Canada's men's national team unveiled its final 26-man squad for next month's FIFA World Cup that will be played, in part, on home soil.
Head coach Jesse Marsch had to deal with numerous injuries and wait on fitness updates for several players in the buildup to Friday's roster reveal, but he ultimately included all of the notable names hampered by injury questions ahead of the competition.
That includes captain Alphonso Davies, who hasn't played for the national team in over a year due to various ailments that started with a torn ACL in March 2025. The Bayern Munich star is expected to be fit at some point during the tournament, but Marsch admitted he may not be available for the team's World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12.
Striker Promise David, back just in time after undergoing surgery in February to repair a ruptured tendon in his hip, was one of the final players revealed to be part of the squad.
Canada's World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Dayne St. Clair, Owen Goodman
Center-backs: Moise Bombito, Derek Cornelius, Luc de Fougerolles, Joel Waterman, Alfie Jones
Full-backs: Alphonso Davies, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston, Niko Sigur
Central midfielders: Stephen Eustaquio, Ismael Kone, Mathieu Choiniere, Nathan Saliba, Jonathan Osorio
Wide midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Tajon Buchanan, Liam Millar, Marcelo Flores, Jacob Shaffelburg
Strikers: Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Tani Oluwaseyi, Promise David
"We are very hopeful and we feel confidently that every guy will continue to progress and get himself ready to go," Marsch told TSN after the roster reveal when asked about the various injury issues impacting his squad. "For the Bosnia match, will we be 100% with every player in the roster? No, we won't be. ... But with six days between each match, we have time, we can build momentum, and we can get stronger as the tournament goes on.
"We have, really, our best group of 26 players that this country has ever assembled at any one time," Marsch added, saying multiple times that players like Moise Bombito and Promise David are looking "strong" and "fit" in training as they work their way back from respective long-term ailments.
"The whole feeling around the team is positive," the coach noted. "Guys are getting healthy."
Notable omissions
The following hopefuls were the final six cuts from the 32-player training camp group that was at work in Charlotte, N.C., this past week:
- Daniel Jebbison
- Ralph Priso
- Jamie Knight-Lebel
- Jayden Nelson
- Zorhan Bassong
- Jacen Russell-Rowe
Veterans Kamal Miller and Junior Hoilett also didn't make the World Cup squad, but neither was expected to be included after they weren't called up for the aforementioned training camp. Goalkeeper James Pantemis and striker Theo Bair also won't feature in this summer's competition.
Canada, co-hosting the World Cup with the United States and Mexico, begins its campaign against Bosnia on June 12 in Toronto. The Canadians will also lock horns with Qatar (June 18) and Switzerland (June 24) in Vancouver to close out play in Group B.
Marsch will get two more chances to evaluate his players in game action prior to the competition. Canada's final pre-tournament friendlies will come against Uzbekistan on June 1 (Edmonton) and Ireland on June 5 (Montreal).
Canada is looking for its first-ever point at a men's World Cup, having lost all six of its matches over two previous tournament appearances in 1986 and 2022.
