SQUAD BATTLES: How is the CanMNT’s World Cup squad shaping up after final game of 2025?

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The CanMNT’s 2025 schedule came to an end this week, as they defeated Venezuela 2-0 in their 14th and final game of the year. 

Now, the next time they take the pitch, it’ll be a World Cup year, as they’ll begin the sprint towards the start of the 2026 World Cup, which will kick off for them on June 12th at BMO Field. 

After a busy fall, one where they played six games in a span of just over two months, things are starting to come into focus for this Canadian team, especially in terms of next summer’s roster. 

A lot has changed in recent months, as the arrival of new recruits, key injuries, and breakout performances has given plenty for head coach Jesse Marsch to ponder as he continues to evaluate his squad. 

Having now helmed this team through 27 games, in which he’s established a clear identity, a big eight months lie ahead for Marsch, who will now look to helm this team to new territory as they chase a deep run next summer - although look for them to get their first World Cup win before dreaming that big. 

Back up one spot to 2️⃣7️⃣ in FIFA’s latest Men’s world rankings update!#CANMNT pic.twitter.com/2Aecdxe3rP

— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) November 19, 2025

With that in mind, here’s a look at how the CanMNT’s depth chart is stacking up after this November window, to give an idea of where the key roster battles are ahead of the beginning of 2026. 

Having last updated this depth chart in September, this should give an idea of who is rising and who is falling after a busy stretch of games. 

*Changes to the depth chart will be noted in BOLD*

Goalkeeper

Locks: Dayne St. Clair, Maxime Crépeau

Frontrunner: Owen Goodman

On the bubble: Tom McGill, Jayden Hibbert, James Pantemis, Jonathan Sirois, Grégoire Świderski, Luka Gavran

Surprisingly, the last few months have yielded a decent amount of change at this position, although Marsch is likely yet to get the clarity he’d like in terms of the big decision he has to make in goal - who will start for this Canadian team on June 12th? 

At the same time, it feels like the last few months have shown that while the battle remains open between Dayne St. Clair and Maxime Crépeau, St. Clair has taken a slight edge, as shown by the fact that he was trusted to earn starts vs. Wales, Colombia, and Ecuador, keeping clean sheets in each match. Along with his excellent club form, as he was named MLS’s Goalkeeper of the Year, it feels like if Marsch had to pick someone right now, he’d go with St. Clair. 

Yet, that doesn’t rule out Crépeau, who conceded just one goal in his last three Canada games, coming against Romania, Australia and Venezuela. Yes, his club form has been a concern, given that he’s lost his starting spot on the Portland Timbers to fellow Canadian James Pantemis, but now that he is a free agent, he can get a fresh start with a new club, one where he can show the level of play he showed when he was one of the best goalkeepers in MLS (and the level he continues to show for Canada, too, no matter the form he’s in). 

Otherwise, the battle for the third goalkeeper remains wide-open, although it feels like the surprise commitment of Owen Goodman, who Marsch had previously thought to be ineligible, is a big game-changer, as he certainly has the highest ceiling of any other goalkeeper. Certainly, Jayden Hibbert is also another high-potential option who grew a lot in 2025, while Marsch likes Tom McGill, but Goodman has to be the favourite right now, especially if he has a strong rest of 2025-2026 for Huddersfield Town.

Centre-back:

Locks: Moïse Bombito, Derek Cornelius, Luc De Fougerolles, Alfie Jones

Frontrunner: Joel Waterman

On the bubble: Kamal Miller, Jamie Knight-Lebel

A lot has changed since the last depth chart, as Alfie Jones, who wasn’t even on the radar, has quickly gone from an unknown dual national to a likely lock for next summer. 

