Squad Battles: Diving into the CanMNT's depth chart for 2026 World Cup after busy summer

Now that the dust has settled on the CanMNT’s early exit from the 2025 Gold Cup, the focus has fully shifted towards the 2026 World Cup, especially now that the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup has also come to an end. 

Given that both tournaments served as dress rehearsals of sorts for what’s to come next year, the attention can now move towards the World Cup proper, with the start of that tournament kicking off in just under a year. 

For Canada, however, there is still lots to do in a short time, as they push to enter the World Cup as prepared as possible to chase their first victory in that tournament, setting the table for a run into the knockout stage. 

Just a year ago, it felt like that was almost a guarantee after a deep run at the 2024 Copa América, but after an early shock exit at the Gold Cup, doubts have started to creep in - it's just the nature of this sport, where you can sometimes only be as good as your last game. Because of that, Canada will be eager to come out strongly in the next few windows, as they’ve booked four strong friendlies over the September and October windows, which will include matches vs. Romania, Wales, Australia and Colombia. 

In those matches, Canada will look to reaffirm their credentials as a team after the Gold Cup, yes, but more importantly, will continue to tackle their most important task: figuring out what their roster might look like next year. 

It was hoped this summer might provide some clarity in that regard, and it certainly helped, but there is still a lot of work to be done for Jesse Marsch and his staff in terms of figuring out what a 23 or 26-player roster might look like. 

With that in mind, however, here is a look at Canada’s depth chart as of mid-July, as we do the first of many dives into the state of this team’s roster as they start to go full steam ahead into next summer. 

Goalkeeper:

Locks: Maxime Crépeau, Dayne St. Clair

Frontrunner: Tom McGill

On the bubble: James Pantemis, Jonathan Sirois, Owen Goodman, Grégoire Świderski

If Marsch was hoping to get some clarity on what his goalkeeper situation is looking like ahead of the World Cup, this summer didn’t provide much help, especially given Canada’s early exit, as a potential semi-final and final could’ve offered great data points for him and his staff to dive into. 

At the same time, this is a straightforward position for him to manage. Dayne St. Clair and Maxime Crépeau will be in the World Cup squad, barring something unforeseen - the challenge will be to pick a World Cup starter between the two, with Crépeau carrying a slight edge in terms of CanMNT performances and St. Clair has a slight edge in terms of club performances. Figuring out which of those two things matters more will be the challenge. 

Otherwise, it’ll be interesting to see who the third goalkeeper ends up being. Tom McGill seems set to take that spot, as he continues to impress in Canada training, but he finds himself at a crossroads at the club level, given his lack of professional minutes for his age (25). That could open the door for MLS options, Jonathan Sirois or James Pantemis, to slide in, and don’t forget young European-based goalkeepers, Owen Goodman and Grégoire Świderski, with Goodman the one to watch if he can get some clarity on his Canadian passport situation after a strong season on loan in EFL League 2.

Centre-back:

Locks: Moïse Bombito, Derek Cornelius

Frontrunners: Luc De Fougerolles, Joel Waterman

On the bubble: Kamal Miller, Jamie Knight-Lebel

There was one big winner at this position at the Gold Cup, and that was Luc De Fougerolles, who was one of Canada’s big standouts -- penalty heartbreak aside. Now, the big challenge for De Fougerolles will be to figure out his club situation, as he’s just signed an important contract extension with Fulham. If he can crack their squad on a regular basis, great, but he needs to play, so it feels like a loan is the more prudent option. Either way, it’ll be fascinating to follow De Fougerolles no matter where he ends up, as he showed this summer that he might not just push for a spot in the World Cup squad, but for regular minutes next summer, too. 

Otherwise, this position is very settled - Moïse Bombito is a lock to start next summer, sitting as one of Canada’s most important players, while Derek Cornelius is a lock to be in the squad and is 95% expected to start alongside Bombito, given their chemistry and familiarity. Then, from there, Joel Waterman looks to have claimed the fourth centre-back spot. That leaves Kamal Miller and Jamie Knight-Lebel to battle it out for the fifth centre-back spot, should there be room for that many centre-backs in the squad in the first place.

Full-back:

Locks: Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnston, Richie Laryea

Frontrunner: Zorhan Bassong

On the bubble: Sam Adekugbe, Luca Petrasso, Matteo de Brienne

There’s no doubt that Alphonso Davies will not just be in the World Cup squad, but also play a starring role for Canada, too. Now, the big question facing him will be his physical condition as he continues to recover from a major knee injury. There will be enough time for him to recover, but for a player with blazing speed, the big fear will be the adjustment period he’d have to endure should that be compromised. Because of that, what’s worth following with Davies isn’t his rehabilitation, which appears to be going quite smoothly, but how he looks in the first few months back from his absence, instead. 

Otherwise, this group is quite settled. Alistair Johnston and Richie Laryea remain locks, with Laryea impressing at the Gold Cup, in particular. The lone thing to watch will be how Sam Adekugbe recovers from an Achilles injury, as he’d have arguably been a lock for the squad if healthy. Now, that opens the door for a couple of left-backs to throw their names in the mix to try and replace him, with Zorhan Bassong leading the way after some solid performances with Canada this summer, and the pair of Luca Petrasso and Matteo de Brienne knocking on the door following some good club performances. 

Of course, Canada could also replace Adekugbe by bringing an extra player elsewhere, with Laryea and a couple of wingers able to cover at left-back, but with the question marks around Davies, it feels prudent to bring proper left-back cover, be it Adekugbe or someone else.

