![\"Jesse](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kn5e8a93epww2hjvr6.jpg\" "\\"Jesse")
<\/p>\nThe next time Canada\u2019s men\u2019s national team returns to BMO Field in Toronto, it will be for the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener on June 12 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. <\/p>\n
Before then, manager Jesse Marsch will have to make some challenging choices, including narrowing his pool to 26 players on May 30, when FIFA requires all national teams to submit rosters for the tournament. However, with pressing injury timelines and final tune-ups against Uzbekistan and Ireland in Edmonton and Montr\u00e9al on June 1 and June 5, those decisions have become even more quizzical. <\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s final fixtures before the deadline came in the March international window, where they played to a scoreless result against Tunisia and a 2\u20132 draw against Iceland, featuring a brace from key striker Jonathan David to erase a 2\u20130 deficit. <\/p>\n
Still, with so many injuries throughout the team and Marsch\u2019s continued emphasis on expanding the player pool since taking the job in May 2024, the upcoming decisions will be painstaking and emotional. <\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve got some tough decisions to make,\u201d Marsch said after March window. \u201cI know that with a heavy heart, I’m gonna make some people disappointed to not be in the World Cup. But the competition in the squad is as strong as it’s ever been here in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the opener in Toronto, Canada will face Qatar and Switzerland in Vancouver to round out Group B action. Should the squad secure the top spot in Group B, it would then play a Round of 32 and potentially a Round of 16 match at Vancouver\u2019s BC Place as well, offering a potential road to the quarterfinals all on home soil.<\/p>\n
Here, Sports Illustrated predicts how Canada’s final roster could look, as well as a potential starting lineup. <\/p>\n
Rules of Engagement<\/p>\n
Jesse Marsch was upbeat despite drawing both matches in the March international window. | IMAGO\/Captive Camera Cover Images<\/p>\n
Formation: 4-4-2Allotted Players: 26<\/p>\n
Since taking the position, Marsch has not swayed from his 4-4-2 formation and will stick with it through the World Cup. It\u2019s led the team to stout defensive play, shutting out the likes of France and Colombia. Before the March window opener against Iceland, they never trailed by two goals at halftime. <\/p>\n
Only 26 players can make the cut. Choices were selected based on positional needs, recent performances and talent. Names within the charts are listed in alphabetical order. <\/p>\n
Goalkeepers: Trio Becomes Clear![\"Dayne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knztwepwthan4a8g7t.jpg\" "\\"Dayne")
<\/p>\n
Dayne St. Clair appears to be the frontrunner for Canada\u2019s starting goalkeeper role. | Anatoliy Cherkasov\/Informa Plus Photo Agency\/LightRocket\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Player <\/p>\n
Team<\/p>\n
Caps <\/p>\n
Dayne St. Clair<\/p>\n
Inter Miami<\/p>\n
19<\/p>\n
Maxime Cr\u00e9peau<\/p>\n
Orlando City <\/p>\n
30<\/p>\n
Owen Goodman <\/p>\n
Barnsley (on loan from Crystal Palace)<\/p>\n
0<\/p>\n
The 2026 MLS season has not been overly impressive for reigning MLS<\/a> Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair, now with Lionel Messi\u2019s Inter Miami<\/a>, nor for his new Florida foe, Maxime Cr\u00e9peau of Orlando City.<\/a> <\/p>\n St. Clair appears to have the inside track on the World Cup starter role, but Marsch has kept the competition open, ensuring that both get friendly matches in each window. For March, the initial plan was to have Cr\u00e9peau face Iceland and St. Clair face Tunisia\u2014as St. Clair has drawn the tougher matchup over the past year\u2014but Cr\u00e9peau ultimately got the nod for the more challenging opponent. <\/p>\n Both have had impressive moments, but the evolution in St. Clair\u2019s patience, as well as his outright shot-stopping ability, should favor him. He is also improving as a build-up backstop, given what he has adjusted to within Miami\u2019s system. <\/p>\n As for the third goalkeeper, expect Crystal Palace prospect Owen Goodman to make the squad. The 21-year-old has found a strong form with Barnsley in England\u2019s League One and has been the lone young goalkeeper playing significant minutes this season. <\/p>\n Full Backs: The Status of Alphonso Davies Alphonso Davies has not played for Canada since 2025. | Omar Vega\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Player<\/p>\n Team<\/p>\n Caps<\/p>\n Alphonso Davies <\/p>\n Bayern Munich<\/p>\n 58<\/p>\n Alistair Johnston <\/p>\n Celtic FC<\/p>\n 56<\/p>\n Richie Laryea<\/p>\n Toronto FC<\/p>\n 73<\/p>\n Niko Sigur<\/p>\n Hajduk Split <\/p>\n 17<\/p>\n Alphonso Davies has not played for Canada since March 2025 due to an ACL injury, followed by hamstring issues. Yet, he remains the team\u2019s most important player and the one who would lead any storybook summer. Luckily, his recent return and standout performances in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League for FC Bayern Munich should have him set for the World Cup. <\/p>\n After Davies, the