Yes, it feels soon to put someone who has made just one appearance as a lock, but given the way Marsch pushed to bring Jones into this squad, even as the uncertainty of securing his citizenship hung over his head, it says a lot. So does the fact that he immediately thrust him into a starting role vs. Venezuela once he was sworn in as a Canadian citizen, putting him ahead of Joel Waterman and Kamal Miller, who had just come off of strong performances against Ecuador - all of that suggests Jones has quickly vaulted up the depth chart. 

Otherwise, not much has changed at this position - Moïse Bombito, Derek Cornelius and Luc De Fougerolles are all locks despite injury woes, and should be back to their best by next summer (although you have to wonder if those injury woes are a big reason why Jones has been fast-tracked into a bigger role, especially with Bombito’s long-term absence due to a leg fracture). 

Now, the thing to watch will be to see if Marsch brings in a fifth centre back on the World Cup squad, which is likely, given this team’s injury woes at the back. At the moment, Waterman continues to lead that battle, although Miller has done well to pull himself back into contention over the last few months.

Full-back:

Locks: Alphonso Davies, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston, Niko Sigur

Frontrunner: N/A

On the bubble: Zorhan Bassong, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Sam Adekugbe

With the ongoing long-term injuries to Alphonso Davies and Alistair Johnston, not much has changed at full-back - Richie Laryea and Niko Sigur have continued to be outstanding in their place, and are opening up some uncomfortable discussions about where Davies and Johnston might fit in when healthy. 

Davies looks set to return from his ACL tear with Bayern Munich before the end of 2025, so he’ll be back in the starting XI sooner rather than later, but it remains to be seen whether that’s at left back or elsewhere. Given that he’s almost exclusively played as a left back under Marsch, doing quite well in that position, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him return there, but there is always the temptation to push him up to the wing, especially with how good Laryea has been at left back and Sigur at right back. 

At the same time, Johnston’s injury woes have opened up some other questions. Having just had surgery on his hamstring, it remains to be seen how long his recovery period is - some hamstring surgeries can sideline players for two months, and others for up to five months. 

If his recovery is quite quick, Johnston will have plenty of time to return and battle Sigur and Laryea for a spot at right back - if not, it feels likely that spot will go to Laryea if Davies is at left back, or Sigur if Laryea stays at left back with Davies playing higher up the pitch. 

Otherwise, Zorhan Bassong and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty will wait in the wings to see if they can nab a spot, but their odds appear long at the moment, while Sam Adekugbe will hope he can return to health after an Achilles tear to make a push for a spot in the spring.

Midfield:

Locks: Stephen Eustáquio, Ismaël Koné, Nathan Saliba, Mathieu Choinière

Frontrunner: N/A

On the bubble: Jonathan Osorio, Ralph Priso

In midfield, it’s business as usual, as Stephen Eustáquio and Ismaël Koné have affirmed their status as Marsch’s preferred pair in his double-pivot over the past few months, while Nathan Saliba and Mathieu Choinière have proven to be the more than capable understudies who can slot in if needed. 

Along with the option to use Niko Sigur at this position, especially once all of the full backs get healthy, this group is pretty settled heading into next summer. 

Because of that, there isn’t much to watch here, other than to see if Marsch is tempted by a switch from his preferred 4-2-2-2 with two midfielders to a similar 4-2-3-1 with three midfielders to fit Saliba, Choinière or Sigur in a starting role. It’s a bold suggestion, given March’s preference to ride with two strikers, but with Canada’s ongoing goalscoring struggles, and the continued excellent play of Saliba, Choinière and Sigur, the temptation will be there for Marsch to at least try out that option and see what it does for this team - perhaps, a switch to a 4-2-3-1 with Jonathan David up front could be what David needs to re-find his form for Canada again, for example. 

Elsewhere, it remains to be seen whether or not Jonathan Osorio will be in this World Cup squad, as he’s fallen behind in the pecking order, but he remains a trusted veteran who will be ready if called upon. Otherwise, one has to wonder if Ralph Priso earns an audition soon, as he’s continued to be excellent for the Vancouver Whitecaps - and we know Marsch’s been a fan of the way the Whitecaps have played this year. 

