Manager John Herdman has steered Canada to its first men’s World Cup since 1986, and only the nation’s second-ever men’s World Cup appearance.
Now, with history made, it’s time to get down to business. The 26-man roster will be decided in short order, with the selected players tasked with shocking the world in Qatar.
Those rosters need to be locked down by Monday, November 14 at the very latest. The expanded 55-man “release list” was submitted roughly a month beforehand with a deadline of Friday, October 21. The names on the 26-man list will come from the 55-man preliminary squad.
The November 11 friendly against Bahrain will be the final chance for players on the bubble to make their case to Herdman before he selects the final 26-man squad. Their World Cup Group F opener comes against No. 2-ranked Belgium.
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Canada World Cup roster for Qatar 2022
Herdman will have 26 selections available to him, as rosters were expanded slightly from the customary 23 players. But given the smaller pool of players used by Herdman over recent months, his core group is tight-knit, leaving him with far fewer major choices heading to Qatar.
Canada announced a roster on November 2, which features 21 players who will be available for selection in the pre-World Cup friendly against Bahrain on November 11. This roster includes players who have either completed their North American domestic season, or have been made available early by their clubs.
Based on that 21-man friendly roster and previous Canada call-ups, here is a prediction for the full World Cup preliminary roster John Herdman would have submitted to FIFA on Friday, October 21 for final consideration.
Projected preliminary Canada roster (maximum 55 players)
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps | 2022 World Cup Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Milan Borjan | Red Star Belgrade (SRB) | 34 | 65 | 10 |
| GK | Maxime Crepeau | LAFC (USA) | 28 | 15 | 4 |
| GK | Jayson Leutwiler | Oldham Athletic (ENG) | 33 | 3 | 0 |
| GK | James Pantemis | CF Montreal (CAN) | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| GK | Dayne St. Clair | Minnesota United (USA) | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| DEF | Sam Adekugbe | Hatayspor (TUR) | 27 | 27 | 12 |
| DEF | Zachary Brault-Guillard | CF Montreal (CAN) | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| DEF | Derek Cornelius | Panetolikos (GRE) | 24 | 14 | 1 |
| DEF | Raheem Edwards | LA Galaxy (USA) | 27 | 4 | 0 |
| DEF | Cristian Gutierrez | Vancouver Whitecaps (CAN) | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| DEF | Doneil Henry | Toronto FC (CAN) | 29 | 42 | 5 |
| DEF | Alistair Johnston | CF Montreal (CAN) | 24 | 24 | 14 |
| DEF | Scott Kennedy | Jahn Regensburg (GER) | 25 | 8 | 5 |
| DEF | Richie Laryea | Toronto FC (CAN) | 27 | 28 | 13 |
| DEF | Lukas MacNaughton | Toronto FC (CAN) | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| DEF | Kamal Miller | CF Montreal (CAN) | 25 | 23 | 12 |
| DEF | Frank Sturing | SV Horn (AUS) | 25 | 2 | 0 |
| DEF | Steven Vitoria | GD Chaves (POR) | 35 | 30 | 8 |
| DEF | Joel Waterman | CF Montreal (CAN) | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| MID | Mathieu Choiniere | CF Montreal (CAN) | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| MID | Stephen Eustaquio | FC Porto (POR) | 25 | 22 | 12 |
| MID | Liam Fraser | KMSK Deinze (BEL) | 24 | 14 | 5 |
| MID | Junior Hoilett | Reading FC (ENG) | 32 | 45 | 9 |
| MID | Atiba Hutchinson | Besiktas (TUR) | 39 | 97 | 10 |
| MID | Mark-Anthony Kaye | Toronto FC (CAN) | 27 | 34 | 10 |
| MID | Ismael Kone | CF Montreal (CAN) | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| MID | Jonathan Osorio | Toronto FC (CAN) | 30 | 55 | 13 |
| MID | Samuel Piette | CF Montreal (CAN) | 27 | 61 | 4 |
| MID | David Wotherspoon | St. Johnstone (SCO) | 32 | 10 | 3 |
| FWD | Ayo Akinola | Toronto FC (CAN) | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| FWD | Charles-Andreas Brym | FC Eindhoven (NED) | 24 | 6 | 3 |
| FWD | Tajon Buchanan | Club Brugge (BEL) | 23 | 22 | 13 |
| FWD | Lucas Cavallini | Vancouver Whitecaps (CAN) | 29 | 31 | 5 |
| FWD | Theo Corbeanu | Blackpool (ENG) | 20 | 6 | 0 |
| FWD | Jonathan David | LOSC Lille (FRA) | 22 | 30 | 14 |
| FWD | Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich (GER) | 21 | 32 | 7 |
| FWD | Luca Koleosho | Espanyol (SPA) | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| FWD | Cyle Larin | Club Brugge (BEL) | 27 | 50 | 10 |
| FWD | Liam Millar | FC Basel (SWZ) | 23 | 15 | 4 |
| FWD | Jayden Nelson | Toronto FC (CAN) | 20 | 3 | 0 |
| FWD | Jacob Shaffelburg | Nashville SC (USA) | 22 | 3 | 2 |
| FWD | Ike Ugbo | Troyes (FRA) | 24 | 8 | 4 |
Predicted 26-man Canada roster for 2022 World Cup
The biggest absence will be that of defender Scott Kennedy, who suffered a shoulder injury on October 29 and will not be available for the tournament, head coach John Herdman confirmed.
