Canada’s head coach Jesse Marsh acknowledges that his team will need every possible advantage against Morocco in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
This includes figuring out the best way to utilize captain Alphonso Davies, who is currently recovering from injury.
The Bayern Munich left-back played the final 15 minutes of Canada’s 1-0 victory over South Africa in the Round of 16 match. It was his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in early May.
“I think he made a positive impact on the game, and importantly, we saw that South Africa really respected him when he came on,” Marsh said. “So we will consider how to use Alphonso again in this match, whether from the start or off the bench.”
Davies has scored 15 goals for the Canadian national team. However, Marsh is well aware that Morocco represents a completely different challenge. Not only because Morocco currently ranks sixth in the updated (though unofficial) FIFA world rankings, while South Africa is 54th and Canada 30th.
“Preparing for the match against Morocco is like a bloody, terrible nightmare. I don’t even want to watch how they play. They’re just too good,” Marsh added.
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