Canada wins opening leg against Guatemala but loses captain Davies to injury

GUATEMALA CITY — Canada defeated Guatemala 3-2 in the opening leg of a CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal on Friday night but lost captain Alphonso Davies to injury.

Tani Oluwaseyi (18th minute), Liam Millar (28th) and Jonathan David (stoppage time) scored in the first half for Canada, which took a 3-0 lead into the halftime break.

Oscar Santis put Guatemala on the board in the 54th minute at Estadio El Trebol. An own goal by Canadian defender Luc de Fougerolles in stoppage time made it a one-goal game.

The teams will play the second leg on Monday night at Toronto’s BMO Field.

Davies went down in the fifth minute after he slipped inside Canada’s 18-yard box. He got up and tried to block a shot before signalling to the bench that he needed to come off.

It was unclear whether he suffered an upper-body or lower-body injury on the play.

The Bayern Munich star, who missed most of the FIFA World Cup earlier this year with a hamstring injury, wasn’t limping as he walked to the sideline without assistance.

A message left with Canada Soccer wasn’t immediately returned.

Head coach Jesse Marsch, who left the bench in the 64th minute after being shown a red card, was scheduled to hold a media availability later Friday night.

Davies missed Canada’s fall friendlies against Chile in Toronto, Peru in Montreal and the United States in Minnesota while on his honeymoon.

Marsch said Davies was at 100 per cent in training this week. Davies has made 15 appearances for Bayern Munich this season, recording three goals and three assists.

He joins a long injury list for the Canadian side.

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 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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2026.

The Canadian Press