Canada says star Alphonso Davies is honestly ready to play at World Cup as knockout rounds begin

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Alphonso Davies is available to play when Canada begins the World Cup knockout rounds, coach Jesse Marsch said Saturday.

And this time, Marsch sounded like he actually meant it.

Marsch admitted this week that he used his team captain and Bayern Munich star as a decoy during group play, employing gamesmanship to compel Canada’s opponents to game-plan for someone who wasn’t actually ready to return from his hamstring injury.

The situation has now changed, Marsch claimed at SoFi Stadium, where the World Cup co-hosts will play on the road Sunday against South Africa to open the Round of 32. Canada’s most famous soccer player is really ready to play, and Davies made it clear he’s expecting to be on the field in some capacity.

“Now that we have Alphonso back and healthy and ready to perform, I think it’s a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team,” Marsch said. “I think in general, all the players that came into camp with little injuries are now really close to 100% and ready to perform at the highest level and be at our best in these matches.”

Marsch and Davies decided the left back wouldn’t rush through 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 still said publicly that Davies was available for Canada’s two most recent games, which he technically was — but that soft deception is no longer necessary, the American coach said.

“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 scored Canada’s first World Cup goal in Qatar four years ago, and he has been anticipating his nation’s chance to host the tournament for even longer. He was pained to miss all three home games in Toronto and Vancouver — and despite the plan, he he still tried to talk Marsch into letting him play in Canada’s 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.”

Marsch 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, and it had the opportunity to stay home in Vancouver for this round — but the loss to Switzerland sent Marsch’s team to the Los Angeles area.

Canada 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 — but also losing Davies to a torn knee ligament that sidelined him until December.

Davies has no trepidation about stepping back on this field, which rolls out 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.”

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