Canada FIFA World Cup Roster: Predicting Jesse Marsch’s 26-Player Squad

While their final competitive match before the World Cup was a crushing loss in the Gold Cup quarterfinals against Guatemala, Canada has a strong idea of where things could stand at the World Cup.

Here’s Sports Illustrated's prediction of how the roster could look, and a potential starting lineup as 2025 draws to a close.

Rules of Engagement

• Formation: 4-4-2
• Allotted Players: 26

Marsch has been adamant that he will stick with a 4-4-2 formation for the Canadian squad, even as they went through a spell of seven halves without scoring before their 2–0 win over Venezuela to close out 2025.

As well, only 26 players can make the cut. Choices were selected based on positional needs, recent performances and talent.

Goalkeepers: A Feisty Battle

The battle between MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair and Maxime Crépeau has been a feisty one under Marsch’s tenure, but there is belief internally that St. Clair has the inside track on being the starting goalkeeper to open the World Cup.

St. Clair was the top goalkeeper in MLS in 2025 and suited up at the 2022 World Cup against Morocco, after starting goalkeeper Milan Borjan suffered an injury ahead of the final group stage match. With Minnesota in 2025, he had career highs in saves (113) and shutouts (10) across 30 matches.

While he has split matches with Crépeau through the six fall opportunities, he has gotten the higher ranked team each time. Crépeau, meanwhile, served as Portland’s backup in 2025, but remains a fixture with the CanMNT as he searches for a new club for 2026.

As for the third goalkeeper, expect Crystal Palace prospect Owen Goodman to crack the squad. The 21-year-old has been highly coveted by Canada Soccer and recently gained his official Canadian citizenship, earning his first national team call in November.

Full Backs: Alphonso Davies Is the Key

Alphonso Davies missed the Gold Cup and recent friendlies due to injury but is one of several locks on the Canadian team heading into the World Cup. Should he be healthy, expect him to play every minute.

Keeping fit and in form with Bayern Munich will be a priority for Davies, and he has gotten off to a good start since returning in mid-December after 262 days on the sidelines following his ACL injury suffered in March.

After Davies, fullback turns into an intriguing question. Toronto FC’s Richie Laryea has been among the best players for the CanMNT in 2025, and Marsch said as much following the draw against Colombia. 

“If you look at this last phase of our team, including the Gold Cup and even the March window, Richie’s probably been our best player overall,” Marsch said in October. “Richie’s making an incredible case for himself to make sure that he’s a star in the World Cup.”

Yet, Hajduk Split midfielder turned right back Niko Sigur has also made his push to be a starting option at the World Cup, given his skillset, ability to get forward and composure under pressure.

The loser of late seems to be Celtic’s Alistair Johnston, who is still a lock for the squad but might not be as sure a starter after suffering a hamstring injury that held him out of the fall friendlies.

Whichever way it goes, Canada has depth at fullback, and the positions might be set.

Center Backs: Moïse Bombito’s Importance

Center back is a position of strength for Canada. It could feature the most important player as well, with Nice defender Moïse Bombito standing out as one of Ligue 1’s most composed and fastest defenders. However, injuries have held him out of the men’s national team picture since March. 

The former MLS standout was supposed to return for the October friendlies but suffered a fractured tibia, which required surgery. He is expected to be back for the friendlies ahead of the World Cup.

The second center back option alongside him remains a question. Derek Cornelius is the favorite, considering his consistency and experience, but recent dual-national commitment Alfie Jones, 28, and 20-year-old Luc De Fougerolles could surpass him over the next few months.

De Fougerolles, a former Fulham academy standout, is thriving on loan with Belgium’s Dender and Alfie Jones, who only declared for Canada in November thanks to a chance conversation in a sauna, impressed in his debut with four tackles and the clean sheet against Venezuela.

Outside of those three, expect Chicago Fire FC’s Joel Waterman to be with the team after impressing against Venezuela and Ecuador.

Midfield: Stephen Eustáquio Leads Packed Competition

Stephen Eustáquio will be one of the most important pieces for Canada at the World Cup, even if he isn’t getting as many minutes with FC Porto this season.

There is plenty of competition within the World Cup squad as well, as Ismaël Koné has found his form with Sassuolo in Serie A after moving on from Olympique Marseille, where he had a very public falling out with manager Roberto De Zerbi. 

Koné has found the right spot at Sassuolo and has been playing regularly in Serie A. That form has translated over to the national team, where he has been tenacious and fluid through fall friendlies. 

Meanwhile, Koné’s longtime fellow former CF Montréal midfielder Nathan Saliba has hit the ground running with Anderlecht in his first season in Europe. He has impressed with Canada alongside both Koné and Eustáquio, and has two goals and an assist in 11 caps. 

A mix of those three will likely play the tournament’s most significant minutes, but it is unclear who will start. Also expect LAFC’s Mathieu Choniére to be on the squad, having improved since joining the team.

Wingers: Tajon Buchanan Stars

When it comes to players within the national team picture, there’s some real competition when it comes to cracking the starting lineup as a winger. We’ve gone with these five, led by Tajon Buchanan, who has found club consistency with Villarreal this season. 

Buchanan returned from a broken leg this summer and instantly hit form, scoring four goals and adding an assist through the Gold Cup and two friendlies. While he has been hesitant to take defenders one-on-one in the fall camps, he remains Canada’s most dangerous winger on the right side. 

On the left, it’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Ali Ahmed’s spot to lose, having started nearly every match in 2025 for Canada and become an MLS standout with the Whitecaps. In September, his fortuitous press earned him a goal against Romania, and he was one of Canada’s best players against Colombia in October.

While those two are the likely starters, expect Hull City’s Liam Millar, LAFC’s Jacob Shaffelburg and Austin FC’s Jayden Nelson to make the cut as well. Millar returned to the national team in October after nearly a year recovering from an ACL injury and Marsch highly rates his abilities, especially as he begins to find his footing again after a lengthy rehab process. 

Strikers: Jonathan David’s Duty

Striker is a fickle position for Canada. With Jonathan David, they have one of the world’s best strikers from over the past five years, after he scored 87 goals in 178 games with Lille and earned himself a spot with Serie A’s Juventus, where he has gotten off to a slow start. 

While Canada’s all-time goalscorer has struggled to score for club and country as of late, his woes in red and white primarily stem from Canada’s struggling build-up and the lack of a reliable secondary option in the 4-4-2. 

Tani Oluwaseyi is the frontrunner for the second-striker role but has struggled despite plenty of opportunities, leaving the door open to Promise David, who has been one of Europe’s most consistent goal scorers with Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise.

Despite his limited minutes with Canada, David has impressed with three goals in a mere 201 minutes, including the last goal of 2025 in the 2–0 win over Venezuela. He has a knack for scoring and, at 6'5", could make Canada more threatening in the box than they are with the other options. 

Those three have the highest potential up top, yet are far from the most contentious players, that being Cyle Larin, who recently moved to Feyenoord and has struggled to find his form. He has gone 12 national team appearances without a goal and is unlikely to be a starter, but he will be on the squad as a key player in the locker room. 

Canada Projected 2026 World Cup Roster in Full

Canada FIFA World Cup 2026 Predicted Lineup

How might Canada line up at the World Cup? Despite the recent attacking struggles, Marsch has been adamant that he will stick with the 4-4-2, but the key question remains: How can Canada get the best of Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David?

Here’s how it could look. 

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Canada FIFA World Cup Roster: Predicting Jesse Marsch’s 26-Player Squad.