Five Canada Players to Watch in First Camp of 2026—Ranked

Young phenoms enter the camp as others look to prove themselves for the 2026 World Cup squad.

Jayden Nelson (left) will look to be a key player for Jesse Marsch's (right) Canada in the friendly match against Guatemala / Joe Buvid/ISI Photos/IGetty Images, Visionhaus/Getty Images

The 2026 World Cup year has arrived and Canada Soccer is getting an early start, hosting its first January men’s national team camp under manager Jesse Marsch.

Marsch has called up a small, 20-player squad for the 10-day camp in Los Angeles, which will feature a Tier 1 international friendly against Guatemala on Jan. 17, a matchup that will have implications on the FIFA Rankings. 

With the camp taking place outside an official FIFA window, 19 of the 20 players are based in North America. The lone European-based player is Matteo de Brienne from Sweden’s GAIS. 

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The camp won’t feature many of the established stars who will lead Canada’s 2026 World Cup efforts, but it offers players on the fringes a chance to crack the team and impress for future opportunities.

Here, Sports Illustrated takes a look at five players to watch in the January camp. 

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5. Rayan Elloumi—Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Rayan Elloumi comes into a Canadian camp for the first time after a quick rise in 2025. / Simon Fearn-Imagn Images

Canada has a group of seven strikers that could all make their case for being in the 2026 World Cup roster. For 18-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps forward Rayan Elloumi, finding himself in the mix in the next four years and for the 2030 World Cup is the goal. 

The teenager reached massive heights in 2025, signing his first MLS contract before recording two goals and an assist in just 287 minutes, proving to be a depth option for the MLS Western Conference champions.

Before that, he racked up 11 goals and seven assists in 1,059 minutes in MLS Next Pro.

Already looking comfortable in MLS, he enters a Canadian senior camp for the first time after previously representing Tunisia’s youth national teams, but missing out on December’s senior-level Arab Cup, which would have allowed him to represent the nation without being cap-tied, due to Vancouver’s MLS run. 

Now with Canada, he will look to establish himself as a legitimate option in the international game, eyeing the 2030 World Cup.

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4. Shola Jimoh—Inter Toronto FC

Shola Jimoh is at his first competitive Canadian camp as the squad's youngest player. / Jurij Kodrun/FIFA/Getty Images

There aren’t many 17-year-olds playing significant professional minutes and even fewer who get called up to their senior national teams, but that’s what Inter Toronto winger Shola Jimoh has done, earning a call-up to the January camp. 

Boasting four goals and six assists across 41 professional appearances in two seasons with Inter Toronto of the Canadian Premier League, Jimoh enters the official squad for the first time, after previously spending time with Marsch’s men as a training player. 

Though born in England, Jimoh grew up primarily in Brampton, Ontario, and has become a valuable winger for Inter Toronto and Canada’s youth national teams, amassing 20 caps across the U15, U17, and U20 levels. 

He’s not going to be an option for the 2026 World Cup, but given the amount of top-flight senior experience he has so far, it’s impossible not to dream of what could come for the young attacker at the 2030 tournament and beyond. 

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3. Ralph Priso—Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Ralph Priso (right) battled against Lionel Messi (left) as a center back in the 2025 MLS Cup. / Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Services/Getty Images

Few players have a chance to truly play themselves into the World Cup roster in this camp, but Ralph Priso could with his versatility, an invaluable asset for a World Cup.

The 23-year-old comes off a standout season with the Vancouver Whitecaps, helping them to MLS Cup and the Canadian Championship. His best moments came through the fall, when, despite never playing on the defensive line, he shifted to center back due to injuries and thrived.

While the majority of his career to date has been in central midfield, the recent move to defense helps him stand out for Marsch, given the aggressiveness and distribution abilities the Canadian manager wants from his center backs. 

It’s a path others have taken, like top defenders Moïse Bombito, Luc de Fougerolles and Alfie Jones, all of whom have established themselves as central figures in Marsch’s tactics. 

If Priso is to crack the World Cup squad, it would be as the last central defender and a versatile one, with the potential to pass Kamal Miller or Joel Waterman in the center back chart with a standout performance against Guatemala.

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2. Marcelo Flores—Tigres UANL

Marcelo Flores is in a Canadian camp as a full-roster player for the first time. / Fredy Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images

Playing for the Mexican national team as a teenager, Marcelo Flores said he intended to play for El Tri throughout his career, despite representing Canada at times at the youth level. These days? Things are different. 

At 22 years old, Flores has caught Marsch’s eye and could be an option for the World Cup. The January camp sees him on the official roster for the first time, after twice participating as a training player to get a sense of the Canadian national team setup. 

Given he last represented El Tri in June 2022, the potential to join Canada is ripe—and it seems as though he has fallen out of an enviable future with the Mexican program. At 22, the former Arsenal academy standout has 72 appearances for Tigres UANL, with 11 goals and four assists, showcasing himself as a game-breaking, confident winger who is versatile as an attacking midfielder. 

Marsch has spoken glowingly about Flores in the past and emphasized that he “feels Canadian” and knows “a lot of guys on the national team,” having been born in the country, despite questions surrounding his ability to keep up with the manager’s pressing and defensive demands. 

This January camp is a chance for him to play his first official minutes for Canada, which would make him preliminarily cap-tied and require him to file a formal switch to represent El Tri again in the future. 

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1. Jayden Nelson—Austin FC

Jayden Nelson looks to play himself onto the World Cup roster with an impressive match against Guatemala. / Megan Briggs/Getty Images

2025 was a big year for Jayden Nelson, establishing himself as a standout talent in MLS while playing in a primarily depth role with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. 2026 is even more pertinent.

After scoring a brace on his debut against the Portland Timbers, returning to MLS after a disappointing stint in Europe, it looked as though the former Rosenborg winger had his confidence back. He finished the season with three goals and 11 assists in 46 matches across all competitions, but struggled for playing time in a crowded part of the pitch—contending with Ali Ahmed, with whom he also competes for Canada. 

With Norwich City’s Ahmed making the move to Europe and other top wingers not available for January, this camp is a golden opportunity for Nelson to establish himself among the locks for the 2026 World Cup. At the same time, it is a chance for him to get a head start on the preseason with his new club, Austin FC. 

Expect the 23-year-old to lead the wide attack against Guatemala and to take on more leadership in the 10-day camp, as he looks to prove himself as a potential top substitute option off the bench this summer. 

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