TORONTO — Defender Moïse Bombito is available to play in Canada's World Cup opener, while captain Alphonso Davies has been ruled out.
Bombito's status for the tournament was unknown leading up to this afternoon's roster deadline as he showed struggles in his recovery from a broken leg.
But he was included on Canada's 26-man roster, and coach Jesse Marsch said he could play if needed against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday afternoon in Toronto.
"He'll be ready to contribute (Friday)," Marsch said. "He's not fully at 100 per cent, but he's reached his top speed. He's shown in training that every day he's getting stronger and better, and can focus more on football behaviours. I don't see any reason by a week from now that he's not ready to even be considered as a starter."
Marsch said the goal is "to get (Bombito) to 100 per cent."
"But even if we get him to 90, 95 per cent that's still a pretty damn good player," he added.
Davies is the only player on the roster not available for Friday's game. He was expected to miss the match as he recovers from an injured hamstring, but was not officially ruled out until Thursday.
Marsch said Davies is progressing well.
"We did an MRI with him (Wednesday). It showed very positive signs that he's healing incredibly well, almost completely, so we're getting ready to ramp things up," Marsch said.
"He will not be available for (Friday), but I think that he's showing, like he always has, a real good ability to recover from muscle injuries. I think that having his private physio here has been very helpful, and the concentration on his body's needs every day, and so we're really hopeful that over the next days and weeks that we can accelerate things to give him a chance to contribute here soon."
The talented Bayern Munich left back scored Canada's first ever World Cup goal at the 2022 event in Qatar.
Bombito fractured his left tibia playing for OGC Nice in October and has been working his way back to full health ever since.
The 26-year-old defender from Montreal was emphatic at Canada's training camp last month that he would "100 per cent" be ready for the nation's opener.
"The fact that I’m here with the national team, playing, running, that means that I’ve made a lot of progress," he said in Charlotte, N.C., on May 27. "I’ve just got to keep building on that.”
Bombito was named to the initial 26-man World Cup roster, then logged 31 minutes in the squad's 2-0 friendly win over Uzbekistan on June 1. After leaving the field, he was spotted icing the injured leg.
Marsch said Bombito experienced "sensitivity" from the lingering injury, and that he would give him every chance to recover.
He was available off the bench when Canada took on Ireland in a friendly in Montreal on June 5, but Luc de Fougerolles filled his spot in the starting lineup.
Marsch had until Thursday afternoon — 24 hours before Canada's World Cup opener against Bosnia — to replace any seriously ill or injured players.
He had already replaced midfielder Marcelo Flores, who will miss the tournament after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament on May 30.
Winger Jayden Nelson was named to the roster in Flores' absence.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2026.
The Canadian Press
