Davies set to return from hamstring injury as Canada face Switzerland with Group B top spot secured

Alphonso Davies is in line to return for Canada against Switzerland at BC Place in Vancouver on Tuesday, with manager Jesse Marsch confirming the captain looks fit after a hamstring injury kept him out of the co-hosts’ first two World Cup 2026 fixtures.

The 25-year-old has not played since suffering the hamstring problem in the second leg of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain on 6 May. That absence forced Davies to watch from the sidelines as Canada claimed their first-ever World Cup point — a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto — before recording a maiden World Cup victory, a 6-0 thrashing of Qatar in Vancouver.

Canada head into the Switzerland match top of Group B, and a draw or better would seal the group. Finishing first matters beyond bragging rights: winning Group B guarantees Canada play their last-32 and, if they advance, last-16 fixtures on home soil in Vancouver, while any other outcome would send their knockout games across the border to the United States.

Marsch expects Davies to feature against Switzerland, though potentially only as a substitute. “We will evaluate what we need of him in the game,” the former Leeds United head coach told CBC. “I would like to get him into the match, for sure. And I think that he can have a big impact, both on us physically and football wise, but also mentally, psychologically, to have our captain back, our best player back in the team. I think this is a big factor.”

The Canadian manager was equally effusive about what Davies represents beyond his on-pitch contributions. “It’s so much more than just what he brings on the pitch — it’s what he represents to us. So, the good news is he’s looking great, he’s in training, he looks great, he looks fit, he looks ready to go, excited. So, let’s see how things go, but I expect him to play.”

Davies, who holds 58 caps for Canada, has endured a difficult run with injuries. He did not appear for his country between October 2024 and the current tournament, and managed just 23 club appearances for Bayern last season, with his first outing of the campaign not coming until 9 December.

The left-back was a key figure at World Cup 2022 in Qatar, starting all three of Canada’s group games and scoring in a 4-1 defeat by Croatia. He will now hope to help his country reach the knockout rounds for the first time in their history.