Jesse Marsch Reveals Alphonso Davies Injury Update Ahead of Canada's World Cup Opener
TORONTO - Canada's World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday won't have the captain in the lineup, after manager Jesse Marsch ruled out Alphonso Davies from the first men's World Cup game on Canadian soil.
Davies was named captain the day before the 2024 Copa América, a tournament Canada advanced to the semifinals of, but he will not be on the pitch as the team embarks on the third WorldCup journey in its history.
However, there are positive signs, and Marsch is hopeful that the 25-year-old speedster can make his way back into the squad later in the group stage, as he has progressed in the last several weeks.
"We did an MRI with [Davies] yesterday," Marsch told assembled media before Friday's match. "It showed very positive signs that he's healing incredibly well, almost completely. We're getting ready to ramp things up. I think that he's showing, like he always has, a really good ability to recover from muscle injuries."
Davies last played for Canada in March 2025, when he suffered an ACL tear in the Concacaf Nations League third-place match against the U.S. That took him 221 days to recover before he returned in December, only to suffer a torn muscle fiber in February. Soon after, he sustained a hamstring injury before returning again in May.
His latest setback occurred in Bayern Munich's Champions League semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain in April, but he has improved while working with a personal trainer for both club and country.
"We are really hopeful that over the next few days and weeks, we can accelerate things and give him a chance to contribute here soon," Marsch added.
The 52-year-old manager also provided updates on other key players, after keeping star center back Moïse Bombito on the team despite a slower-than-hoped recovery from a broken leg, even as reportsemerged that he would be replaced. Starting midfielder Ismaël Koné is also ready to go after missing training on Wednesday due to a fever, sparking widespread speculation.
"Moïse has made incredible progress over the past month, and certainly over the last week, and that made the decision relatively easy that we should keep him in the group," Marsch said. "He'll be ready to get called upon."
Embracing Canada's Opener
Sitting in the media room at Toronto's BMO Field, Marsch was overzealous on the opportunity to coach his first World Cup match and to do so with Canada, a multicultural country that he has embraced, despite being American.
"This group is the best representation of the country; they're impeccable in their character, they're impeccable in their work ethic and commitment to each other," he said, leading a team made up of several first and second-generation immigrants.
"I came to Canada to be the coach, because I like these guys and I believe they can fit the way that I wanted to play, but I came here to lead them in the World Cup... What a dream and responsibility-it's pressure, but that's what we want. I love sitting on that coach's box, when the stadium's full and the pressure's on, and everybody thinks you're an idiot."
Red Card Worries After Mexico World Cup Opener
After three red cards were awarded in Mexico's 2–0 World Cup opening win against South Africa on Thursday afternoon, Marsch ensured that there had been extra focus on the team's discipline.
Canada has four red cards in its last 11 matches, and even though some of them in friendlies could be overturned by VAR, the record is concerning given the emotional spotlight of the World Cup opener.
"We've talked a lot about discipline. We've learned from some of those moments," Marsch said, recalling Jacob Shaffelburg's sending off in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal, resulting in a loss to Guatemala. "There can be trends in tournaments... We need to be aggressive, and we need to play our way with speed and power, but we also need to make sure that we keep our heads and not have any tackles, extracurricular situations or emotional reactions that lead to us getting in trouble."
After Canada's opening match, the team will relocate to Vancouver for the other two Group B contests, facing Qatar on June 18, before wrapping up group play against Switzerland on June 24.
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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 7:45 PM.