fullback question looms over the Canadian squad. T<\/a>oronto FC<\/a>\u2019s Richie Laryea has been among the most consistent players in Davies\u2019s absence at left back, but Marsch told reporters that he is not sure how things will sort out come the summer. <\/p>\n Hajduk Split midfielder Niko Sigur has had a standout time at right back for Canada and has shown his starting potential over the past year as well. Among those performances, he stood out at the Gold Cup, scoring against Honduras and helped keep an October clean sheet against Colombia<\/a>. <\/p>\n Celtic right back Alistair Johnston may regain his starting spot, though, if healthy, having joined the team in March as just a training player. However, a recent setback for Johnston at the March camp could see Laryea take the right-back starting spot, with Davies on the left. <\/p>\n Whichever way it goes, Canada has depth at fullback and will be confident in whoever is chosen to play. <\/p>\n Center Backs: Bombito is Critical Mo\u00efse Bombito (right) is Canada’s most important defender, but has struggled to recover from a broken leg. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Player<\/p>\n Team<\/p>\n Caps<\/p>\n Mo\u00efse Bombito<\/p>\n Nice<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n Derek Cornelius<\/p>\n Rangers (on loan from Marseille)<\/p>\n 42<\/p>\n Luc De Fougerolles<\/p>\n FCV Dender (on loan from Fulham)<\/p>\n 11<\/p>\n Alfie Jones <\/p>\n Middlesbrough<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n Joel Waterman<\/p>\n Chicago Fire FC<\/p>\n 17<\/p>\n Center back has become a worry for Canada, simply due to injuries. <\/p>\n When healthy, the position is a strength and could feature the most important player at OGC Nice, defender Mo\u00efse Bombito, who was one of the fastest players in MLS and enjoyed a stellar start to life in Ligue 1 before a broken leg and ankle injuries sidelined him for most of this season. <\/p>\n While Bombito returned to Canada camp as a training player in March, Marsch admitted that he was not as far along in his comeback timeline as Nice previously indicated, but he is still poised to be back at full health for the World Cup. To speed up that process, Canada Soccer has sent over its own physiotherapist to help Nice in Bombito\u2019s recovery. <\/p>\n At the 2024 Copa Am\u00e9rica, where Canada advanced to the semifinals, Bombito was a defensive force alongside now Rangers center back Derek Cornelius. Yet, Cornelius has also dealt with muscle injuries and did not play between the November and March international fixtures. At the same time, he has struggled for minutes with Rangers, but may still be one of Canada\u2019s top options. <\/p>\n Behind them and still with potential to start are FCV Dender\u2019s 21-year-old Luc De Fougerolles, who has played consistently for the first time in his career while on loan from Fulham, as well as Middlesbrough\u2019s Alfie Jones, who has played just once for Canada and missed March due to ankle surgery recovery and has yet to return.<\/p>\n Behind those four, consistent MLS veteran Joel Waterman should crack the team as well. Once a depth piece, the Chicago Fire defender has been a consistent starter when called upon for Canada, while those ahead of him on the depth chart have dealt with injury. <\/p>\n Midfield: Eust\u00e1quio and Who? Stephen Eust\u00e0quio is Canada\u2019s midfield conductor. | Alex Nicodim\/NurPhoto\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Player <\/p>\n Team<\/p>\n Caps<\/p>\n Mathieu Choini\u00e9re<\/p>\n LAFC (on loan from Grasshopper Zurich)<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n Stephen Eust\u00e1quio<\/p>\n LAFC (on loan from FC Porto)<\/p>\n 54<\/p>\n Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9<\/p>\n Sassuolo<\/p>\n 38<\/p>\n Nathan Saliba<\/p>\n Anderlecht<\/p>\n 13<\/p>\n Stephen Eust\u00e1quio is Canada’s most important piece in midfield and has enjoyed a resurgence with LAFC<\/a> this season, after joining the MLS side on loan from FC Porto, where he was struggling to get minutes. <\/p>\n Canada\u2019s second captain, he missed out on the March window by bad luck. Initially, he suffered a dead leg when colliding with Canadian MLS referee Drew Fischer, and in a deep-tissue massage to address the issue, he suffered an additional hematoma, sidelining him for club and country. <\/p>\n He remains Canada\u2019s most important leader and midfielder, but the competition around him is deep as well. Isma\u00ebl Kon\u00e9 has played nearly every minute for U.S. Sassuolo in Serie A this season and has slick on-ball skills and line-breaking passes that few others replicate. At the same time, he has also matured in his approach on and off the pitch this season. <\/p>\n \u201cIsma\u00ebl is now an established player and in the two years that I’ve been here, I think he now understands more about what higher levels look like and how to be more reliable and disciplined,\u201d Marsch told Sports Illustrated in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been outstanding at Sassuolo, not just with the ball, but with his defensive responsibilities, and the intensity that he plays with is at a different level. We expect him to be a cornerstone of what we do this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n At best, expect