Canadian Alphonso Davies will not start against South Africa

If Alphonso Davies is going to make his first appearance at the 2026 World Cup on Sunday, he will be off the bench.

The Edmonton native was not among coach Jesse Marsh’s first 11 players in Canada’s round of 16 matchup against South Africa on Sunday.

Davis has already missed the entire group stage of the tournament as he recovers from a hamstring injury suffered in early May.

However, this was not the end of March’s squad decisions: the captain included Moise Bombito in the starting lineup for the first time in this tournament. The 26-year-old played just one half – against Qatar – in his first international game since returning from a leg injury. Meanwhile, Marsh decided to put Tani Oluwaseyi in the top spot next to Jonathan David instead of Kyle Larin. And current captain Steven Estaquio returned to the starting line-up after missing Canada’s group stage final against Switzerland with a muscle injury.

As for Davis, Marsh admitted this week that he used his usual team captain and Bayern Munich star as bait during group play, using playmaking skill to force Canada’s opponents to create a game plan for someone who wasn’t actually ready to return.

However, that has now changed as Marsh told reporters that Davis will be available at the Sophie Stadium on Sunday, where the World Cup hosts take on South Africa to open the round of 16. Canada’s most famous football player is indeed ready to play, and Davis has made it clear that he expects to be on the field in some capacity.

“Now that Alfonso is back and healthy and ready to go, I think it’s a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team,” Marsh said. “I think overall all the players who came into camp with minor injuries are now really close to 100 percent and ready to perform at the highest level and play their best in these matches.”

Marsh and Davies decided the left-back would take his time with the protocols to get fit after Davies injured his hamstring three times in the last four months, including in the Champions League semi-final last month. Marsh still said publicly that Davis was available for Canada’s final two games, which he technically was, but that soft deception was no longer necessary, the U.S. coach said.

“It was also painful for me to tell our best player and a guy who plays a huge role in everything we do that we have to wait,” Marsh said. “But we did it in the best interests of Alfonso, his career and his health, so it’s nice that we now have a plan that will see him back on the pitch.”

Davis scored Canada’s first goal at the World Cup in Qatar four years ago and has waited even longer for his country’s chance to host the tournament. It hurt him to miss all three home games in Toronto and Vancouver – and despite the plan, he still tried to persuade Marsh to let him play in Canada’s group-clinching match with Switzerland last Wednesday.

“Obviously it hurt,” Davis said. “The only thing you want to do is play football. That’s what I’m really passionate about. The first game when I watched it, I really wanted to go on the field. The second game even more so. In the third game, I went up to him before the game and said, ‘Do you think I can spare a couple of minutes?’ hard to hear.”

And now the Canadian star is ready for his long-awaited return, but Marsh declined to confirm ahead of Sunday how many minutes Davis would play and in what position. Either way, the 25-year-old is sure to do whatever it takes to help Canada secure its first men’s playoff win.

This is Canada’s third World Cup appearance and had the option to stay home in Vancouver for this round, but a loss to Switzerland sent March’s team to the Los Angeles area, finishing second in Group B.

Canada played the third-place match of the Concacaf Nations League tournament at the same avant-garde stadium in March 2025, beating the United States 2-1 but also losing Davis to a torn knee ligament that sidelined him until December.

Davis wouldn’t hesitate to retreat to this field, which features a hybrid turf made mostly of natural grass for major soccer competitions.

“It could have happened anywhere,” Davis said. “Back at the stadium, I can finish what I started a year ago in March. I really enjoy playing in this stadium. The first time everything was great. Everything was interrupted, but these things happen. That’s football.”

— with files from The Associated Press