Bayern Munich star could miss start of FIFA World Cup due to injury

Canada’s men’s football team could be without its biggest star and captain, Alphonse Davies for the opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Toronto, after the Bayern Munich defender picked up an injury

Alphonso Davies sustained a left hamstring injury while playing for Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final game against Paris Saint-Germain. The German club posted on social media Friday that Davies will miss “several week,” putting a cloud over his availability for Canada’s opening World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12.

Davies scored Canada’s lone goal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar during a 4-1 loss to Croatia. It remains the only goal Canada has scored at the men’s World Cup. The latest setback marks the third injury Davies has dealt with since returning from a torn cruciate ligament in his right knee last December.

He missed time from Feb. 22 to March 9 with a muscle fibre tear, then again from March 11 to April 2 with a right hamstring injury. Depending on the severity of this latest issue, the recovery timeline could be similar. The 25-year-old has not appeared for the Canadian national team in 570 days. He last played during an international friendly against Panama on Oct. 15, 2024.

Canada released a statement following the injury news, saying the organization is in close contact with Davies and Bayern’s medical staff. “We’re behind you, Captain. Our focus is on supporting his recovery and providing every available resource, including specialized soft tissue expertise, to give him the best possible pathway back to full fitness ahead of the FIFA World Cup,” the statement reads.

Canada’s opening game is now just five weeks away, and Davies isn’t the only player who could be on the sidelines for that match. Striker Promise David is recovering from hip surgery and is scheduled to undergo an MRI at the end of May that could determine his World Cup fate, per TSN’s Matthew Scianitti.

Meanwhile, centre-back Moïse Bombito is also questionable for the opener as he continues to recover from a fractured left tibia suffered while playing for OGC Nice last October. The deadline for Canada to submit its 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is the end of May — a date many football fans will now be eagerly awaiting.