All of Canada had been holding out hope that the face of Canadian soccer, Alphonso Davies, would be ready in time for the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil.
Unfortunately, Davies himself revealed on Tuesday that it isn’t going to be possible, as he won’t be able to suit up for Canada’s tournament opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, June 12, in Toronto.
He spoke in depth about it during an appearance on The Sid Seixeiro Show.
“You know you can’t really rush these injuries. It already happened three times in a row now, so after a big ACL injury, I think those are the kind of things you can’t really rush. Yeah, of course I want to play in the World Cup, of course I want to play in front of the country, and my family and friends, and help the team as much as I can. And yet again, there’s some things as a footballer you have to understand, especially injuries that happen back to back to back. You can’t really rush them; the best thing you can do sometimes is sacrifice. I mean obviously, the first game of the tournament, it won’t be possible, but let’s see what happens the second, third, maybe if we make it out of the group stage. Let’s see what happens. It all depends on my rehab.
Considering when the injury was and you do the mathematics, no, it will not be possible. I hate to say it, it hurts me to say it, but that’s the reality of injuries. I want to play, of course. I always want to play with my national team and especially in a home World Cup, but we have to face reality, and it won’t be possible,”
The 25-year-old Davies tore his ACL in March of 2025, but is now dealing with a recurring hamstring strain that, as he mentioned, has flared up three different times.
It’s disappointing news for Davies and Canada, though they should still be favored to win the opener even without their star.
If they are able to take care of business, it could wind up being a positive, allowing Davies the necessary time to recover and rehab for a return later in the group stage.
Canada will take on Qatar in its second match on Thursday, June 18, and finish up against Switzerland on Wednesday, June 24.
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