments that he can get, so we think that’s a good thing,” Marsch said.
“They also support him and want to see him play in the World Cup. I think they understand the importance of supporting their players, both at club and country.”
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 23: Alphonso Davies (L) of Canada, Christian Pulisic (C) of the United States and Katia Itzel Garcia (R) gesture from the center referee before the CONCACAF Nations League third place match between the United States and Canada at SoFi Stadium on March 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Eliecer Aizprua Banfield/Jam Media/Getty Images)
Canada is training this week in Charlotte, North Carolina, before two final preparation matches against Uzbekistan on June 1 in Edmonton and against Ireland on June 5 in Montreal.
“Alfonso will be here on the 31st in Edmonton. So we talked with Bayern and thought the best thing for him was to continue his initial recovery treatment until the 28th and then we give him a few days to get away and then he’ll join us on the 31st and we’ll take his rehab from there and try to put him in a position to succeed physically and be a part of our team,” Marsch said.
Canada is expected to announce its 26-man roster for the World Cup on Friday. The tournament, co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, begins June 11. Canada’s opening match will take place against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12.
Davies, 25, was injured in Bayern Munich’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final. He played 58 matches for Canada with 15 goals.
“Yes, I think Alphonso will participate in the World Cup,” Marsch said. “No, I don’t think he’ll be quite ready by June 12. But we’ll see.”
FIFA World Cup 2026: how to watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament games will be broadcast live on FOX (70) and FS1 (34), with each game streamed live and on-demand in the FOX One and FOX Sports apps. A record 40 games, more than a third of the tournament, will be broadcast in prime time on FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The June 11 opening match between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will be streamed for free on Tubi, along with the United States’ opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).
