Alphonso Davies is only fit enough to return to Canada's bench for their second World Cup group-stage encounter against Qatar today. The tournament co-hosts got their campaign up and running with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto. And Jesse Marsch's side will now look to put themselves in a commanding position to reach the knockouts with a victory against Qatar in Vancouver.
Davies' Fitness and Substitution Role
Canada had hoped to welcome captain Davies back into the starting lineup after he was an unused substitute in their opener last week, but the full-back is still not fully fit yet, with Richie Laryea deputising for the 25-year-old at full-back. Davies suffered a hamstring injury during Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final tie against PSG in May. But speaking before Canada's clash with Qatar, head coach Marsch indicated that Davies could play a role off the bench.
'He's been in training this week, and he'll be available tomorrow, and we'll see how the match goes and then make a decision on how we would choose to use him,' Marsch said on Wednesday.
Confirmed Starting Lineups
Canada starting XI: Crepeau; Johnston, De Fougerolles, Cornelius, Laryea; Buchanan, Eustaquio, Kone, Ahmed; Larin, David. Subs: St Clair, Goodman, Waterman, Bombito, Davies, Sigur, Choiniere, Millar, Shaffelburg, Osorio, Saliba, Oluwaseyi, David, Nelson.
Qatar starting XI: Abunada, Miguel, Laye, Gaber, Aloui, Ahmed, Khoukhi, Madibo, Junior, Afif, Abdurisag. Subs: Zakaria, Barsham, Mendes, Albrake, Alhussein, Hatem, Boudiaf, Alganehi, Fathy, Alaaeldin, Muntari, Alhaydos, Ali, Mohammed, Manai.
Marsch's Comments on Davies
'We've worked really closely with his physio, we've worked really well through this and Alphonso is looking really good. It's just a matter of what kind of game is it, what kind of moment is it, and how do we feel Alphonso can contribute right now. But, he's ready.'
Davies' Recent Injury History
Davies last played for Canada in March 2025 during the Nations League third-place game against the United States, in which he tore his ACL. Remarkably, his injury record has been so poor in recent years that he has only featured in two of Canada's last 22 matches. Elsewhere, Marsch confirmed that centre-back Moise Bombito is also closing in on his return to full fitness. Bombito came off just 31 minutes into Canada's warm-up match versus Uzbekistan, and also missed their opening group-stage match.