Midfield:

Locks: Stephen Eustáquio, Niko Sigur, Ismaël Koné, Mathieu Choinière

Frontrunner: Nathan Saliba

On the bubble: Jonathan Osorio

Canada’s midfield group looks a lot more settled than a few months ago, but make no mistake -- a fantastic race is brewing at this position heading into next summer, as each player above seems to have an asterisk of some sort hanging over their head. 

Stephen Eustáquio is the only true lock to start games next summer, but his club situation is important to monitor, as Porto are on their third manager in just over a year, so he’ll have work to do in a competitive team frustrated after a tough campaign. 

After him, Niko Sigur and Nathan Saliba were the big winners of the summer, with Sigur’s versatility making him a lock for next year, although Saliba seems to be trending towards that. Both face questions at the club level, as Saliba just made a big move to Belgian side Anderlecht, while Sigur continues to be linked with a move to Serie A, but they seem well-equipped for both potential moves. Otherwise, Ismaël Koné will also be looking for more stability at the club level following a turbulent 2024-2025 season, especially after playing just 103 minutes at the Gold Cup, while Mathieu Choinière will hope for a fresh start with Swiss club Grasshopper after a strange debut season in Europe, as he’s been good for Canada. 

Lastly, Jonathan Osorio is someone to watch, as his experience and quality on the ball are an asset, but he’s struggled to find a role in Canada’s double pivot, so his inclusion may depend on squad size, if Canada starts to use a #10 and their overall squad composition. Plus, it’s important to note that this could be a volatile position over the next year - youngsters like Jeevan Badwal and Grady McDonnell could be primed for big breakouts after showing important glimpses at club levels, even if their odds will be long to make next summer’s squad.

Wingers:

Locks: Tajon Buchanan, Ali Ahmed

Frontrunner: Jacob Shaffelburg

On the bubble: Jayden Nelson, Liam Millar, Junior Hoilett, Theo Corbeanu

Some of the best news from this summer is that Tajon Buchanan is back to top form, which is huge for this team after a tough stretch for the winger, form and injury-wise. Now, it appears that he and Ali Ahmed are locks to be Canada’s two wingers next summer, proving to be perfect tactical fits in Marsch’s system. 

Now, the question will be to see who joins them. Jacob Shaffelburg looks sure to be one of those names, as despite his poorly-timed red card vs. Guatemala, he brings a lot of value as a supersub who can also fill in as a starter. After that, though, there are a lot of question marks - Jayden Nelson seems to be a strong candidate after a good stretch for the Vancouver Whitecaps, but he played a lot less than expected at the Gold Cup despite an injury to Ahmed. 

With Liam Millar back after a lengthy major injury, it feels like he’s one to watch, as he carved out a key role under Marsch in his first few months in charge, while Junior Hoilett continues to put in strong performances in Scotland and would bring leadership to the team. Then, elsewhere, Theo Corbeanu has been a bright spot for Toronto FC, which could earn him a long-awaited recall into this team.

Strikers:

Locks: Jonathan David

Frontrunners: Tani Oluwaseyi, Promise David

On the bubble: Cyle Larin, Daniel Jebbison, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Theo Bair

While there are a lot of compelling battles across the roster, as seen above, there’s no doubt that the striker position might be what gives Marsch the biggest headache over the next 12 months.

Granted, he has one easy choice to make, and that’s to keep starting Jonathan David as he continues to thrive at club and country, something he’ll look to continue in 2025-2026 after making a landmark move to Italian giants Juventus, but after him, there are a lot of question marks. 

On paper, Tani Oluwaseyi leads the way, as he’s having an excellent club season for Minnesota United, and fits nicely in Marsch’s system, but he now has just two goals in 15 appearances (six starts) under Marsch. Then, right after him is Promise David, who had a fantastic club season for Union St-Gilloise, and scored twice in just four Canada appearances (one start), but doesn’t fit Marsch’s system as well. Both seem sure to make the squad at this rate, but they could start to enter a fierce battle to earn minutes, provided that Marsch sticks with a two-striker system and doesn’t switch to accommodate his growing group of midfielders. 

Certainly, there are a lot of names who’d love for Marsch to stick with two strikers, which could open the door for him to bring more forwards to next year’s World Cup. Cyle Larin leads the way, as he remains the most experienced name, but he’s scored just once in 20 appearances under Marsch (and has seen his role dwindle in 2025), and faces an uncertain club situation. Yet, the other names still have lots to prove - Daniel Jebbison, for example, hasn’t impressed yet with Canada and has a lack of club minutes under his belt, while Theo Bair has played just 33 minutes under Marsch and had a mixed first club season in France. 

The big name to watch, however, is Jacen Russell-Rowe, as he’s had a quietly strong season in MLS and is still just 22, but he’s played just 11 minutes under Marsch, something that will surely change over the fall. 

Either way, this should remain an open competition, one that sees all of the options listed here (Oluwaseyi, P. David, Larin, Jebbison, Bair and Russell-Rowe) all earn a shake, and it’s always important to remember that strikers can seemingly come out of nowhere - all it’ll take is a couple of good months from a Dieu-Merci Michel, Charles-Andreas Brym, Deandre Kerr, Santiago López, Kwasi Poku or someone of the sorts (one we might not even know yet) for this mix to be shaken up. Because of that, look for some inspired performances at the club level, with the goal of translating that into play for Canada, who are desperate to find another regular goalscorer not named Jonathan David ahead of next summer.