Canada coach Marsch says Davies back at full strength for Nations League quarterfinal

CANCÚN — Alphonso Davies is back to his best, and Canada coach Jesse Marsch likes what he sees.

The Canadian captain returned to national team training Tuesday in Cancun ahead of a CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal series against Guatemala, which opens Friday in Guatemala before shifting to Toronto’s BMO Field on Monday.

Davies, 26, played limited minutes in just one game at this summer’s World Cup while recovering from a hamstring injury. Despite being largely without its biggest star, Canada reached the round of 16 for the first time before falling 3-0 to Morocco in Houston.

The Bayern Munich star then missed Canada’s fall friendlies against Chile in Toronto, Peru in Montreal and the United States in Minnesota while on his honeymoon.

But Marsch says Davies hasn’t missed a beat.

“You can see that his quality is very high,” Marsch said Tuesday. “He’s feeling very confident and … he’s very sharp, and he’s at 100 per cent.”

“What a great boost for us as a team. So he’s looked really sharp, really sharp.”

Davies has made 15 appearances for Bayern Munich this season, recording three goals and three assists.

His return is a welcome boost for a Canadian squad dealing with a growing injury list ahead of the two-legged series.

Midfielders Jonathan Osorio and Jacob Shaffelburg were ruled out this week, joining sidelined regulars Stephen Eustáquio, Cyle Larin, Derek Cornelius, Alfie Jones and Alistair Johnston.

The absences have forced Marsch to lean on younger and less experienced players.

“Look, we have a lot of injuries. That’s been the case for a while, but what’s always been the case is it doesn’t matter who’s not here. It’s all about who’s here,” Marsch said. “We brought in some younger players that have some new experiences here with the national team. But I think this is part of the development process.”

The winner of the Canada-Guatemala series advances to the CONCACAF Nations League Finals in Los Angeles in March 2027 and qualifies for the 2027 Gold Cup.

The loser will be forced into the Gold Cup preliminary round.

Marsch says his players are embracing the expectations that come with Canada’s recent success.

“They love high expectations. They love trying to challenge themselves every day to be better,” he said.

“If you watch the environment of training, you can see that the group is hungry to always improve, to push each other, to get better, to improve.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press