But in potentially even worse news for Canada, Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies picked up a hamstring injury on November 5 and is now also in doubt for the World Cup.
After the Bahrain test on November 11, Les Rouges will take on Japan in a pre-World Cup friendly on November 17 featuring the final squad before heading to Qatar for the tournament itself.
Below is a projection for Canada’s final 26-man World Cup squad. Herdman admitted “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist” to figure out who the key players for Canada will be, and there will be few surprises expected on the final roster.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps | 2022 World Cup Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Milan Borjan | Red Star Belgrade (SRB) | 34 | 65 | 10 |
| GK | Maxime Crepeau | LAFC (USA) | 28 | 15 | 4 |
| GK | Dayne St. Clair | Minnesota United (USA) | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| DEF | Sam Adekugbe | Hatayspor (TUR) | 27 | 27 | 12 |
| DEF | Derek Cornelius | Panetolikos (GRE) | 24 | 14 | 1 |
| DEF | Doneil Henry | Toronto FC (CAN) | 29 | 42 | 5 |
| DEF | Alistair Johnston | CF Montreal (CAN) | 24 | 24 | 14 |
| DEF | Scott Kennedy | SSV Jahn Regensburg (GER) | 25 | 8 | 5 |
| DEF | Richie Laryea | Toronto FC (CAN) | 27 | 28 | 13 |
| DEF | Kamal Miller | CF Montreal (CAN) | 25 | 23 | 12 |
| DEF | Steven Vitoria | GD Chaves (POR) | 35 | 30 | 8 |
| MID | Stephen Eustaquio | FC Porto (POR) | 25 | 22 | 12 |
| MID | Liam Fraser | KMSK Deinze (BEL) | 24 | 14 | 5 |
| MID | Junior Hoilett | Reading FC (ENG) | 32 | 45 | 9 |
| MID | Atiba Hutchinson | Besiktas (TUR) | 39 | 97 | 10 |
| MID | Mark-Anthony Kaye | Toronto FC (CAN) | 27 | 34 | 10 |
| MID | Jonathan Osorio | Toronto FC (CAN) | 30 | 55 | 13 |
| MID | Samuel Piette | CF Montreal (CAN) | 27 | 61 | 4 |
| MID | David Wotherspoon | St. Johnstone (SCO) | 32 | 10 | 3 |
| FWD | Tajon Buchanan | Club Brugge (BEL) | 23 | 22 | 13 |
| FWD | Lucas Cavallini | Vancouver Whitecaps (CAN) | 29 | 31 | 5 |
| FWD | Jonathan David | LOSC Lille (FRA) | 22 | 30 | 14 |
| FWD | Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich (GER) | 21 | 32 | 7 |
| FWD | Cyle Larin | Club Brugge (BEL) | 27 | 50 | 10 |
| FWD | Liam Millar | FC Basel (SWZ) | 23 | 15 | 4 |
| FWD | Ike Ugbo | Troyes (FRA) | 24 | 8 | 4 |
Canada stars, strengths, and weaknesses at 2022 World Cup
Canada stars
The two unquestioned stars of the Canadian national team are Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, who have taken this team from CONCACAF region hopeful to World Cup competitor.
Davies plays left-back at his club Bayern Munich, but he is often deployed in a more advanced role for the national team, either at wing-back alongside a back-three or as an out-and-out winger. Still, he can play left-back when needed, providing some defensive acumen along with his world-class attacking play from wide areas.
David, meanwhile, is one of the hottest young attacking stars in Europe and looks set to be a wanted man once the season is up. Born in Brooklyn, NY to Haitian parents, David emigrated to Canada as a six-year-old and has represented Canada since his youth days. Now banging in goals at Lille, he’s developed a seamless strike partnership with Cyle Larin at the national team level that is likely to see him earn a big-money move in the near future.
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Canada strengths
There are a surprising number of strengths for a Pot 4 team at the World Cup that should give other Group F participants pause.
