Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has said that captain Alphonso Davies is unlikely to feature in Canada’s 2026 World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12.
While many of the players hopeful to crack the most important Canadian World Cup squad of all time have reported in Charlotte for the team’s training camp, the Bayern Munich left-back has not yet arrived.
Davies sustained a hamstring injury during Bayern’s second leg of the Champions League semi-final on May 6.
Asked on Monday specifically if Davies will play in the World Cup for Canada, Marsch said “yes” but added: “I don’t think he’ll be ready quite on June 12, but we’ll see.”
Marsch added that Davies will report to Canada camp on May 31 in Edmonton.
“We spoke with Bayern and thought that the best thing for (Davies) was to continue his initial recovery treatment until the (May 28th),” Marsch said. “Then we’re giving him a few days to get away, and then (on the) 31st and we’ll pick up his rehab from there, and try to put him in a position to physically succeed, and to be part of our team.”
“We’re going to have to just put a process in place for him that doesn’t put him further at risk and make sure that even in his return to play, when we’re talking about minutes, and we’re even evaluating, like, do we put together some test matches after Bosnia, after Qatar, after Switzerland, so that Alphonso can get exactly what he needs, along with our other players, right?” Marsch said. “So there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes to try to put all our players in position to succeed in this week coming up before we name the full squad. And then throughout the tournament, so that we can achieve our goals of making a deep run.”
Canada Soccer and Bayern Munich have had to work in tandem to ensure Davies is physically ready for the World Cup, with Marsch saying that he has had “really good discussions” with Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund.
“We’re all working together to try to help that situation improve, and most importantly, for Alphonso, I think Alphonso has trust in both sides of the pond right now. Obviously he has frustration, but we all want to set him up to succeed, and the last thing I’ll say about Alphonso is he’s really excited to get back with the team, he’s really excited to push in this World Cup to get himself ready. I’m even the one who said to him, ‘Take a few days after your treatment and before you come with us to clear your head to make sure that emotionally and psychologically you are recharged, because when we get him here, it’s going to be full steam ahead.’ So I think that the plan we’ve created will be a good one for him and for us.”
Davies has not played for Canada’s national team since March 2025. In the third-place match of the Nations League Finals, Davies tore his ACL. Bayern officials and Davies’ agent, Nedal Huoseh, were openly critical of how Canada Soccer handled Davies injury.
Davies has not appeared for Canada in over a year (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
However Marsch made it clear on Monday that this World Cup is starting with complete understanding between Davies, Canada Soccer and Bayern Munich over the player’s summer.
“(Bayern) are very supportive, and they want to see (Davies) play in the World Cup,” Marsch said. “I think that they understand that supporting their players for their for both club and country is important.”
Part of the reason, according to Marsch, that Davies will stay in Germany is because of the equipment available in Germany.
Other Canadian players have also yet to arrive, including Jonathan David and Cyle Larin.
What does Davies’ absence mean for Canada?
Full team training with members of Canada’s likely starting XI will get underway this week in earnest. Davies missing out on Canada training sessions could prevent him from understanding key tactical updates within the team.
However multiple players have told The Athletic that sessions in Charlotte with early arrivals have been intense. With Davies taking time to recover in Germany, he will likely not be physically tested in ways that put his recovery at risk.
For Canada, this means more playing time in training sessions on the left side of the pitch for Ali Ahmed and Richie Laryea. In the possibility that Davies is not ready throughout Canada’s group stage, it is likely Ahmed and Laryea start at left midfield and left back, respectively.
What about other fitness concerns?
Canada has been beset by injuries lately, to the point that some players World Cup status has been put into question. Marsch provided updates on several injured players’ fitness on Monday.
Centre-back Moise Bombito is “trending in an incredibly positive direction” per Marsch after suffering a fractured left tibia in October with his club side, Nice in France. Bombito has not played since, but Marsch sounded optimistic about his recovery. Marsch said Bombito played 32 minutes in a test match against USL League 1 side Charlotte Independence on Sunday.
“He’s feeling great, he’s looking great, he’s looking like himself more and more every day,” Marsch said of Bombito. “He’s going to have a full week of training and I think be ready for minutes (in Canada’s June 1 friendly) against Uzbekistan, maybe even 45 (minutes). Let’s see how the week trends.”
Forward Promise David will make Canada’s World Cup roster, according to Marsch. The hulking striker sustained a hip injury and February and has since been recovering from surgery.
