What to know
- Alphonso Davies confirms he will miss Canada’s World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina as he continues recovering from a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Bayern Munich.
- He says playing in the first match would risk further injury and that his return will depend on how his body responds to rehabilitation.
- Davies remains hopeful of rejoining the squad later in the tournament but acknowledges his availability for upcoming matches is uncertain.
- The Canada captain says there is no added pressure on the team, emphasizing trust in his teammates to perform in his absence.
With the FIFA World Cup less than two weeks away, Alphonso Davies confirmed to Now Toronto that he will not be available for Canada’s opening match as he continues to recover from injury.
Why Davies is missing the opener
Davies sustained a hamstring injury last month while playing for Bayern Munich in a UEFA Champions League semifinal. The setback adds to a difficult stretch of injuries he has dealt with over the past year.
Now the captain of Canada’s Men’s National Soccer Team has told Now Toronto that he will not be ready for Canada’s first game of the tournament on June 12 in Toronto.
“The time and the mathematics of the injury, it wouldn’t be possible. I think I’ll be putting myself more at risk for the rest of the tournament than ever by playing game one,” Davies said.
Despite being ruled out of the opener, he says he is working “extremely hard” to return to full fitness as quickly and safely as possible, with the goal of rejoining the squad later in the tournament.
When asked whether he could be ready for Canada’s matches in Vancouver, Davies said his availability will depend entirely on how his body responds to treatment and rehabilitation.
“It all depends on how my body reacts to all the rehab treatment, you know, obviously everybody reacts differently, and then we’ll see what happens if my body reacts positively then maybe… time will tell,” he said.
No pressure on the squad
Davies added that, at the end of the day, injuries are part of the game, and despite being captain with the tournament approaching quickly, he does not feel pressure.
“The boys know what to do when they step out there, so they go out there and do what they need to do, and yeah, no pressure,” he said.
Davies will be joined by 25 other teammates this summer, as Canada’s 26-man World Cup squad was unveiled on Friday by head coach Jesse Marsch following a training camp in Charlotte, North Carolina.
What’s next for Canada
Now that the squad has been selected, Davies emphasized that the focus is not on guarantees or outcomes, but on performance and execution once matches begin.
“Every team’s strong in the competition, no matter what people say, every team’s strong, first, second, third game. It’s just whether we go out there and play our game or not, that’s all that matters. And whether we go out there and perform, that’s all that matters for sure,” he said.
Davies is no stranger to success at the highest level. The Edmonton-born fullback has won multiple Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and was part of the squad that lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2020.
