Canada’s coach Jesse Marsch says Alphonso Davies is healthy and available as the Round of 32 begins, with Canada opening the tournament’s knockout stage away to South Africa at SoFi Stadium. The comments mark a shift from group play, when Marsch acknowledged u
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — When the Round of 32 starts, Canada’s biggest question is no longer whether Alphonso Davies can help.
Jesse Marsch said Saturday that Davies is available to play as Canada begins the knockout rounds. Speaking at SoFi Stadium. the World Cup co-hosts’ home in the Los Angeles area. Marsch framed the moment as a genuine return to full readiness. not a cautious timetable. Canada plays on the road Sunday against South Africa to open the Round of 32.
“This time, Marsch sounded like he actually meant it,” the coach’s own explanation made clear.
Earlier this week, Marsch admitted he used Davies as a kind of smokescreen during group play. He said he employed his team captain and Bayern Munich star as a decoy, aiming to force Canada’s opponents to prepare for someone who, at the time, wasn’t ready to return from his hamstring injury.
That gamesmanship is over, Marsch said.
Now that Davies is “back and healthy and ready to perform. ” Marsch called it “a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team.” He added that players who entered camp with minor injuries are now “really close to 100% and ready to perform at the highest level and be at our best in these matches.”.
The reason for the careful approach goes back to how Davies’ hamstring issue has lingered. Marsch and Davies decided the left back wouldn’t rush through medical protocols to suit up after Davies injured his hamstring three times in the past four months. including in the Champions League semifinals last month.
Marsch acknowledged that he said Davies was available for Canada’s two most recent games—technically true—while also implying a softer deception was necessary then. In the knockout stage, that cover won’t be needed.
“For me to go tell our best player. and a guy that is a huge piece of everything that we do. that we have to wait. was also painful. ” Marsch said. “But we’ve done this in the best interests of Alphonso and his career and his health. so it’s nice now that we can have a plan that leads to him being back on the pitch.”.
Davies knows how much this tournament moment has meant for him long before kickoff.
He scored Canada’s first World Cup goal in Qatar four years ago. and he has been anticipating Canada’s chance to host the tournament for even longer. The pain of not being able to take part at home was direct and personal. Davies missed all three home games in Toronto and Vancouver. and he was still trying to change the plan in the group-deciding loss to Switzerland last Wednesday.
“Obviously, it was painful,” Davies said. “The only thing you want to do is play football. That’s what I’m really passionate about. The first game, watching it, I was eager to be on the pitch. Second game, even more so. The third game. I went to him before the game and asked him. ‘Do you think I can get a couple of minutes?’ He could have said. ‘Yeah. we’ll just throw you in there. ’ but obviously he cares about me and the team as human beings as well. so he sat me down … and I thought about it, and I said, ‘He’s right.’ It was kind of hard to hear.”.
Even with Davies back on the team’s radar as more than a possibility, Marsch stopped short of committing to specifics. He refused to confirm whether Davies will start, how many minutes he’ll play, or what position he’ll play against South Africa when Canada seeks its first knockout-round victory.
This is Canada’s third appearance at the World Cup. The team had an opportunity to stay home in Vancouver for this round, but the loss to Switzerland sent Marsch’s squad to the Los Angeles area.
Canada and the stadium already have shared history. The team played the third-place match of the CONCACAF Nations League tournament in this same avant-garde stadium in March 2025. beating the U.S. 2-1. That night still carries an injury memory for Davies: he was lost to a torn knee ligament that sidelined him until December.
Now, Davies returned to a field he clearly wants to be on—especially because SoFi Stadium’s surface is a hybrid turf largely made of natural grass for top soccer events.
“Could have happened anywhere,” Davies said. “Coming back to the stadium, I get to finish something I started a year ago in March. I really enjoy playing in this stadium. The first time, it was beautiful. It was cut short, but that happens. It’s football.”
Alphonso Davies Canada World Cup Round of 32 South Africa Jesse Marsch hamstring injury Bayern Munich SoFi Stadium Switzerland CONCACAF Nations League