Predicting Canada’s 2026 World Cup Roster 50 Days From Kickoff

The next time Canada’s men’s 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.

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 Montréal on June 1 and June 5, those decisions have become even more quizzical.

Canada’s final fixtures before the deadline came in the March international window, where they played to a scoreless result against Tunisia and a 2–2 draw against Iceland, featuring a brace from key striker Jonathan David to erase a 2–0 deficit.

Still, with so many injuries throughout the team and Marsch’s continued emphasis on expanding the player pool since taking the job in May 2024, the upcoming decisions will be painstaking and emotional.

“I've got some tough decisions to make,” Marsch said after March window. “I 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.”

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’s BC Place as well, offering a potential road to the quarterfinals all on home soil.

Here, Sports Illustrated predicts how Canada's final roster could look, as well as a potential starting lineup.

Rules of Engagement

Jesse Marsch was upbeat despite drawing both matches in the March international window. | IMAGO/Captive Camera Cover Images

Formation: 4-4-2
Allotted Players: 26

Since taking the position, Marsch has not swayed from his 4-4-2 formation and will stick with it through the World Cup. It’s 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.

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.

Goalkeepers: Trio Becomes Clear

Player	Team	Caps
Dayne St. Clair	Inter Miami	19
Maxime Crépeau	Orlando City	30
Owen Goodman	Barnsley (on loan from Crystal Palace)	0

The 2026 MLS season has not been overly impressive for reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair, now with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, nor for his new Florida foe, Maxime Crépeau of Orlando City.

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 Crépeau face Iceland and St. Clair face Tunisia—as St. Clair has drawn the tougher matchup over the past year—but Crépeau ultimately got the nod for the more challenging opponent.

Both have had impressive moments, but the evolution in St. Clair’s 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’s system.

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’s League One and has been the lone young goalkeeper playing significant minutes this season.

Full Backs: The Status of Alphonso Davies

Canada World Cup — Alphonso Davies has not played for Canada since 2025. | Omar Vega/Getty Images

Player	Team	Caps
Alphonso Davies	Bayern Munich	58
Alistair Johnston	Celtic FC	56
Richie Laryea	Toronto FC	73
Niko Sigur	Hajduk Split	17

Alphonso Davies has not played for Canada since March 2025 due to an ACL injury, followed by hamstring issues. Yet, he remains the team’s 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.

After Davies, the fullback question looms over the Canadian squad. T oronto FC’s Richie Laryea has been among the most consistent players in Davies’s absence at left back, but Marsch told reporters that he is not sure how things will sort out come the summer.

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.

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.

Whichever way it goes, Canada has depth at fullback and will be confident in whoever is chosen to play.

Center Backs: Bombito is Critical

Moïse Bombito (right) is Canada's most important defender, but has struggled to recover from a broken leg. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Player	Team	Caps
Moïse Bombito	Nice	19
Derek Cornelius	Rangers (on loan from Marseille)	42
Luc De Fougerolles	FCV Dender (on loan from Fulham)	11
Alfie Jones	Middlesbrough	1
Joel Waterman	Chicago Fire FC	17

Center back has become a worry for Canada, simply due to injuries.

When healthy, the position is a strength and could feature the most important player at OGC Nice, defender Moïse 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.

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’s recovery.

At the 2024 Copa América, 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’s top options.

Behind them and still with potential to start are FCV Dender’s 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’s Alfie Jones, who has played just once for Canada and missed March due to ankle surgery recovery and has yet to return.

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.

Midfield: Eustáquio and Who?

Stephen Eustàquio is Canada’s midfield conductor. | Alex Nicodim/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Player	Team	Caps
Mathieu Choiniére	LAFC (on loan from Grasshopper Zurich)	22
Stephen Eustáquio	LAFC (on loan from FC Porto)	54
Ismaël Koné	Sassuolo	38
Nathan Saliba	Anderlecht	13

Stephen Eustáquio is Canada's most important piece in midfield and has enjoyed a resurgence with LAFC this season, after joining the MLS side on loan from FC Porto, where he was struggling to get minutes.

Canada’s 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.

He remains Canada’s most important leader and midfielder, but the competition around him is deep as well. Ismaël Koné 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.

“Ismaël 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,” Marsch told Sports Illustrated in March.

“He’s 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.”

At best, expect a midfield pivot of Koné and Eustàquio. 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 Choiniére has been a consistent performer, now with Eustàquio at LAFC.

Depending on the opponent, expect all four midfielders to make an impact this summer.

