Alphonso Davies available as Canada seek historic World Cup win | OneFootball

By Ben Steiner

VANCOUVER – For generations, Canadian men’s soccer has been defined by “what ifs?”

What if Alphonso Davies scored the penalty kick against Belgium during the opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar? What if things had gone differently in qualifying during the team’s 36-year absence? There have been plenty of opportunities to take a big step. 

None of them measure up to the stakes of Thursday’s Group B clash with Qatar (6 pm ET | TSN, RDS; FS1, Telemundo). 

In Vancouver, the CanMNT can win the country’s first World Cup game after claiming a historic point in Toronto via last week's 1-1 draw vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Every moment and every point matters, and we're focused on that. We're not trying to be overly magnanimous; we're just focused on the match,” head coach Jesse Marsch said on Wednesday. 

“I know this is a football town. Vancouver, we've seen it many times before, and we expect this place to be rocking with red everywhere… These guys will be ready to perform.”

Davies cleared

If there’s one cheer that may be louder than the rest, it could come for Davies, who starred with Vancouver Whitecaps FC as a homegrown player from 2016-18 before a big-money move to the German Bundesliga. 

The Canadian captain has been sidelined since early May after suffering a hamstring strain while playing for Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semifinals. Now, he’s available for selection after uncertainty surrounded his status earlier this week.

In July 2016, a 15-year-old Davies made his MLS debut with the Whitecaps in the same building. On Thursday, he could represent his country at a World Cup, which he helped land with an impassioned speech in 2018. 

“We'll see how the match goes, and then make a decision on how we would choose to use him,” Marsch said.

“Alphonso is looking really good, so it's just a matter of, 'okay, what kind of game is it? What kind of moment is it? And how do we feel he can contribute?'"

Davies last represented Canada in March 2025, nearly 15 months ago. The face of the program has notched 15 goals in 58 international appearances.

World Cup rhythm

With Canada's next two World Cup games in Vancouver, they've been able to settle and move beyond the circus that typically follows the lead-up to a World Cup.

Players get to sleep in the same bed, go for familiar walks, and adapt to the media routines and demands of playing in a home World Cup, even if they may be less than the initial buildup. 

Marsch says it brings a sense of “calm” to this week, a feeling echoed by his players, but an odd one, considering what’s at stake when the team faces Qatar in front of over 52,000 fans.

“Tournaments are funny since there's such a build-up period... you almost have that nervous energy going to the first game,” said defender Alistair Johnston.  

“But once the first game goes, we're into the run of things... Now it’s the bright lights of the home World Cup and everything that comes with that, and it’s about ‘let's go out there, we know exactly what we need now, we need to go win a game against Qatar.’”

One thing the group is sure about, though, is their confidence in planning. Despite not being entirely pleased with the Bosnia performance, none of that has wavered – and getting a player like Davies back in the fold only improves things. 

“There are more distractions, so we've tried to minimize that, but at the same time, it's really difficult to prepare for everything and the madness that surrounds what a World Cup is,” Marsch added. 

“We work and talk with each other, and the kind of relationships we have. I think those things don't change... When we can normalize things, even in highly attention-demanding moments, I think it helps us perform.”

Opportunity in Vancouver

With calmness on their side and Davies potentially contributing off the bench, Canada are confident they can improve from last week.

That especially applies to the attack and Juventus star Jonathan David, who struggled at times vs. Bosnia. However, he remains the country’s all-time leading goalscorer with 39 international goals.

“In the biggest games we want him to score, and he will, and he has, and he won't stop,” Marsch said of David, instilling confidence in the forward who trained with a beaming smile on Tuesday. 

“He's still young, and by the end of his career, he's going to have 60 to 70 goals for the Canadian national team. He's not done scoring people… just put your seat belts on and get ready.”

If the ball hits the back of the net, the crowd’s reaction could be deafening, and if Canada get their first World Cup win, it will mark a massive step forward, not just another lingering "what if.”

That is, at least until June 24’s match against Switzerland, when the opportunity to win Group B and remain in Vancouver for the Round of 32 and potentially the Round of 16 could be in the cards.

O CANADA! From hockey country to World Cup contender?!