Canada captain Alphonso Davies is expected to miss the country’s opening World Cup fixture next month, although head coach Jesse Marsch remains confident the Bayern Munich defender will still feature during the tournament.
The 25-year-old has been out of action since suffering a hamstring injury during Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain on 6 May. Bayern later confirmed Davies would be sidelined for “several weeks”.
Injury problems continue for Davies
Davies has endured another frustrating campaign plagued by injuries, limiting the Canadian star to just 13 Bundesliga appearances this season.
The former Vancouver Whitecaps defender has also struggled with fitness issues on international duty over the past year. His last appearance for Canada came against fellow co-hosts the United States in March last year, where he suffered a serious ACL injury.
Davies was also unavailable for Canada’s March 2026 friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia due to another hamstring problem.
Jesse Marsch provides Canada update
Despite concerns over his availability for the opening match, Canada boss Jesse Marsch remains hopeful Davies will play a role later in the competition.
Speaking from Canada’s training camp in Charlotte, North Carolina, Marsch admitted the defender is unlikely to be fit for the first game but stopped short of ruling him out entirely.
“I think Alphonso will play in the World Cup,” Marsch said. “I don’t think he’ll be ready quite on June 12, but we’ll see.”
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Canada’s World Cup schedule
Canada are in Group B and begin their home World Cup campaign against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on 12 June.
They will then face Qatar on 18 June and Switzerland on 24 June, with both matches taking place in Vancouver.
Davies has still been included in Canada’s 32-man preliminary squad, although Marsch confirmed the defender will not join the team until shortly before the friendly against Uzbekistan in Edmonton on 1 June.
Canada will also play the Republic of Ireland in Montreal on 5 June as part of their World Cup preparations.
Davies looking to make another World Cup impact
Davies previously represented Canada at the 2022 World Cup and scored his nation’s only goal of the tournament in a 4-1 defeat to eventual semi-finalists Croatia.
Canada will now hope their captain can recover in time to make another major impact on football’s biggest stage.