Perhaps, Priso’s best opportunity could be at the January camp Marsch continues to hint at - and the same goes for other players in MLS who haven’t been mentioned in this piece, such as Luca Petrasso or Theo Corbeanu.

Wingers:

Locks: Tajon Buchanan, Ali Ahmed, Liam Millar

Frontrunner: N/A

On the bubble: Jacob Shaffelburg, Jayden Nelson, Junior Hoilett, Marcelo Flores

While they ended the year on a quiet note, Tajon Buchanan and Ali Ahmed remain locks to be in next year’s World Cup squad, with Buchanan remaining as a certain starter, and Ahmed a strong candidate to also be in the XI on June 12th. 

Otherwise, though, it feels like the big winner of the last few months was Liam Millar, who was excellent in the October window and looked great for Hull City after coming back from an ACL tear. Because of that, it felt like he’s established himself as a lock for next summer, although his health remains a concern, as he then missed the November window with a hamstring injury. 

Now, the race to watch will be that battle for the other winger spots. Jacob Shaffelburg remains well-liked by Marsch, but has had a quiet 2025, while Jayden Nelson has continued to be a quiet but steady presence in CanMNT squads - will there be room for both next summer? Then, how about Junior Hoilett, who continues to look good whenever he plays for Canada? And all of a sudden, there’s the possibility that Marcelo Flores files a switch after participating in the November camp as a training player, which would further muddy the waters. 

Because of that, it’ll be fascinating to see what ends up happening at this position over the next few months, as there are a lot of players vying for just a few spots - and that’s without considering the possibility of Davies also ending up on the wing, too.

Strikers:

Locks: Jonathan David, Tani Oluwaseyi

Frontrunner: Promise David, Cyle Larin

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

Despite the ongoing struggles of Jonathan David, who scored just once in the last six games of 2025 after scoring five goals in the first eight, he remains the key piece for this team up front - although the one big change of the last few months is that Tani Oluwaseyi is the frontrunner to start alongside him next summer, presuming that Canada continues to roll with their 4-2-2-2. 

Granted, that’s not surprising given Oluwaseyi’s breakout with Minnesota United, which led to a move to La Liga side Villarreal CF, especially when seeing how well he fits the demands placed on a striker in a Marsch system. Because of that, it’s now clear that Oluwaseyi is a lock on the squad, as he’ll be a key player as a starter or off the bench, no matter what. 

Elsewhere, though, Promise David is the fascinating name to watch right now, as he continues to score goals whenever he earns minutes, and for a Canadian team struggling to score, it’s becoming tempting to give him a bigger role - even if he doesn’t fit the system as well as Oluwaseyi. 

Otherwise, Cyle Larin seems likely to remain in the mix for the World Cup squad despite his ongoing struggles at the club level, although it’s been interesting to see his role with the CanMNT diminish significantly in 2025 after playing big minutes in 2024. At this stage, it feels like the battle for a starting role alongside Jonathan David is between Oluwaseyi and Promise David (should Marsch avoid the temptation to play Jonathan David as a lone striker) - Larin’s likely role next summer appears to be as a super sub. 

Elsewhere, it remains to be seen whether or not Canada brings a fifth striker to the World Cup, but the race there is quite fascinating, as Theo Bair and Daniel Jebbison appear to be the favourites, with Bair having staked out a surprise edge after a great start to 2025-2026 with new club Lausanne-Sport. Of course, there’s a world where both get in ahead of Larin, but it feels like the battle is between Bair and Jebbison, for now. 

Lastly, don’t forget Jacen Russell-Rowe, despite limited involvement with the CanMNT lately, especially after he finished the year strongly for the Columbus Crew - his fortunes could change drastically if he makes a big move this winter, which could happen with his contract expiring (although the Crew have an option for 2026), as there have been past rumours about such a move.