Davies returns as Canada name 23 for the Guatemala quarter-final: Jonathan David and Buchanan in, Larin injured

Alphonso Davies is back in Canada’s squad for the first time since the World Cup, in a 23-man group Jesse Marsch named on Tuesday 3 November for the Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Guatemala. The first leg is in Guatemala City on Friday 13 November at 9 p.m. ET (03:00 CET on Saturday 14 November), and the second at BMO Field in Toronto on Monday 16 November at 8 p.m. ET (02:00 CET on Tuesday 17 November), according to Canada Soccer.

What is at stake

The winner over the two legs goes to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in March 2027 and qualifies directly for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup; the loser goes into the Gold Cup’s preliminary round, Canada Soccer’s release says. Canada had a bye into the quarter-finals. Guatemala are at this stage for the first time after winning their League A group. “There’s a Nations League Finals place and a Gold Cup spot on the line,” Marsch said in the release. OneSoccer quotes him adding: “We want to take care of business there, then come home to BMO Field and finish the job in front of our fans.” These are Canada’s first competitive matches since the World Cup ended in the round of 16 in July.

The squad, club by club

Canada Soccer lists the 23 as follows. Goalkeepers: Maxime Crépeau (Orlando City), Owen Goodman (Dundee, on loan from Crystal Palace) and Dayne St. Clair (Inter Miami). Defenders: Richard Chukwu (Toronto FC), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Luc de Fougerolles (Real Salt Lake, on loan from Fulham), Jovan Ivanisevic (FK Sarajevo), Richie Laryea (Toronto FC), Ralph Priso (Vancouver Whitecaps), Niko Sigur (Toulouse) and Joel Waterman (Chicago Fire). Midfielders: Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal), Mathieu Choinière (LAFC), Kevin Khan (Feyenoord), Liam Millar (Birmingham City, on loan from Hull City), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Nathan Saliba (Villarreal) and Jacob Shaffelburg (LAFC). Forwards: Jonathan David (Atlético Madrid, on loan from Juventus), Promise David (Brighton, on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise), Daniel Jebbison (Bournemouth), Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal) and Jacen Russell-Rowe (Toulouse).

That is ten MLS players and 13 from Europe, with nine from the leagues this site covers: Davies in the Bundesliga, Jonathan David, Buchanan, Saliba and Oluwaseyi in La Liga, Sigur and Russell-Rowe in Ligue 1, and Promise David and Jebbison in the Premier League.

Who is back and who is missing

MLSsoccer.com reports that Davies’ only World Cup action was a short appearance against South Africa in the round of 32, that Osorio and Crépeau return after missing the September and October window, that Waterman is in for the first time since the World Cup, and that Cyle Larin, the Southampton striker, is unavailable with a hamstring injury picked up in camp. Eight of the ten MLS players were in the World Cup squad, the same report says. Canada Soccer’s release itself names no absences.

Two names readers may look for are not there. Ismaël Koné of Sassuolo and Derek Cornelius of Marseille, both in the leagues this site covers, are not in the 23; neither Canada Soccer nor MLSsoccer.com gives a reason, so this site does not guess at one.

The Europeans’ week before the camp

Davies and Bayern won 2-0 at Atlético Madrid on Tuesday night, and UEFA’s predicted Bayern line-up for that game had him starting; our report of the match is linked below. Jonathan David’s Atlético were the losing side. Buchanan, Saliba and Oluwaseyi’s Villarreal lost 6-0 at home to PSG the same night and are 29th of 36 in the Champions League table. None of the three clubs plays again in Europe before the international break; Bayern go to Mainz on Saturday 7 November at 9:30 a.m. ET (15:30 CET), and Atlético host Barcelona on Sunday 8 November at 3 p.m. ET (21:00 CET), kick-off times taken from the fixture feed used on this site.

Canada’s squad gathers after the weekend’s club games; Marsch’s words about Guatemala City suggest he expects the away leg to be the harder of the two, and the second leg, in Toronto, comes three days later.

Sources

1. CANMNT Squad Named for 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinals Against Guatemala, Canada Soccer. Read 01:00 ET, Nov 4, 2026.
2. Canada roster: 10 MLS players called for Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, MLSsoccer.com. Read 00:58 ET, Nov 4, 2026.
3. CANMNT Squad Named for 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinals vs Guatemala, OneSoccer. Read 00:59 ET, Nov 4, 2026.
4. Champions League starting and predicted line-ups: Matchday 4 team news, injuries, suspensions, UEFA. Read 00:45 ET, Nov 4, 2026.

Plain-text version: davies-returns-as-canada-name-23-for-guatemala-nations-league-quarter-final.md