Exploring high-potential youngsters with an outside shot at cracking the CanMNT's 2026 World Cup squad
In just over 10 months, the CanMNT will kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign, as they’ll take the field in Toronto for their opening match on June 12th, 2026.
While Canada won’t know who they’ll play in that match until the World Cup draw in December, they’ll have a pretty good idea of what their team should look like for that game. At this stage, there is a lot of clarity in terms of who the key players are in head coach Jesse Marsch’s group, as he’s spent most of his time in charge preparing for what lies ahead next summer.
Because of that, he’s made sure to stoke competition at each position in every camp, getting a wider look at the players available to him. Along with the discovery of some new breakout players, such as Moïse Bombito, that’s made a big difference in the growth of this team.
At the same time, while Marsch himself might now know what the core of this squad looks like, he still has plenty of key decisions to make in the next 10 months. Especially when considering the growing depth of this Canadian team, which boasts a deeper player pool than ever, and that could create some tough decisions in terms of player selection down the road.
Plus, as people will know, things can change quickly in this game.
Just take Canada’s run to the 2022 World Cup. When they were 10 months out from kicking off at that tournament, they were still yet to qualify, and little did they know that one of the players who’d take the field for them in Qatar would still be yet to make his professional debut, let alone earn a Canadian call.
That, of course, was Ismaël Koné, who was a 19-year-old looking to break into CF Montréal’s first team, having signed with their first team in 2021. Eventually, he made his Montréal debut in February of 2022, and he never looked back from there, as despite being nine months out from the World Cup, he eventually cracked Canada’s squad off the back of a scorching first professional campaign where he made 32 appearances and chipped in with four goals and five assists (including a goal on his professional debut).
Now, it’s worth noting that Koné is a pretty unique case, as it’s not often that a player will go from relative unknown to the biggest stage like that. Yet, it’s not uncommon for coaches to make a bet on an unproven youngster who shows glimpses of high potential the way Koné did.
Because of that, it’ll be interesting to see if there ends up being another player with a similar path to Koné on Canada’s World Cup squad this summer.
With that in mind, here are 13 players who could follow a similar path. To try and keep things simple, this list follows two criteria - the players must be under 20, and have fewer than 25 first-team professional appearances to their name (sorry, Jamie Knight-Lebel).
Then, of course, they must also be yet to earn a cap for Canada, which further rules out Luc De Fougerolles, who is technically eligible for this list based on the original criteria, once again showing that coaches will find a way to include high-potential players in their squad, as Marsch has done with De Fougerolles.
Might there be names missing from this list? Absolutely, that’s the beauty of this discussion, as the reality is that we don’t know the next Koné, but at the same time, this is a fun way to look at some young Canadians on the cusp of a big breakout.
Without further ado, here’s that list.
Yuri Aleksander Guboglo (CF Montréal):
Could the next player to follow the Koné path for Canada currently find himself at Koné’s old club? There are a few players to watch there, and Guboglo might be the most exciting, as the 18-year-old has done well to break into the first team this year, already racking up 937 minutes in 19 appearances across all competitions.
Able to play as both a winger and full back, he’s featured as a right winger, left winger, right back and left back for Montréal, showing impressive versatility for a youngster. Not only that, but he’s proven to be quite confident, too, sitting with elite ball progression numbers for a young full back when compared to his MLS peers, while also nabbing an assist not long ago.
What an amazing cross from Yuri Aleksandr Guboglo to Prince Owusu! 🇨🇦🇭🇹🇺🇦
— dedo ⚽️ (@dlicps) June 15, 2025
His first assist of the season for CF Montreal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EQ0crg7ljO
Also eligible to represent Haiti, already playing for them at the youth level, his rapid progression will have caught the eyes of Marsch, who could be interested in bolstering Canada’s depth at full back, given all of the injuries they’ve dealt with at that position in the past 12 months. ![[fb Charts] Yuri Guboglo](https://storage.googleapis.com/canpl/assets/801b8917-44d6-455b-b4df-eea9f0c78340.png)
Owen Graham-Roache (CF Montréal):
Sticking with CF Montréal, it makes sense to stick with the other young player that’s turned heads with the club this year, as the 17-year-old Graham-Roache has earned 143 minutes across eight appearances.
Not only that, but the young striker even picked up an impressive record in one of those appearances, too, as he became the youngest CF Montréal player to start an MLS match, which is quite impressive when considering some of the youngsters that have come through Montréal.
For a Montréal team a bit thin up front in terms of attacking depth, Graham-Roache will look to grab a bigger role as the season progresses, as he looks to become the latest high-potential Canadian attacker to impress at the professional level.
Lazar Stefanović (Toronto FC):
It’s almost hard to believe Stefanović is still only 18, as the young centre back burst onto the scene a while ago, having made his MLS Next Pro debut in 2022 and his Toronto FC first team debut in 2023. Since then, he’s mostly plied his trade in MLS Next Pro, racking up 32 appearances for Toronto FC II, but he took a big step forward this year, making 11 appearances for TFC’s first team and just one with TFC II, which suggests that he might’ve graduated to first-team regular.