Wingers: Tajon Buchanan Leads Group of Diverse Skill

Player	Team	Caps
Ali Ahmed	Norwich City FC	24
Tajon Buchanan	CF Villarreal	58
Marcelo Flores	Tigers UANL	2
Junior Hoillet	Swindon Town	69
Liam Millar	Hull City	39
Jacob Shaffelburg	LAFC	31

If Canada is to find success this summer, there’s 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.

CF Villarreal’s 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.

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 Whitecaps in the club’s run to the 2025 MLS Cup final.

Those two, as likely as they may be to start, will be pushed heavily. On the left, Hull City’s 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.

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’s 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 América.

Canada’s winger pool is deep and offers a range of different skillsets through each player, making any opposition’s scouting a more challenging task.

Strikers: Jonathan David’s Duty

Player	Team	Caps
Theo Bair	FC Lausanne-Sport	7
Jonathan David	Juventus	75
Daniel Jebbison	Preston North End (on loan from Bournemouth)	7
Cyle Larin	Southampton (on loan from Mallorca)	88
Tani Oluwaseyi	CF Villarreal	22

The strike partnership has been a fickle question for Canada since Marsch took over. Yet, it’s certain that Juventus frontman and Canada’s all-time leading scorer, Jonathan David, will start up top.

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’s focus on improving within the final third. While his season with Juventus hasn't gone as smoothly as hoped—despite hitting the back of the net for the sixth time this season in a recent 2–0 win over Bologna—his 39 goals in 75 appearances with Canada make him undroppable.

Alongside David, Cyle Larin has rekindled his scoring touch with Southampton, scoring seven goals and an assist in his first 17 games in England’s 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.

Tani Oluwaseyi, the frontrunner through 2025, has struggled to connect with David as well, but has now spent a year with Villarreal after leaving Minnesota United and appears more clinical in front of goal.

Yet, it’s another David—Promise David, the six-foot-five goal machine, as the key wildcard. He was one of Europe’s most consistent goal scorers with Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise and helped lead the club to its first Belgian title in 93 years.

He scored the first goal of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League and had 15 goals and 2 assists in 37 appearances before suffering a hip tendon tear and undergoing surgery, which leaves him with a tight timeline to make the World Cup. It’s not impossible, but improbable.

In his place, expect one of FC Lausanne-Sport’s Theo Bair, a towering physical presence with 10 goals in 26 matches, or Preston North End’s Daniel Jebbison, who can also add height as a depth forward option.

Canada Projected 2026 World Cup Roster in Full

Canada will have an black and white secondary kit at the 2026 World Cup. | Nike/Canada Soccer

Player	Position	Team	Caps
Dayne St. Clair	GK	Inter Miami	19
Maxime Crépeau	GK	Orlando City	30
Owen Goodman	GK	Barnsley (on loan from Crystal Palace)	0
Alphonso Davies	LB	Bayern Munich	58
Alistair Johnston	RB	Celtic FC	56
Richie Laryea	RB/LB	Toronto FC	73
Niko Sigur	RB/CM	Hajduk Split	17
Moïse Bombito	CB	Nice	19
Derek Cornelius	CB	Rangers (on load from Marseille)	42
Luc De Fougerolles	CB	FCV Dender (on loan from Fulham)	11
Alfie Jones	CB	Middlesbrough	1
Joel Waterman	CB	Chicago Fire	17
Mathieu Choiniére	CM	LAFC (on loan from Grasshopper Zurich)	22
Stephen Eustàquio	CM	LAFC (on loan from FC Porto)	54
Ismaël Koné	CM	Sassuolo	38
Nathan Saliba	CM	Anderlecht	13
Ali Ahmed	LM	Norwich City FC	24
Tajon Buchanan	RM	CF Villarreal	58
Marcelo Flores	LM/RM/CM	Tigres UANL	2
Junior Hoilett	LM/CM	Swindon Town	69
Liam Millar	LM	Hull City	39
Jacob Shaffelburg	LM	LAFC	31
Theo Bair	ST	FC Lausanne-Sport	7
Jonathan David	ST	Juventus	75
Daniel Jebbison	ST	Preston North End (on loan from Bournemouth)	7
Cyle Larin	ST	Southampton (on loan from Mallorca)	88

Canada FIFA World Cup 2026 Predicted Lineup

How might Canada line up at the World Cup? It will come down to injuries. Fortunately for Marsch, it appears the timelines will line up to be at near full-strength this summer, outside of the tighter recovery timeline for Promise David.

Here’s how it could look, with a hopeful edge to Bombito’s nomination.

How Canada could line up at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. | FotMob

Canada Predicted Lineup FIFA World Cup 2026 (4-4-2): St. Clair; Laryea, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies; Buchanan, Koné, Eustáquio, Ahmed; David, Oluwaseyi

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