Canadian national team captain Alphonso Davies is expected to sit out his country’s World Cup opening match next month due to injury, though he should see action later in the tournament, according to head coach Jesse Marsch’s announcement on Monday.
The captain sustained a hamstring injury on May 6 while playing for Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final second leg. When questioned about whether this injury would prevent Davies from participating in Canada’s World Cup kickoff match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto, Marsch provided an update.
“I think Alphonso will play in the World Cup,” Marsch stated during a press conference at Canada’s training facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, before discussing the captain’s availability for the tournament opener. “No, I don’t think he’ll be ready quite on June 12 … but we’ll see.”
While Davies was included among the 32 players selected for Canada’s training camp roster announced earlier Monday, Marsch confirmed the player would not participate in the Charlotte sessions. Instead, Davies will rejoin his teammates just before their June 1 exhibition match against Uzbekistan in Edmonton.
This latest injury adds to a series of physical setbacks that have prevented Davies from representing his country for an entire year of international competition.
The quick left back sustained an ACL injury while competing for Canada in March 2025. After returning to action with Bayern Munich in December, he experienced a torn muscle fiber in his right hamstring during February, followed by another hamstring strain in March that forced him to miss two Canadian friendly matches.
The official World Cup squad announcement is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (2300 GMT) this Friday.
Following their tournament opener, Canada’s schedule includes matches in Vancouver against Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24.
