Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies is expected to miss Canada’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup because of injury, although head coach Jesse Marsch remains confident the captain will feature later in the tournament.
Davies, 25, suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain on May 6.
The German club later confirmed he would be sidelined for “several weeks”.
The defender endured another injury-hit campaign in Germany, making just 13 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern.
Canada begin their home World Cup campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12 before facing Qatar and Switzerland in Vancouver on June 18 and 24 respectively.
As reported by BBC Sport on Tuesday Canada coach Jesse Marsch was quoted as saying, “I think Alphonso will play in the World Cup in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Canada are holding a training camp ahead of naming their 26-man squad on Friday.
“I don’t think he’ll be quite ready on June 12… but we’ll see.”
Davies was included among 32 players invited to the preliminary camp, although Marsch said the full-back would only join the squad on the eve of their friendly against Uzbekistan in Edmonton on June 1.
Canada will also meet the Republic of Ireland in Montreal on June 5 as part of their World Cup preparations.
Davies last featured for Canada against the United States in March last year, when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury. He also missed Canada’s March 2026 friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia because of another hamstring problem.
The former Vancouver Whitecaps player represented Canada at the 2022 World Cup and scored in a 4-1 group-stage defeat by eventual semi-finalist Croatia.
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