SouthernWorldwide.com – Canada’s head coach, Jesse Marsch, has expressed confidence that captain Alphonso Davies will participate in the upcoming World Cup. However, Marsch indicated that Davies is unlikely to be fit for the team’s opening match due to a hamstring injury.
Davies sustained the injury earlier this month while playing for his club, Bayern Munich. Despite the setback, Marsch included Davies in the preliminary 32-player training camp roster announced on Monday. Davies will not join the team until the end of the month, allowing him to continue his rehabilitation with his German club.
“Bayern has 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 some advanced techniques in terms of the treatments that he can get, so we think that that’s been good,” Marsch stated.
He further elaborated on the collaboration with Bayern Munich, emphasizing their support for Davies’ World Cup aspirations. “They also are very supportive, and they want to see him play in the World Cup. I think that they understand that supporting their players for both club and country is important.”
The Canadian team is currently training in Charlotte, North Carolina, in preparation for two final friendly matches. These matches are scheduled 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 spoke with Bayern and thought that the best thing for him was to continue his initial recovery treatment until the 28th, then we’re giving him a few days to get away, and then he’ll be joining us 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,” Marsch explained regarding the timeline for Davies’ return.
Canada is set to announce its final 26-player World Cup squad this Friday. The tournament, which Canada is co-hosting along with the United States and Mexico, is slated to commence on June 11. Canada’s first game in the competition will be against Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled to take place in Toronto on June 12.
Davies, who is 25 years old, suffered his injury during Bayern Munich’s Champions League semifinal defeat against Paris Saint-Germain. He has accumulated 58 appearances for the Canadian national team, scoring 15 goals.
“Yes, I think Alphonso will play in the World Cup,” Marsch affirmed. “No, I don’t think he’ll be ready quite on June 12. But we’ll see.” This statement highlights the coach’s cautious optimism regarding Davies’ availability for the tournament opener.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The tournament will be jointly hosted by three North American nations and will conclude with the final match 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 across FOX and FS1, with every game available for live streaming and on-demand viewing on both the FOX One and FOX Sports apps. A record 40 matches, representing over a third of the total games, will be aired in prime time across FOX and FS1.
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The opening match of the tournament on June 11, featuring Mexico and South Africa at 3 p.m. ET, will be streamed for free on Tubi. Similarly, the United States’ opening match against Paraguay on June 12 at 9 p.m. ET will also be available for free streaming.
