The Japan Times - Alphonso Davies in Canada World Cup squad despite injury

Bayern Munich defender Davies was deemed sufficiently fit for inclusion despite battling a hamstring injury, while Juventus forward David leads the line for a side that has never won a World Cup game but has shot up the FIFA rankings in recent years.

Other key names included were Porto playmaker Stephen Eustaquio, box-to-box Sassuolo midfielder Ismael Kone, Villarreal duo Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi, and Southampton attacker Cyle Larin.

Also named despite injury doubts were Norwich midfielder Ali Ahmed (hamstring) and Promise David (hip), a striker for Belgium's Union SG.

Each player's name was unveiled and displayed on banners displayed on Toronto's famous CN Tower.

"It is an honor to name our squad for a World Cup on home soil," said Canada's American coach Jesse Marsch.

"These players reflect the many communities, cultures, and journeys that make up this country.

"They are determined, fearless, and proud to wear Canada across their chest. We look forward to uniting Canadians this summer, and we invite everyone to be part of this journey with us."

As one of three co-hosts, along with the United States and Mexico, Canada will play all three group games on home turf.

Canada's Group B campaign begins against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12, before shifting to Vancouver for clashes with Qatar and Switzerland.

Davies has suffered an injury-plagued season, and faces a race against time to be fit for Canada's first game.

He picked up a hamstring injury in Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

That followed a series of muscle injuries after returning from an eight-month layoff with an ACL tear in October.

Further up the pitch, much will depend on David -- the most expensive Canadian footballer in history, with Lille splashing out 30 million euros ($34.8 million) to sign him in 2020.

After climbing to third on the French side's all-time scoring list, the "Iceman" joined Serie A giants Juventus on a free transfer last summer, where his game time has been more limited.

In two previous appearances at the World Cup -- the 1986 finals in Mexico and the 2022 tournament in Qatar -- Canada have a perfect record of six defeats in six matches.

But the Canadians surprised many by reaching the semi-finals of the Copa America in 2024, where they only narrowly lost on penalties to Uruguay in the third-place playoff.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Dayne St Clair (Inter Miami/USA), Maxime Crepeau (Orlando City/USA), Owen Goodman (Crystal Palace/ENG)

Defenders: Alistair Johnston (Celtic/SCO), Derek Cornelius (Marseille/FRA), Richie Laryea (Toronto FC/CAN), Niko Sigur (Hajduk Split/CRO), Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire/USA), Luc de Fougerolles (Fulham/ENG), Moise Bombito (Nice/FRA), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich/GER), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough/ENG)

Midfielders: Stephen Eustaquio (Porto/POR), Ismael Kone (Sassuolo/ITA), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal/ESP), Mathieu Choiniere (Los Angeles FC/USA), Ali Ahmed (Norwich City/ENG), Nathan Saliba (Anderlecht/BEL), Liam Millar (Hull City/ENG), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL/MEX), Jacob Shaffelburg (Toronto FC/CAN), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/CAN)

Attackers: Jonathan David (Juventus/ITA), Cyle Larin (Southampton/ENG), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal/ESP), Promise David (Union SG/BEL)

T.Ueda--JT