a midfield pivot of Kon\u00e9 and Eust\u00e0quio. Behind them, however, Nathan Saliba has hit the ground running in his first European campaign with Anderlecht in Belgium and has impressed with long shots and pressing abilities, while Mathieu Choini\u00e9re has been a consistent performer, now with Eust\u00e0quio at LAFC. <\/p>\n Depending on the opponent, expect all four midfielders to make an impact this summer. <\/p>\n Wingers: Tajon Buchanan Leads Group of Diverse Skill Tajon Buchanan is Canada\u2019s most explosive winger. | Vaughn Ridley\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Player<\/p>\n Team<\/p>\n Caps<\/p>\n Ali Ahmed<\/p>\n Norwich City FC<\/p>\n 24<\/p>\n Tajon Buchanan<\/p>\n CF Villarreal<\/p>\n 58<\/p>\n Marcelo Flores<\/p>\n Tigers UANL<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Junior Hoillet <\/p>\n Swindon Town<\/p>\n 69<\/p>\n Liam Millar <\/p>\n Hull City<\/p>\n 39<\/p>\n Jacob Shaffelburg<\/p>\n LAFC<\/p>\n 31<\/p>\n If Canada is to find success this summer, there\u2019s a good chance the wingers play a significant role, especially given the potential of Davies and one of Johnston or Laryea making overlapping runs to open up spaces. <\/p>\n CF Villarreal\u2019s Tajon Buchanan leads the wide contingent, having become a regular starter in La Liga over the last year and scoring four goals and two assists across the 2025 summer, which included four Concacaf Gold Cup games and two friendlies. While he has shown hesitancy to cut in, his pace and skills on the ball make him critical. <\/p>\n On his opposite side, Ali Ahmed has enjoyed a stellar start to life in the English Championship, scoring four goals and three assists in his first 15 games after a standout season with Vancouver<\/a> Whitecaps<\/a> in the club\u2019s run to the 2025 MLS Cup final. <\/p>\n Those two, as likely as they may be to start, will be pushed heavily. On the left, Hull City\u2019s Liam Millar has played a key role in the past and has had an impressive 2025-26 in the English Championship, and on the right, recently committed Mexico-Canada dual-national Marcelo Flores offers slicing runs and on-ball niftiness that no other Canadian player provides. <\/p>\n While the afformentioned quad likely take up the majority of minutes, the veteran leadership of Junior Hoilett could also come into use, despite him currently playing with League 2 side, Swindon Town. At the same time, Jacob Shaffleburg\u2019s direct pace and recent form could offer a late-game boost of energy in tight World Cup matches, as it did at the 2024 Copa Am\u00e9rica. <\/p>\n Canada\u2019s winger pool is deep and offers a range of different skillsets through each player, making any opposition\u2019s scouting a more challenging task. <\/p>\n Strikers: Jonathan David\u2019s Duty Jonathan David\u2019s goalscoring prowess is critical for Canada. | Vaughn Ridley\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Player<\/p>\n Team<\/p>\n Caps<\/p>\n Theo Bair<\/p>\n FC Lausanne-Sport<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Jonathan David<\/p>\n Juventus<\/p>\n 75<\/p>\n Daniel Jebbison<\/p>\n Preston North End (on loan from Bournemouth)<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Cyle Larin <\/p>\n Southampton (on loan from Mallorca)<\/p>\n 88<\/p>\n Tani Oluwaseyi<\/p>\n CF Villarreal<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n The strike partnership has been a fickle question for Canada since Marsch took over. Yet, it\u2019s certain that Juventus frontman and Canada\u2019s all-time leading scorer, Jonathan David, will start up top. <\/p>\n The March window saw David score twice from the penalty spot in the comeback against Iceland, where he also showed more intensity in making angled runs off the ball to open up space behind defenders, a key to Canada\u2019s focus on improving within the final third. While his season with Juventus hasn’t gone as smoothly as hoped\u2014despite hitting the back of the net for the sixth time this season in a recent 2\u20130 win over Bologna\u2014his 39 goals in 75 appearances with Canada make him undroppable. <\/p>\n Alongside David, Cyle Larin has rekindled his scoring touch with Southampton, scoring seven goals and an assist in his first 17 games in England\u2019s second tier and helping the Saints eliminate Premier League-leading Arsenal from the FA Cup. However, he did not stand out alongside David against Iceland. <\/p>\n![\"Canada](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kbs8vaxwna40bvsery.jpg\" "\\"Canada")
<\/p>\n![\"Mo\u00efse](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knzv9s3ytjdym9v4z4.jpg\" "\\"Mo\u00efse")
<\/p>\n![\"Stephen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knzvh8a1vgafj14w97.jpg\" "\\"Stephen")
<\/p>\n![\"Tajon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knzvpcdap5we8z0gnz.jpg\" "\\"Tajon")
<\/p>\n![\"Jonathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knzw2z5z2zeqgstqzn.jpg\" "\\"Jonathan")
<\/p>\n
![\"Canada](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knzwv1gctq36bejhhr.png\" "\\"Canada")
<\/p>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_0,h_0\/c_fill,w_16,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/voltaxMediaLibrary\/mmsport\/si\/01kmy0kqfg00jvp1bjn6.png\" "\\"How")
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