02 June,2026 04:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Alphonso Davies (Pic: AFP)
Alphonso Davies has officially joined the Canadian national team ahead of their World Cup campaign, though he has not yet been cleared for full match fitness. The left-back sustained a hamstring injury last month during Bayern Munich's 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain, a result that saw the German team eliminated from the Champions League semifinals.
While he wasn't available to feature on the pitch, Davies watched from the sidelines on Monday as Canada secured a 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan in a rainy World Cup warm-up match. The fixture held special significance for the Canadian captain, as it was played in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, where he was seen jogging laps on the pitch before kickoff. Davies missed the last part of the season with Bayern Munich and hopes to be fit in time for the World Cup.
"It feels nice to get back on the pitch and do some running. I'm happy to be home, I'm happy to be with the boys and support them, whether it's just on or off the pitch," said Davies.
Davies, who has scored 15 goals across 58 appearances for his country, was officially named to Canada's final 26-man World Cup squad on Friday. When asked about his exact return date, he declined to offer a specific timeline. Canada is scheduled to kick off its World Cup tournament on June 12, facing Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto.
"We just have to see how everything goes over the next couple of days. I'll just continue my rehab, my progression, and see how I'm feeling, day by day, step by step." Davies said.
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch emphasised that the team will not rush their star player back into action before he is fully recovered.
"What we don't want to do is put him in a situation to suffer again and to be vulnerable again. You can imagine that he wants to build up his body and trust his body in all ways, so that he can go out and play football and do the things he loves," Marsch said.
"So we're gonna make sure that as a staff that we do a good job of really looking at him every single day, monitoring every single day, and putting him in position to succeed, and I'm sure we will," Marsch said.
(With AP inputs)
