Canada looks to continue making history at the FIFA World Cup as the men’s national team plays its first-ever match in the knockout round of the tournament.
It’s win-or-go-home between Canada and South Africa in the Round of 32 in Los Angeles.
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The game remains scoreless as the teams reach the hydration break in the match. Canada’s best chance to take the early lead saw Derek Cornelius miss a header on a free kick into the box from Stephen Eustaquio in the 22nd minute.
If Alphonso Davies is going to make his first appearance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday, it’s going to be off the bench.
The Edmonton native was not named to manager Jesse Marsch’s first 11 for Canada’s Round of 32 matchup against South Africa on Sunday.
Davies has already sat out for the entire group stage of the tournament as he recovered from a hamstring injury suffered in early May.
Marsch’s lineup decisions didn’t stop there, however, as the skipper slotted Moïse Bombito into the starting 11 for the first time this tournament. The 26-year-old had only played one half — against Qatar — in his first national team action since returning from a leg injury. Meanwhile, Marsch has opted to start Tani Oluwaseyi up top next to Jonathan David in place of Cyle Larin. And current captain Stephen Eustáquio was back among the starting lineup after missing Canada’s group-stage finale against Switzerland due to a muscle injury.
As for Davies, Marsch admitted this week that he used his usual team captain and Bayern Munich star as a decoy during group play, employing gamesmanship to compel Canada’s opponents to game-plan for someone who wasn’t actually ready to return.
The situation has now changed, however, as Marsch told reporters that Davies would be available at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, where the World Cup co-hosts will play South Africa to open the Round of 32. Canada’s most famous soccer player is really ready to play, and Davies made it clear he’s expecting to be on the field in some capacity.
“Now that we have Alphonso back and healthy and ready to perform, I think it’s a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team,” Marsch said. “I think in general, all the players that came into camp with little injuries are now really close to 100 per cent and ready to perform at the highest level and be at our best in these matches.”
Marsch and Davies decided the left back wouldn’t rush through protocols to suit up after Davies injured his hamstring three times in the past four months, including in the Champions League semifinals last month. Marsch still said publicly that Davies was available for Canada’s two most recent games, which he technically was — but that soft deception is no longer necessary, the American coach said.
“For me to go tell our best player, and a guy that is a huge piece of everything that we do, that we have to wait, was also painful,” Marsch said. “But we’ve done this in the best interests of Alphonso and his career and his health, so it’s nice now that we can have a plan that leads to him being back on the pitch.”Davies scored Canada’s first World Cup goal in Qatar four years ago, and he has been anticipating his nation’s chance to host the tournament for even longer. He was pained to miss all three home games in Toronto and Vancouver — and despite the plan, he still tried to talk Marsch into letting him play in Canada’s group-deciding loss to Switzerland last Wednesday.
“Obviously, it was painful,” Davies said. “The only thing you want to do is play football. That’s what I’m really passionate about. The first game, watching it, I was eager to be on the pitch. Second game, even more so. The third game, I went to him before the game and asked him, ‘Do you think I can get a couple of minutes?’ He could have said, ‘Yeah, we’ll just throw you in there,’ but obviously he cares about me and the team as human beings as well, so he sat me down … and I thought about it, and I said, ‘He’s right.’ It was kind of hard to hear.”
And now the Canadian star is available for his much-anticipated return, but Marsch, in the lead-up to Sunday, refused to confirm how many minutes Davies would play or at what position. Either way, the 25-year-old will surely give it all he’s got to help Canada secure its first men’s knockout-round victory.
This is Canada’s third appearance at the World Cup, and it had the opportunity to stay home in Vancouver for this round — but the loss to Switzerland sent Marsch’s team to the Los Angeles area as the second-place finisher in Group B.
Canada played the third-place match of the Concacaf Nations League tournament in this same avant-garde stadium in March 2025, beating the U.S. 2-1, but also losing Davies to a torn knee ligament that sidelined him until December.
Davies has no trepidation about stepping back on this field, which rolls out a hybrid turf largely made of natural grass for top soccer events.
“Could have happened anywhere,” Davies said. “Coming back to the stadium, I get to finish something I started a year ago in March. I really enjoy playing in this stadium. The first time, it was beautiful. It was cut short, but that happens. It’s football.”
The winner of the round-of-32 game will advance to a round-of-16 tilt in Houston on July 4 against the winner of a bout between Morocco and the Netherlands.
