Canada’s World Cup squad is set. GOAL breaks down the biggest winners and losers as Alphonso Davies nears a return and roster battles continue.
With a grand TV show from Charlotte, not a single leak and a banner unfurled from the top of Toronto’s famed CN Tower. The 26-player squad that will represent the Canadian men’s national team at the 2026 World Cup has been officially decided.
Coach Jesse Marsch’s squad arrives surprisingly healthy. While captain and star left back Alphonso Davies remains likely to miss the World Cup opener June 12 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the rest of the team is, after months of injuries and recoveries, mostly healthy.
There will still be time to monitor the 26 players, and there are decisions to be made, notably who starts between the sticks, as Marsch plans on giving each of Dayne St. Clair and Maxime Crepeau 45 minutes against Uzbekistan on Monday. But the roster is set.
“I had a really good meeting with the leaders in the team… Obviously, having everybody here, the energy is always so good,” Marsch told OneSoccer. “We’re getting healthy, so feel good about a lot of things. There’s been a lot of positive developments over the last week to 10 days, so we feel like we’re going to have some good momentum and then get ourselves ready to go.”
Here, GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Canada’s roster reveal. The team can make injury substitutions until 2:59 p.m. ET on June 11 and will travel with defenders Ralph Priso and Zorhan Bassong, as well as winger Jayden Nelson, for pre-tournament friendlies against Uzbekistan and Ireland in Edmonton and Montreal.
WINNER: The Injuries… Somehow
When striker Promise David went down in a heap while playing for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in January and was told he would need hip surgery, it seemed like his World Cup dreams may have been over. The same could be said for Middlesbrough center back Alfie Jones’ recovery from ankle surgery, Moise Bombito’s efforts to return from a broken leg suffered in October, winger Ali Ahmed’s hamstring injury and several others.
For months, Marsch and those around the Canadians have spoken of timelines that would make the team’s best players available for the World Cup squad. By Friday, that had somehow, mostly happened.
In David’s case, it was a remarkable recovery. Earlier this week, he joked to CBC that his genes might be needed to start a human colony on Mars, given how quickly he regrew muscle to fit his towering 6-foot-5 frame.
“I think I could regrow a limb if I lost it, in all seriousness. I could regrow a f–king limb if I wanted to,” David, who goes by Tobi, told CBC. “I have a s–t immune system. If I get a cold, I’m dying. But in terms of regrowth, if we want to start a new colony on Mars, I should be the number one candidate.”
The biggest worry remains Alphonso Davies, who is on the roster and will join the group in Edmonton. After straining his hamstring in the UEFA Champions League semifinal, he is unlikely to play in the friendlies or the opening match, but Marsch assured reporters that he will play at some point during the World Cup.
After emerging as a star center back with Vancouver Whitecaps FC during the club’s run to the 2025 MLS Cup final, Ralph Priso’s pathway to the national team seemed destined until a hamstring injury forced him out of his first international start in March. It sidelined him until May 21, when he returned and scored in Vancouver’s win over San Diego FC.
The 23-year-old will be a key part of future squads as a versatile defensive midfielder and center back, but his injury and the recovery of the top center backs in the player pool leave him on the outside looking in. However, he will be with the squad for the friendlies to help manage minutes for rostered players and could be the first call-up should plans go sideways.
Jonathan Osorio is as Toronto Stadium as it gets, with more than 400 Toronto FC appearances, an MLS Cup title won at the stadium and 90 Canada caps, many of them earned at the venue. Now, “Oso,” as he is known, will be part of the team for the World Cup at the ground. One of four players from nearby Brampton, he had been in doubt for the squad ever since Marsch left him on the bench for the scoreless draw against Colombia in October, the country of origin for his family.
While he is not likely to see many minutes at the World Cup or in the friendlies, he is a key veteran presence within the team. It was always going to be him or veteran EFL League Two winger Junior Hoilett, and the optics are likely better for calling up an MLS player than Hoilett, who has not impressed with Swindon Town.
LOSER: Left Side Depth
In many ways, left back could actually be a winner. Davies could be back for the second game, and Richie Laryea has more than filled in at the position.
Yet Laryea has not played for Toronto FC since April 22, and despite likely being fit, he will not have many recent minutes under his belt. At the same time, without Zorhan Bassong on the squad, there is not much in the way of depth behind Laryea.
In a pinch, Celtic FC right back Alistair Johnston could fill the role, allowing Hajduk Split’s Niko Sigur to move into his regular position at right back. However, that would require shifting players out of their natural roles and provide a new look to a backline that has thrived on familiarity.
Bassong should be able to offer some respite from heavy minutes in the friendlies and, like Priso, would be the first call-up for that role if a player were to go down.
The hero of Canada’s best moments under Marsch to date, having scored a key goal against Venezuela to send Canada to the 2024 Copa América semifinals, LAFC winger Jacob Shaffelburg faced doubts about whether he would be able to reach his best form for the World Cup.
In Charlotte this week, where the Canadians trained to stay out of the domestic spotlight and adapt to the heat, the lone player from Canada’s Atlantic provinces trained on the sidelines as he continued to work his way back to full fitness. He missed the March camp because of a sports hernia but has since played limited minutes with LAFC.
An energetic presence with a can’t-miss smile and bleach-blond mullet, Shaffelburg brings not only good vibes but also incredible straight-line speed. He was a bubble player heading into camp, and Austin FC’s Jayden Nelson will stick around for the friendlies as a potential replacement. For now, though, Shaffelburg is a winner. At a minimum, he has the inside track heading into the final stretch.
With four true wingers, as well as the versatile presence of Tigres UANL midfielder Marcelo Flores, Marsch’s choice to bring only four strikers cost Daniel Jebbison a chance at his World Cup debut this summer. A physical and skillful option up top, Jebbison impressed in Marsch’s draws against Iceland and Tunisia and was seen as the top option if Canada had opted to bring five strikers.
Instead, Canada has gone with the clear top four of Juventus’ Jonathan David, Southampton’s Cyle Larin, whose recent form of nine goals in 22 games earned him the nickname “Brampton Bagsman,” CF Villarreal’s tenacious presser Tani Oluwaseyi, and the now-recovered Promise David.
The competition at striker is incredibly high for Canada, and England-Canadian dual national Jebbison will not regret choosing Les Rouges over England at this point. However, he will now have to look toward the 2030 World Cup, when he will be 26, to make his debut on the grandest stage.
Reporting by GOAL.
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