Given that he’s already racked up 519 minutes in those 11 appearances, that further seems to highlight that point, and that number should grow with some of the injuries Toronto has dealt with at the back, which should push Stefanović to earn an even bigger role.
For a Canadian team always looking to bolster their centre back depth, that immediately makes him a name to watch, especially when you remember that Marsch called in Stefanović as a training player for Canada’s Gold Cup squad earlier this year. That shows that he’s already well aware of the TFC centre back, one who certainly has potential to one day be a CanMNT regular.
Great to have #CANM20 youth player and current Toronto FC defender Lazar Stefanovic as a training player with #CANMNT today 🇨🇦💪
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) June 19, 2025
C’était un plaisir d’avoir Lazar Stefanovic, joueur du #CANM20 et défenseur du Toronto FC, avec nous aujourd’hui comme joueur d’entraînement avec le… pic.twitter.com/GYrYHFVnq3
Jeevan Badwal (Vancouver Whitecaps FC):
After entering this year with just one first-team appearance to his name, Jeevan Badwal has been one of the big winners since the arrival of new Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen, who has quickly taken a liking to the 19-year-old homegrown.
As a result, Badwal has already racked up around 700 minutes across 20 appearances in 2025, including two during the Whitecaps' run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final, scoring one goal and adding an assist in MLS play. Safe to say he’s graduated to the first team after making 32 appearances for the Whitecaps MLS Next Pro side, as he’s proven to be a nice fit in Sørensen’s high-tempo, possession-based set-up.
Slots it in like a vet. 🎯 Jeevan Badwal officially secures his first as a ‘Cap.
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 9, 2025
📺 https://t.co/702Uz1sfsF #VWFC | #VANvSEA pic.twitter.com/Qs0VqVyCwu
A box-to-box midfielder who has an impressive motor, loves to dribble and crashes the box with vigour, he’s had surprisingly impressive offensive numbers in terms of his final actions, as his willingness to get forward has paid off for him. For a Canadian team that wants their midfielders to be all-action machines on both sides of the ball, he certainly fits the profile of what Marsch would want from such a player, which is worth watching. ![[fb Charts] Jeevan Badwal](https://storage.googleapis.com/canpl/assets/de0a3261-76c0-438e-9495-f58fd2a023b9.png)
Grady McDonnell (Club NXT):
There’s an impressive young crop of Canadians on the cusp of breaking out at European clubs, and McDonnell might be the most interesting to watch, as the 17-year-old is getting set for his first full season with Club Brugge’s second team, Club NXT, which he joined in January after a year with CPL side Vancouver FC.
A former Whitecaps academy product, he made the big decision to join Vancouver FC in the chase of professional minutes, and that move paid off for him big time, as he made the move to Belgium after making 17 appearances in the CPL, racking up two assists.
GOAL 🦅
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) October 13, 2024
Alejandro Diaz makes it 1-1 for @VanFootballClub vs. @ValourFootball and we've got a game here between two sides hunting for a final playoff berth with 15 minutes left to play 🔥
🔴 Watch the @tonybet_Canada #CanPL MOTW on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/td0qlwmSqp
He only made four appearances for NXT at the end of 2024-2025, but he’ll hope for a bigger role in 2025-2026, one that could maybe open the door for him to break through with Brugge’s first team sometime soon. Certainly, Canada will be watching, as they’d love the talented dual-national to commit after seeing him rack up several caps for the Republic of Ireland’s youth teams over the last few years.
Jovan Ivanisevic (NK Istra):
2025-2026 promises to be a big year for Jovan Ivanisevic, who had a breakthrough 2024-2025, making his first team debut in the Croatian top flight with NK Istra, making eight appearances before spending the rest of the season on loan with Bologna’s U20s.
After that experience, he’s since returned to Istra, where one has to imagine he plays a much bigger role in his third year with the club, having joined out of Toronto FC’s academy in 2023. At just 20, he’ll hope that Marsch’s work with young centre backs such as De Fougerolles and Knight-Lebel pushes him to earn a Canada call, especially if he has a strong start to the season.
Tristan Schoppitsch (Austria Klagenfurt):
Could Schoppitsch earn a big breakthrough in the Austrian Bundesliga this year? He’s certainly on the cusp of doing so, as he finally made his first-team with Austria Klagenfurt last year, having racked up 55 appearances for their second team despite being just 18.
An attacking midfielder, he will have flown a bit under the radar given that he’s spent all of his formative years in Austria, but as a Canadian dual-national, that would change if he started to earn a bigger role in the Austrian top-flight, which is a solid level that could tempt a Canadian call should that happen and he were to impress right away - and it’s not as if Canada has a great track record with developing #10s of his profile.
Oumar Diallo (LASK):
Staying in Austria, there are actually two young Canadian forwards plying their trades at another top-flight club, and that’s at LASK.
The first of the two is the 20-year-old Oumar Diallo, a name that Canadians will know given that he’s represented Canada at the U20 level and was on the books at Inter Milan for a few years, never breaking through with Inter’s first team despite training with them.
