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Canada's Alphonso Davies (19) runs with the ball against South Africa during the second half of the World Cup Round of 32 soccer match in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
By The Canadian Press

Alphonso Davies returns to Canada’s men’s soccer team vs. Guatemala

Nov 3, 2026 | 10:00 AM

Captain Alphonso Davies will be back in the fold when Canada’s men’s soccer team takes on Guatemala in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals this month.

The 26-year-old Bayern Munich defender is one of 23 players on the roster unveiled by head coach Jesse Marsch on Tuesday.

Davies played limited minutes for the national team at this summer’s World Cup as he recovered from a hamstring injury, and he missed Canada’s three friendlies in late September and early October for his honeymoon.

He’s played 13 games for Bayern this season, tallying three goals and three assists.

Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau also rejoins the squad after missing the fall friendlies following the death of his father.

Canada will be without Marseille centre back Derek Cornelius, who was taken to hospital after suffering a hip injury while training with Canada in late September, Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, and Southampton striker Cyle Larin, who is out with an undisclosed ailment.

Canada, currently ranked 27th in the world, will visit No. 95 Guatemala to open the two-legged series on Nov. 13 before hosting the second leg at Toronto’s BMO Field on Nov. 16.

“This is an important window for us,” Marsch said in a release. “There’s a Nations League Finals place and a Gold Cup spot on the line, and we know how tough it will be to go to Guatemala City and get a result. We want to take care of business there, then come home to BMO Field and finish the job in front of our fans.”

The winner of the series earns a spot in the CONCACAF Nations League Finals in Los Angeles in March 2027 and qualifies for the 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The loser will play in the Gold Cup preliminary round.

Canada, Mexico, the United States and Panama each earned a bye into the Nations League quarterfinals as the region’s top four teams.

Guatemala will make its first quarterfinals appearance in the tournament after winning its group during qualifiers.

The nation’s final game in qualifiers — a 1-0 victory over Suriname on Oct. 5 — turned nasty.

CONCACAF said in a release that it handed out punishments to the Guatemalan Football Association for “multiple incidents” during the game, including “discriminatory chants directed at Suriname players by Guatemala supporters, objects thrown onto the field of play, and players’ involvement in a post-match confrontation.”

The sanctions include three-game suspensions to players Jonathan Franco and Carlos Estrada for their roles in the confrontation.

Guatemala will also be forced to close 25 per cent of the stadium for its next home CONCACAF Nations League match, and submit a plan for how it will prevent discrimination at future games.

ROSTER

GOALKEEPERS: Maxime Crépeau (Orlando City SC), Owen Goodman (Dundee FC) and Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami CF)

DEFENDERS: Richard Chukwu (Toronto FC), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Luc de Fougerolles (Real Salt Lake), Jovan Ivanisevic (FK Sarajevo), Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Ralph Priso (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Niko Sigur (Toulouse FC) and Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire FC)

MIDFIELDERS: Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal CF), Mathieu Choinière (Los Angeles FC), Kevin Khan (Feyenoord), Liam Millar (Birmingham City FC), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Nathan Saliba (Villarreal CF) and Jacob Shaffelburg (Los Angeles FC)

FORWARDS: Jonathan David (Atletico de Madrid), Promise David (Brighton & Hove Albion FC), Daniel Jebbison (AFC Bournemouth), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal CF) and Jacen Russell-Rowe (Toulouse FC)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press