Canada star Alphonso Davies missing first post-World Cup matches for honeymoon

The Canada men’s national soccer team will start its new era without its biggest star.

Jesse Marsch’s side is set for a trio of friendly matches in the September-October international break, but Alphonso Davies isn’t present on the roster.

“Captain Alphonso Davies is currently unavailable for selection due to the celebration of his marriage and honeymoon,” Canada Soccer said in its news release announcing the roster before noting that goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau also missed out because of a personal matter.

Canada is coming off its best-ever World Cup, not only getting its first-ever point in a men’s World Cup but also earning its first win and a first knockout win. The North American squad eventually was eliminated by Morocco in the round of 16.

The first two matches, against Chile in Toronto and against Peru in Montreal, are being billed as “The Homecoming” by the federation, which is hoping fans will flock to see players who became heroes during a World Cup partially hosted in Canada.

Davies is one of the biggest stars on the team, but he was unable to play for most of the World Cup. A hamstring injury suffered in the UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich kept him from taking part in the group stage, and Davies played just 15 minutes of the round of 32 contest with South Africa before again missing out on the round of 16.

Morocco cemented its status as a soccer titan and advanced to a second consecutive World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Canada, who became the first host nation eliminated from the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

Morocco’s midfielder Azzedine Ounahi scores his team’s second goal past Canada’s goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau during the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Canada and Morocco at the Houston Stadium in Houston on July 4, 2026.

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Morocco cemented its status as a soccer titan and advanced to a second consecutive World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Canada, who became the first host nation eliminated from the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

Morocco’s midfielder Azzedine Ounahi scores his team’s second goal past Canada’s goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau during the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Canada and Morocco at the Houston Stadium in Houston on July 4, 2026.

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Azzedine Ounahi of Morocco celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the FIFA 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match between Canada and Morocco. Azzedine Ounahi scored a brace for Morocco with goals in the 50th and 82nd minute and Soufiane Rahimi’s goal in second-half stoppage time squashed Canada’s hopes of prolonging its historic run.

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Azzedine Ounahi of Morocco scores his team’s first goal past Maxime Crepeau of Canada during the 2026 World Cup Round Of 16 match between Canada and Morocco at Houston Stadium on July 4, 2026 in Houston, Texas.

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Players of Morocco celebrate the team’s first goal scored by Azzedine Ounahi (obscured) during the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match between Canada and Morocco at Houston Stadium on July 04, 2026 in Houston, Texas.

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(L-R) Morocco’s defender Noussair Mazraoui, Canada’s midfielder Tajon Buchanan, and Morocco’s defender Redouane Halhal fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Canada and Morocco at the Houston Stadium in Houston on July 4, 2026.

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Canada’s midfielder Tajon Buchanan and Morocco’s midfielder Bilal El Khannouss fight for the ball during the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Canada and Morocco at the Houston Stadium in Houston on July 4, 2026.

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The priority for Marsch was making sure Davies is happy and healthy in November when Canada will play a two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal.

“We wanted him in this camp but he got married shortly after the World Cup. The World Cup was also a lot going on with him dealing with himself physically,” Marsch said in a Zoom call Tuesday, Sept. 15. “Then he got into camp with Bayern. We talked about, does he go on honeymoon for half the camp and come in for us?

“He’s in really good form, playing really well, looking really fit and feeling really good. We just wanted to make sure that in all ways, come November when we need him to be ready for meaningful matches and then going into March and then this whole next cycle that in all ways he’s set himself up to be ready to commit fully and always do what we need from him for the national team.”

While Davies is absent, some familiar faces return for Canada. Midfielder Samuel Piette, a Montreal native whose last Canada appearance came in 2024, and Junior Hoilett, a 36-year-old attacker who missed the final World Cup roster, both are recalled.
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