Mexico and Canada, two of the three co-hosts for this summer's World Cup, are facing mounting injury concerns that threaten to undermine their preparations. A spate of serious injuries has cast doubt over the availability of several key players, with Mexico losing six members of the squad that won last summer's Gold Cup final, including their entire starting midfield.
Marcel Ruiz, a 25-year-old central midfielder, tore his anterior cruciate ligament during Toluca's Concacaf Champions Cup match last Wednesday, joining captain Edson Álvarez, who recently underwent surgery on a long-standing ankle problem, on the sidelines. Teenage sensation Gilberto Mora remains out with a sports hernia, while forward Santi Giménez is nursing an ankle injury. Further concerns surround Luis Chávez, who is completing rehabilitation from a torn ACL, and right-back contender Rodrigo Huescas. Goalkeeper Luis Angel Malagón tore his Achilles tendon in a Champions Cup tie and has had to fend off reporters at the airport upon his return to Mexico City.
Mexico manager Javier Aguirre has insisted that only fully fit players will be considered for his squad, intensifying the pressure on those recovering. Meanwhile, the United States, the third co-host, finds itself with an abundance of fit and in-form players, in stark contrast to their neighbours.
Canada, too, are grappling with significant absentees. Captain Alphonso Davies has not played for his country in nearly a year after suffering an ACL injury in March 2025, and his latest setback, a hamstring strain sustained in a Champions League match against Atalanta, has ruled him out again. He has managed just 528 minutes for Bayern Munich this season. Defensive concerns are equally pressing, with Moïse Bombito and Alistair Johnston named as 'training players' for the upcoming friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia, while Alfie Jones is out altogether and Derek Cornelius and Luc de Fougerolles are carrying injuries.
Midfield lynchpin Stephen Eustaquio is sidelined with a knee problem, and striker Promise David, who plays for Union Saint-Gilloise, underwent hip surgery in February and may not recover in time for the tournament. With the World Cup on home soil rapidly approaching, both nations face a race against time to field their strongest squads.
