Canada Makes World Cup Squad Change After Injury

Marcelo Flores, a 22-year-old Canadian attacking midfielder, suffered a torn ACL in his right knee while playing for Tigres in Mexico. The serious injury prompted Canada head coach Jesse Marsch to call up compatriot Jayden Nelson, the 23-year-old forward from Austin FC.

The latest call-up is far from unfamiliar to the Canadian national team setup. Nelson already has 15 caps for Canada’s senior side and has scored three goals. Among them is the goal he netted in a win over Uzbekistan, a rival of Portugal.

Canada is one of the host nations for the 2026 World Cup, alongside the United States and Mexico. The Canadian team is in Group B, where it will face Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, and Switzerland.

Here is the updated squad list:

Position	Name	Team
Goalkeeper	Dayne St. Clair	Inter Miami CF
Goalkeeper	Maxime Crépeau	Orlando City
Goalkeeper	Owen Goodman	Barnsley
Defender	Derek Cornelius	Rangers
Defender	Moïse Bombito	Nice
Defender	Alphonso Davies	Bayern München
Defender	Alistair Johnston	Celtic
Defender	Richie Laryea	Toronto FC
Defender	Alfie Jones	Middlesbrough
Defender	Luc De Fougerolles	FCV Dender
Defender	Joel Waterman	Chicago Fire
Midfielder	Jonathan Osorio	Toronto FC
Midfielder	Niko Sigur	Hajduk Split
Midfielder	Nathan Saliba	Anderlecht
Midfielder	Mathieu Choinière	Los Angeles FC
Midfielder	Stephen Eustáquio	Los Angeles FC
Midfielder	Ismaël Koné	Sassuolo
Forward	Jayden Nelson	Austin FC
Forward	Jonathan David	Juventus
Forward	Liam Millar	Hull City
Forward	Tani Oluwaseyi	Villarreal
Forward	Jacob Shaffelburg	Los Angeles FC
Forward	Tajon Buchanan	Villarreal
Forward	Ali Ahmed	Norwich City
Forward	Promise David	Union St. Gilloise
Forward	Cyle Larin	Southampton

[G=Games, M=Minutes, GS=Goals Scored, YC=Yellow cards, 2Y=Double Yellows, RC=Red cards]