The goalkeeping position is bursting at the seams, with regular starter Milan Borjan plus backups Maxime Crepeau and Dayne St. Clair all in fine club form.
The midfield is also incredibly deep. Porto’s Stephen Eustaquio is a must-start when healthy, and 37-year-old Atiba Hutchinson, who can also fill in at center-back, will provide leadership if he can recover from a recent knock.
Samuel Piette will sometimes start alongside Eustaquio, with Mark-Anthony Kaye as backup to either in the pivot. Jonathan Osorio and Junior Hoilett can occupy a more advanced position as a link to the attackers when the formation calls for it, although Osorio could be limited by a recent injury.
As a result of that depth, this team is exceptionally flexible tactically. They are capable of playing a three-center-back formation with Alistair Johnston moving centrally, which allows wing-backs Alphonso Davies and Richie Laryea to bomb forward. Or, they can line up in a more traditional formation that sees Davies move higher up the pitch and slots the dangerous Sam Adekugbe in at left-back. The team is capable in both setups, something that should keep opponents guessing.
Lastly, this team has an enviable togetherness. Herdman has done incredibly well to foster a dressing room culture that has the team playing for each other on the pitch and enjoying life in the national team off it.
Canada weaknesses
The biggest weakness for this team is experience. With Canada reaching the nation’s first World Cup since the 1980’s, there is nobody on this roster that has been to a major FIFA international tournament before.
Additionally, most of the players are pieced together from either North American sides or smaller European clubs. There are only three players on the projected roster playing in a Big Five European league, and only a handful with Champions League experience.
As a result, this team knows it must play not just as a collection of talented players, but as a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. John Herdman holds this team together, and their performance at the World Cup will depend largely on maintaining that squad buy-in.
Canada starting lineup at the FIFA World Cup
There are actually two possible starting lineups that Herdman can select from, having fostered exceptional tactical flexibility from his group. He has deployed a 3-5-2 on occasion, with Alistair Johnston sliding over as a third center-back, while also using a more traditional 4-2-3-1 to fit all his attackers in the same lineup.
Both will be covered here, as there are slightly different personnel used in each, and both will almost surely appear at various points during the 2022 World Cup.
Herdman also used a 4-4-2 occasionally through World Cup qualifying, but has dumped that recently in favor of the 4-2-3-1.
Predicted Canada starting XI (3-5-2)
Predicted Canada starting XI (4-2-3-1)
Projected Canada World Cup roster cuts
While Canada are a strong team, the nation is still building a base of top-class football players, and therefore the established player pool is considerably thinner than some other teams.
With that in mind, Herdman has made it pretty obvious which players are the ones fighting for a spot on the 2022 World Cup roster. That leaves very few tough decisions for Herdman to make when it comes to selecting players to represent the CONCACAF side.
As mentioned, Herdman could drop one of the backup defenders in favor of a younger player like midfielder Ismael Kone or forward Luca Koleosho. Kone has another way into the squad if David Wotherspoon and Jonathan Osorio can’t regain full match fitness in time.
Fellow central defender Derek Cornelius is the other potential candidate should a cut be needed to make room. Atiba Hutchinson’s ability to step in along the backline could ultimately influence this decision.
It’s likely to be either Ike Ugbo or Theo Corbeanu earning a ticket to Qatar as a third-string forward. It’s hard to see a scenario in which both are called up.
The other players on the list of most likely to be cut either haven’t been called up all that often or have not seen much time when called up.
Projected final Canada roster cuts
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps | 2022 World Cup Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Jayson Leutwiler | Oldham Athletic (ENG) | 33 | 3 | 0 |
| GK | James Pantemis | CF Montreal (CAN) | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| DEF | Zachary Brault-Guillard | CF Montreal (CAN) | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| DEF | Cristian Gutierrez | Vancouver Whitecaps (CAN) | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| DEF | Frank Sturing | SV Horn (AUS) | 25 | 2 | 0 |
| DEF | Joel Waterman | CF Montreal (CAN) | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| MID | Raheem Edwards | LA Galaxy (USA) | 27 | 4 | 0 |
| MID | Ismael Kone | CF Montreal (CAN) | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| MID | Harry Paton | Unattached | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| FWD | Ayo Akinola | Toronto FC (CAN) | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| FWD | Charles-Andreas Brym | FC Eindhoven (NED) | 24 | 7 | 3 |
| FWD | Theo Corbeanu | Blackpool (ENG) | 20 | 7 | 0 |
| FWD | Luca Koleosho | Espanyol (SPA) | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| FWD | Jayden Nelson | Toronto FC (CAN) | 20 | 3 | 0 |
| FWD | Tyler Pasher | Unattached | 28 | 2 | 0 |
