Toronto FC pair named to Canada's World Cup roster

It's shaping up to be a very special birthday for Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio.   

The veteran midfielder was officially named to Canada's roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday night, giving the veteran midfielder a chance to play for his country on his 34th birthday when Canada will meet Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field on June 12 in its opening group stage match of the tournament.   

TFC teammate Richie Laryea is also included in coach Jesse Marsch's 26-man squad that will face Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 25 at BC Place in Vancouver in Group B action after taking on Bosnia.  

"Both guys have been amazing and are a big part of the success we've had, and they will be a big part of the success we have in the tournament as well," Marsch said.

Other notable names in Canada’s World Cup side include goalkeepers Dayne St. Clair and Maxime Crépeau, midfielders Stephen Eustáquio and Ismaël Koné, wingers Tajon Buchanan and Ali Ahmed, and forwards Jonathan David and Cyle Larin, the two all-time top scorers for the men's side.   

Also included in the roster are fullbacks Alphonso Davies and Alistair Johnston; defenders Moïse Bombito, Derek Cornelius, Alfie Jones and Luc de Fougerolles; winger Jacob Shaffelburg; and forward Promise David, all of whom have dealt with long-term injuries in the buildup to this summer’s World Cup. All of the players on this list haven’t played for Canada this year, most notably Davies, the team’s captain, whose previous appearance was on March 23, 2025.    

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Marsch ended up cutting six players from his 32-man squad that is currently in Charlotte for a pre-World Cup training camp: fullback Zorhan Bassong; centre backs Jamie Knight-Lebel and Ralph Priso; winger Jayden Nelson; and forwards Daniel Jebbison and Jacen Russell-Rowe.   

Bassong, Nelson and Priso will remain with the Canadian team through the upcoming FIFA international window, which sees Canada play Uzbekistan on June 1 in Edmonton at Commonwealth Stadium and the Republic of Ireland on June 5 in Montreal at Stade Saputo.

Other notable players who didn’t make the World Cup squad include goalkeeper James Pantemis, defender Kamal Miller, veteran winger Junior Hoilett, and forward Theo Bair.  

“My way of dealing with this is just being totally transparent and open,” Marsch said.

“A lot of the guys who are cut are younger, and their future with Canada Soccer is more than just this World Cup. They have to use the moment, I think, to motivate them, and also use the feedback to continue to elevate themselves and give themselves a chance in the future.”

Davies is not in Charlotte with Canada at the moment, but he is scheduled to join his teammates in Edmonton on May 31. Marsch previously said he doesn’t expect Davies to be fit for Canada’s opening World Cup contest.   

In total, 13 players who were part of Canada’s 2022 World Cup roster have made this summer's squad. Nations have until 24 hours before their opening match to replace an outfield player due to serious injury or illness, while a goalkeeper who meets that criteria can be replaced at any time during the tournament.

Osorio has nine goals and eight assists in 89 games (57 starts) for Canada since making his international debut in 2013. He played in 17 of the first 21 games that Marsch oversaw since his appointment in May 2024, including appearances in all six matches at the 2024 Copa América.    

The Toronto FC captain ranks second in all-time caps for the men's team, tied with Julian de Guzman (89 caps), and just ahead of Cyle Larin (88), while only behind Atiba Hutchinson (104).   

Osorio has played every minute of all 14 MLS games this season with Toronto, collecting three assists along the way but has yet to score a goal. He’s highly-rated by Marsch, but it’ll be interesting to see how he’s deployed at the World Cup – one would think that he’ll be used off the bench given that fellow central midfielders Eustáquio and Koné have a virtual lock on starting roles.

"Oso, the combination of his form right now for his club – and he's shown that already this week – as a more experienced player, his fitness levels, his commitment to playing the way we want to play, his leadership, his understanding of his role, all of it is seamless in the way that he inserts himself with our group," Marsch said.

Laryea, 31, has one goal and seven assists in 73 caps (60 starts) for Canada since his national team debut in 2019. Marsch thinks a lot of Laryea, too, and the expectation is that he will have a big to play for Canada at the World Cup, possibly as a starter, provided he is fully fit.  

The TFC fullback suffered a thigh injury in an April 22 home game against the Philadelphia Union and has been sidelined ever since, sitting out all five of the club’s subsequent games — four in MLS and one in the Canadian Championship. Laryea has two goals and a pair of assists in nine MLS appearances for Toronto this season.  

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"Richie is looking really good. He's been in training the last few days, looking really strong. … We're right on schedule with Richie. We expect him to play minutes against Uzbekistan, and we expect him to be a major player in this tournament for us, like he has been over the last two plus years," Marsch said.

This will be the second consecutive World Cup for Osorio and Laryea as they both played in all three matches for Canada during the 2022 tournament. Osorio recorded 121 total minutes in Qatar, appearing as a substitute against Belgium and Croatia before starting against Morocco in the group stage finale. Laryea logged 162 total minutes with starts against Belgium and Croatia before coming off the bench vs. Morocco.

Canada is No. 30 in the current FIFA world rankings, behind Switzerland (No. 19), but well ahead of Qatar (No. 55) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (No. 65).  

The top two sides from each of the 12 opening round groups, as well as the eight-best third-place nations, advance to the round of 32. Realistically, Canada would probably need three of four points to move on to the knockout round, which means recording at least one win. 

The Canadian men's team is getting set to compete at the World Cup for a third time after making its debut in 1986 in Mexico and qualifying again in 2022 in Qatar. Canada has lost all six of its previous World Cup games and scored its only goal in the tournament via Davies in a 4-1 loss to Croatia in 2022 – the Canadians also benefitted from an own-goal in a 2-1 defeat to Morocco in Qatar. 

CANADA'S WORLD CUP ROSTER 

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crépeau (Orlando City SC), Owen Goodman (Crystal Palace) and Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami).   

Defenders: Moïse Bombito (OGC Nice), Derek Cornelius (Olympique de Marseille), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Luc de Fougerolles (Fulham), Alistair Johnston (Celtic FC), Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough), Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Niko Sigur (Hadjuk Split) and Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire).   

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed (Norwich City), Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal CF), Mathieu Choinière (LAFC), Stephen Eustáquio (FC Porto), Marcelo Flores (Tigres UANL), Ismaël Koné (U.S. Sassuolo Calcio), Liam Millar (Hull City FC), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Nathan Saliba (R.S.C. Anderlecht) and Jacob Shaffelburg (LAFC).   

Forwards: Jonathan David (Juventus), Promise David (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), Cyle Larin (RCD Mallorca), and Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal CF).