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Canada coach Jesse Marsch believes captain Alphonso Davies will play at the World Cup, although he is unlikely to be ready for the team’s first game due to injury.
Davies injured his hamstring earlier this month while playing for Bayern Munich. Marsch included Davies on the team’s final 32-player training camp roster on Monday, but he will not join the team until the end of the month to allow him to continue his rehabilitation with the German club.
“Bayern has put him through certain protocols that they can apply in Germany that they can’t apply in North America. That’s one of the reasons he stayed in Germany, because we think they have some advanced techniques in terms of the treatments he can receive, so we think it’s been good,” Marsch said.
“They also support him a lot and want to see him play in the World Cup. I think they understand that supporting their players for both club and country is important.”
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 23: Alphonso Davies (L) of Canada, Christian Pulisic (C) of the United States and Katia Itzel Garcia (R) center referee gesture 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 Aizprúa Banfield/Jam Media/Getty Images)
Canada is training this week in Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of a pair of final warm-up games against Uzbekistan on June 1 in Edmonton and Ireland on June 5 in Montreal.
“Alfonso will be here on the 31st in Edmonton. So we talked to Bayern and thought the best thing for him was to continue his initial recovery treatment until the 28th, then we’ll give him a few days to leave, and then he’ll join us on the 31st and we’ll pick up his rehab from there, and try to put him in a position to be successful physically and be part of our team,” Marsch said.
Canada is scheduled to announce its 26-player World Cup squad on Friday. The tournament, co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, begins June 11. Canada’s opening match will be against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12.
Davies, 25, was injured during Bayern Munich’s loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals. He has played 58 games for Canada with 15 goals.
“Yes, I think Alphonso will play in the World Cup,” said Marsch. “No, I don’t think it will be ready on 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 the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 matches of the tournament will be broadcast live on FOX (70) and FS1 (34) and each match will be streamed live and on-demand on both FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, 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, as will the United States’ opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).
