Canada’s captain and Bayern Munich star left back Alphonso Davies has been ruled out of their opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday.
The Canadians will play Bosnia inside the Toronto Stadium to begin their World Cup campaign on home soil. Canada is one of three hosts of this year’s tournament alongside the United States and Mexico.
Mexico won their opening match against South Africa on Thursday, while the United States hosts Paraguay later today in Los Angeles.
What Happened To Alphonso Davies?
GettyCanada’s midfielder #19 Alphonso Davies gestures in pain during the Conmebol 2024 Copa America tournament semi-final football match between Argentina and Canada at MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 9, 2024.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Canada manager Jesse Marsch announced that Alphonso Davies won’t be suiting up against Bosnia.
Davies’ hamstring injury hasn’t fully healed, so they are going to wait on his full recovery before clearing him to play.
“We did an MRI with (Davies) yesterday,” Marsch said, via The Athletic. “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 real good ability to recover from muscle injuries.”
It has been an injury-filled campaign for Davies since tearing the ACL on his right knee in March 2025 during a CONCACAF Nations League match with Canada, as per Sports Illustrated. He was cleared to return in December, playing for his parent club, Bayern Munich’s Champions League group stage game against Sporting Lisbon.
However, Davies suffered torn muscle fibers in February and missed a few weeks. He returned in early March only to have a thigh muscle injury. He missed the next three weeks, coming back in early April.
As fate would have it, Davies was injured in Bayern’s semifinal match against Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League. He was diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring tear, putting his World Cup campaign in doubt.
When Will Alphonso Davies Return?
GettyAlphonso Davies #19 of Canada controls the ball against Mexico during the first half of a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal match at SoFi Stadium on March 20, 2025 in Inglewood, California.
Canada have two more group stage games after their opener against Bosnia. They will face Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 25. Both games will be played at the 54,500-seater BC Place.
According to Jesse Marsch, Canada’s team physio have a plan with Bayern Munich’s medical team regarding Alphonso Davies’ return. Marsch is hoping that Davies will be able to get cleared in a few days, possibly in a week.
“I think that having (Davies’) private physio here has been very helpful, and the concentration on his body’s needs every day,” Marsch said, via The Athletic. “And so we are really hopeful that over the next days and week that we can accelerate things and give him a chance to contribute here soon.”
Davies has 58 caps for Canada, with 15 international goals. He’s only 25 years old, so he has a chance to break many records for the national team.
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