Next Generation: 8 CPLers aiming for Canada's 2030 World Cup squad

Four years ago, many of the players currently in Canada's FIFA World Cup squad were barely on the national team radar.

Promise David, for instance, was an unknown quantity playing in Malta. Niko Sigur had just arrived in Croatia after a year playing in U SPORTS and the Vaughan Azzurri academy.

All told, 12 members of the current roster watched from home when Canada played at the World Cup in Qatar.

Four years from now, there's sure to be similar turnover when Canada (hopefully) announces a squad for the 2030 tournament in Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

Every young player currently in the Canadian Premier League is dreaming of being part of that group. Who, though, has a realistic shot of being on that radar?

Here are eight current CPL players who could be part of Canada's next World Cup generation.

Noah Abatneh (Defender, Atlético Ottawa)

One of the most talented centre-backs in the CPL, period, is just 21 years old. Abatneh is now in his fourth season in the league, with two years in Toronto and two in Ottawa.

He has 75 professional matches under his belt with the two CPL sides, including massive games in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Canadian Championship and CPL Playoffs.

Abatneh was nominated for the CPL's Best U-21 Canadian Player award in 2024 and 2025, and last year he was also a finalist for Defender of the Year. He earned his first senior national team call-up in January, when he played 20 minutes for Canada in a B-level friendly against Guatemala.

Alessandro Biello (Midfielder, FC Supra)

A familiar name in Canadian soccer as the son of Canada assistant coach Mauro, Alessandro Biello is enjoying a breakout campaign as one of the CPL's best young midfielders.

The 20-year-old Montrealer joined FC Supra du Québec in the off-season and slotted immediately into the starting XI. He started each of the first five matches in club history, although a red card suspension has kept him out of the past few. Still, he was named the CPL's U-21 Player of the Month for April.

Biello is a top-notch ball distributor who provides a link between his club's defence and attack.

At the international level, he has six caps for the U-20 team and captained Canada on two occasions at the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship.

Emrick Fotsing (Midfielder, Vancouver FC)

At the time of writing, Fotsing is in France with the Canadian U-20 side competing in the prestigious Maurice Revello Tournament.

Fotsing, 18, is in his second pro season with Vancouver FC, after joining the club in 2025 from the CF Montréal academy.

A well-rounded box-to-box midfielder, Fotsing does well to lock things down in the centre of the park but also chips in with goals — he scored four last year.

Shola Jimoh (Forward, Inter Toronto)

Perhaps the most highly-touted youngster in the CPL, Jimoh made his professional debut with Inter Toronto (previously York United) in 2024 at the age of just 16.

Two years later, as an 18-year-old, he's a regular starter for Toronto. Jimoh has played 48 games for Inter and continues to establish himself as a versatile attacker who can slot into several positions, including an occasional wing-back role.

Jimoh has been a fixture in recent Canadian youth national team camps; he made 14 appearances for the U-17s, including all four games at the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He's expected to be a key part of the U-20 side in the coming cycle as they try to qualify for the Olympics and U-20 World Cup.

He also has tasted the senior international level; he has joined Canada at two MNT camps recently and played in that B-level friendly against Guatemala.

Sergei Kozlovskiy (Defender, Atlético Ottawa)

Another CPL standout at the 2025 U-17 World Cup — where he scored a round-of-32 equalizer against Ireland — Kozlovskiy is a star for Ottawa at 17 years old.

He was a revelation for the club in 2025, playing 24 games (20 of them starts) en route to a championship. Unfortunately, he missed the CPL Final due to that U-17 World Cup, but he was watching on excitedly from Qatar.

Kozlovskiy is an incredibly mature defender for his age, and has never looked out of place at the professional level. He's composed on the ball, good in the air and uses his strong frame to keep attackers away from the ball. With this much pro experience at his age, he could be looking at a big move soon.

Hoce Massunda (Forward, Forge FC)

One of five nominees for the CPL's Best Canadian U-21 Player last year, Massunda is one of the league's most dynamic young wingers.

He can beat pretty much any CPL full-back on the dribble, can pick out a pinpoint cross, and can hit the back of the net with a shot from outside the box.

The 20-year-old Toronto native has five goals and eight assists already, and he's currently in his second CPL season. Massunda continues to refine his game under Bobby Smyrniotis, who has a history of helping Sigma FC graduates get to the world stage.

Adam Pearlman (Defender, Cavalry FC)

At 21 years old, Pearlman already seems like a veteran professional. His first CPL experience was last year with the Halifax Wanderers (on loan from Toronto FC), where he was an immediate standout.

Now, he's at Cavalry FC — still on loan from TFC — and is an early contender for Defender of the Year.

Pearlman is naturally a central defender, but most of his minutes in Halifax and Calgary have been spent at right-back, where he can make better use of his ability on the ball. He's tremendously stable defensively and doesn't hesitate to get forward.

He has played for Canada at the U-20 level, but might be one of the most ready players on this list for a senior call-up.

Alexander Makarova (Forward, FC Supra)

This final one is a bit of a blind guess, but 16-year-old Alexander Makarova has a lot of hype around him in the Québecois soccer community.

He has only made one appearance for FC Supra this season — a cameo in the Canadian Championship against Woodbridge — but his raw talent was immediately obvious.

Makarova previously played for Lakeshore SC and has represented Quebec at the provincial level.

His future is hard to predict at this early stage, but the FC Supra organization is incredibly bullish on his potential, which is why they've brought him into the professional fold at 16.