Having since moved to Austria, he had a strong first year in 2024-2025, scoring six goals in 22 games for LASK’s second team, earning his LASK first-team debut along the way, which is not bad at all for a young forward, and hopefully a sign of things to come.
19-year-old Canada U20 forward Oumar Diallo made his professional debut for Austin Bundesliga LASK this week in their 1-0 loss against rivals FC Blau-Weiß Linz.
— CanMNTBible (@CanMNTBible) September 16, 2024
Only signed for the club back in June. One to keep an eye on 👀#CanMNT #CanM20 pic.twitter.com/RPySH8ct6V
Naël Kane (LASK):
Joining Diallo at LASK is 19-year-old forward Naël Kane, who is a former CF Montréal academy product, as he made the jump from academy soccer to LASK’s second team earlier this year.
Since then, he made a quick impression, scoring four times in 13 appearances, also earning himself a first-team debut by the end of the season, something he’ll hope to build on as he dives into his first full season at the club.
19-year-old Nael Kane made his first team debut for Austrian Bundesliga side LASK, playing the first half in a 0-0 draw 👀
— CanMNTBible (@CanMNTBible) May 24, 2025
Since signing from CF Montreal’s academy in January, the youngster has 3 goals in 11 appearances for their academy side 🔥#CanMNT pic.twitter.com/lC9C4zg3lZ
Antoni Klukowski (Widzew Łódź):
For Canadians of a certain vintage, they might do a double-take when seeing this name, as Michael Klukowski made 36 appearances for Canada between 2003 and 2012.
Now, his son, Antoni, could look to follow in his footsteps. Also eligible for Poland, he does appear to still be eligible for Canada, having only played friendlies for Poland’s youth teams after having played with Canada’s U17s at the 2023 World Cup.
Certainly, he could be one to watch as a future CanMNT player should that door remain open, as the 18-year-old winger has already made 10 first-team appearances for Polish top-flight side, Pogoń Szczecin, and will look for a bigger role at his new club, Polish top-flight side Widzew Łódź, who he joined this summer.
Mihail Gherasimencov (Cavalry FC, on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps):
There were a couple of CPL alumni on Canada’s 2022 World Cup squad, and that list could grow in 2026, as the league continues to navigate its seventh campaign.
When looking at some youngsters who could make that jump (while still meeting the strict 25 appearance cutoff for this list that rules out promising youngsters like Shola Jimoh and Noah Abatneh), Gherasimencov stands out, as he’s made 17 appearances for Cavalry this year (scoring a goal and adding two assists) after making 49 appearances for the Whitecaps' second team over the last few years.
Sent on loan to develop, the 20-year-old has quickly become an important part of this Cavalry side, both as a winger and at left back. In particular, the latter, which is Gherasimecov’s natural position, will be what makes him one to watch for Marsch, as Canada’s left back depth is extremely thin.
Because of that, keep an eye on the Moldovan youth international, especially if he can finish the year strong and perhaps earn a role with the Whitecaps first-team next year.
GOAL 🐴
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) May 17, 2025
Mihail Gherasimencov puts @CPLCavalryFC ahead early in the game with a fantastic strike 🔥#CanPL | 🔴 Watch LIVE on @onesoccer & TSN2 pic.twitter.com/FWPFbZB884
Sergey Kozlovskiy (Atlético Ottawa):
If this were a “CPL players who could play for the CanMNT article”, Ottawa’s entire backline would earn merit, but when considering the appearances cut-off, Kozlovskiy is the lone one that makes this list.
Yet, that’s not surprising given the season that the 17-year-old has had with the league leaders, as he’s racked up 907 minutes across 13 appearances in his first professional season as a centre back, which is incredibly impressive.
It’s never easy for a young defender to earn regular minutes, especially on a team like Ottawa, but Kozlovskiy hasn’t looked out of place, showing why many have long regarded him as one of the biggest prospects in Canada during his time at CF Montréal. That’s why it was seen as a big coup for Ottawa when he left Montréal to join them, and his play so far this year has only shown why it’s expected that big things are coming for the young defender, such as a future CanMNT call.
Emrick Fotsing (Vancouver FC):
After the success of Grady McDonnell, Vancouver FC made a similar bet on a high-potential MLS academy midfielder this offseason, bringing in the 17-year-old Fotsing from CF Montréal.
So far, it’s proven to be a smart bet, too, as he’s already racked up 988 minutes across 15 appearances in his first full professional season, scoring two goals. As a result, he’s already attracted European interest, meaning that he could follow a similar path to McDonnell in terms of his next step.
GOAL 🦅
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) June 4, 2025
Prime Barcelona or @vanfootballclub? 🤯
Emrick Fotsing puts the visitors ahead in Winnipeg with a beautiful team play ⚽️#CanPL | 🔴 Watch LIVE on @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/CeMgvmqpzy
Before then, however, he’s still got a lot to accomplish with Vancouver, where he’ll look to keep a big role in their midfield, building off of what he’s shown so far this season, where he’s been a key bright spot.
