Canada captain Alphonso Davies appears unlikely to play against Qatar on Thursday

The position of Alphonso Davies, who is attempting to take back from a ecological succession of hamstring tendon and musculus strains in time to see at least some World Cup minutes, has become clearer: Despite head coach Jesse Marsch’s earlier assertions that Davies was close to fitness, he almost certainly won’t play Thursday against Qatar.

Davies was ruled out of last Friday’s opening 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto in advance, but according to Marsch at the time, an MRI showed Davies was “healing incredibly well, almost completely.”

But after a weekend of travel to Vancouver and rest, Davies trained Monday still under “return to play” protocols, the least intensive of the modified programs for injured players.

He jogged with the team but otherwise worked out mostly by himself. He did have a ball at his feet by the end of training, and he leathered some shots at an open goal. But it’s almost impossible to think that he’ll move up the training ladder in time to reach match fitness later this week.

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It’s a curious turn for Davies. He tore his ACL in national team play in March 2025, weeks after Bayern Munich, his enormously powerful club side, signed him to a long-term deal worth about $190 million US.

Club executives threatened to sue Canada Soccer before taking a more conciliatory tone, at least in public.

Davies, Canada’s captain, hasn’t played for his country since. He returned to club play in December but has since endured three separate hamstring and muscle strains with Bayern, a common aftereffect of ACL repair. His most recent, suffered on May 6, was expected to sideline him for four to six weeks. 

For the meticulous Jesse Marsch, preparing Canada for the World Cup is the ultimate build

On June 11, Marsch included Davies on his 26-man roster, rather than fellow defenders Ralph Priso and Zorhan Bassong, hoping that he would soon be ready to play. Wednesday will mark six weeks from his latest injury exactly.

Moise Bombito, who has a noticeable limp from his not-quite-healed broken leg, took part in full training, and Marsch has said he might play and even start against Qatar.

Davies looks healthy in comparison. That suggests the decision not to train more fully is his — or Bayern’s — rather than Canada’s.

Either way, until Davies resumes training without restriction, he clearly won’t play. On Monday, those governors remained firmly, if mysteriously, in place.

Senior Contributor

Chris Jones is a journalist and screenwriter who began his career covering baseball and boxing for the National Post. He later joined Esquire magazine, where he won two National Magazine Awards for his feature writing. His memoir, Legs Hearts Minds: Loss and Its Remedies, will be published by Random House in June.

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