Canada’s Alphonso Davies Suffers Injury Weeks Before World Cup

The World Cup kicks off later this month, but the shift to a winter tournament means players are playing for their clubs just weeks before heading to Qatar. Already some notable stars like France’s Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté and Germany’s Timo Werner have been ruled out of the tournament after injuries suffered this fall.

On Saturday, Bayern Munich left back Alphonso Davies was forced to leave the match vs. Hertha Berlin with a hamstring injury. Davies is one of the top players on a Canada side that reached the men’s World Cup for the first time since 1986.

Canada is already facing an uphill battle in the tournament, as it faces Belgium, Croatia and Morocco in Group F. Losing Davies before the tournament even begins would just make that hill to climb even steeper.

Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann said the injury is at least a hamstring strain. But the team announced Sunday that while Davies will miss the next two league matches, he will still be able to feature at the World Cup, barring any setbacks. 

The 22-year-old fullback has had his health issues in the past year, having dealt with myocarditis earlier this year followed by a head injury just last month.

Canada kicks off its World Cup campaign on Nov. 23 vs. Belgium.