With the very greatest of respect, Canada do not have the most star-studded side at this summer's World Cup.
But their one undisputed megastar, Alphonso Davies, faces a real battle to play a part for his country on home turf at the tournament.
The Canada left-back has arrived back in his home country following a heavily disrupted season for German champions Bayern Munich, sparking doubts about how much football he will actually be able to play.
Alphonso Davies 'not 100% yet' after MRI
Davies tore a cruciate ligament in March 2025 that left him sidelined for nine months.
Then, in February, the 25-year-old was sidelined again for a month with a hamstring injury.
Canada will have been encouraged that Davies returned from that in April to play a run of games in the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal... only for him to pick up another injury in May.
Davies was nonetheless selected in Jesse Marsch's squad in hopes that he would be able to return in time to play a part in the group stage.
The Canada boss has confirmed that Davies will not play in their opening game against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, however.
Davies has been involved in training, with the Canadian medical staff keeping a watchful eye on his progress.
Marsch said on Thursday that Davies has had an MRI and is 'healing incredibly well, but not at 100 per cent just yet'.
The expectation is that Davies may be fit enough to feature against Qatar in Canada's second Group B game, which comes on Thursday, June 18.
This is Canada's third appearance at a men's World Cup, but they are still yet to pick up a single point in the competition.
Their previous outings, in 1986 and 2022, both saw them sent home having lost all three of their group stage games.
