Canada's quest for Nations League hardware continues as Davies rejoins fold

The Canadian men’s team’s quest for its first trophy under coach Jesse Marsch continues this month as it battles for a spot at the 2027 Concacaf Nations League Finals.

Canada opens its two-legged qualifying series against Guatemala at Estadio Manuel Felipe Carrera in Guatemala City on Nov. 13 before hosting the return match at Toronto’s BMO Field on Nov. 16. 

The winner advances to the Concacaf Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in March 2027 and also qualifies directly for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup. The loser will participate in the preliminary round of the Gold Cup qualifiers.  

Canada is No. 27 in the current FIFA rankings, well ahead of No. 95 Guatemala, but the Central American nation came out on top when the two sides previously met at the 2025 Gold Cup, earning an upset penalty shootout win over Canada in the quarter-finals in Minneapolis.   

Here are four Canadian storylines to keep an eye on during this upcoming series vs. Guatemala.

The return of Alphonso Davies

Alphonso Davies is back for Canada and ready to make up for lost time.

Davies, 26, played just one match at this summer's World Cup while recovering from a hamstring injury. He then missed the September-October international window — which included friendlies vs. Chile in Toronto and Peru in Montreal — so he could go on his honeymoon.

But the Canadian captain appears to have put his injury woes behind him for the time being, as he's featured in 15 matches for German club Bayern Munich this season, scoring three goals and tallying three assists. He’s been used by Bayern more as a wingback rather than in his usual fullback position in the Bundesliga, so it’ll be interesting to see if Jesse Marsch follows suit in these two games.

“Obviously, we’re continuing to miss certain guys because of injuries, but I think the big news at camp is that Alphonso Davies is back. He looks like he’s in top form. He’s super excited to be here, so that part I think has everybody really energized," Marsch said.

“Alphonso looks amazing; he looks fresh, he looks sharp, he looks fit, he looks clean, ready to go. He’s motivated, he’s excited to be here, and I think everybody is seeing that. His presence in the group, no matter any time, is a big factor in the confidence I think that the team feels. But certainly when we can have him on the pitch and performing like he is, that only motivates and pushes every guy to be at his best.

Tajon Buchanan looking for his first goal since last summer

When winger Tajon Buchanan is at his best, he’s a dynamic player and one of Canada’s most dangerous attacking options. But consistency has been an issue for the 27-year-old from Brampton, Ont., in part because of injury problems over the years.

Buchanan impressed with seven goals for Villarreal in 2025-26, his first full season in Spain’s La Liga. Goals have been harder to come by for Canada, though. The last of his seven goals for his country came at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, and he was limited to just a single assist in five starts during this past summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Marsch still has a lot of trust in Buchanan, who combines pace, on-field intelligence and a fearlessness in taking on opposing defenders. And he doesn’t want the Canadian speedster to change how he plays, but rather to focus on his strengths and what he does best.

“[The] reinforcement I give him is to continue to be intensive and to continue to be confident and be aggressive; and when he's on the ball, to go after opponents, when he's around the goal. To be aggressive in his one-v-one situations, to be aggressive, to score goals, to get assists, and he plays a lot because he understands our tactics. He understands the flexibility of what we ask of him. He plays with intensity. He plays with confidence,” Marsch said.

“He's a big key for us. … For this team to be at its best, I feel like Tajon needs to be at his best.”

How will Canada deal with a rash of injuries? 

Several members of this summer’s World Cup roster won’t be available to Canada for these two matches vs. Guatemala.

Midfielders Ali Ahmed and Ismaël Koné, and defenders Alistair Johnston, Derek Cornelius, Moïse Bombito and Alfie Jones remain sidelined with long-term injuries. Influential midfielder Stephen Eustáquio and striker Cyle Larin (the team’s second leading all-time scorer) are also out. 

Jonathan Osorio and Jacob Shaffelburg were originally named to the squad, but were replaced after sustaining injuries at their clubs.

That’s a lot of regular starters and important players missing for Jesse Marsch, who will have to turn to his bench and rely on some of his depth pieces.

Two defenders who could stand to benefit are Richard Chukwu, 18, and Jovan Ivanišević, 21. Both impressed in their senior team debuts for Canada in the previous international window when they each made two appearances.

Forward Jacen Russell-Rowe, 24, has two goals in seven appearances for French club Toulouse FC this season, and could be among the candidates to fill in for the injured Larin. Russell-Rowe has one goal in 11 appearances for Canada. 

And keep an eye out for 18-year-old midfielder Kevin Khan, who might come off the bench to earn his first cap during his first national team call-up. Khan plays for the under-21 team of Dutch club Feyenoord.

“He's a combination of [a] technically gifted, athletically gifted, intelligent player that understands how to play in the middle of the pitch, whether it's as a six or eight, and I think that he has a lot of incredible starting points that can tend toward him developing and adapting quickly to what we want," Marsch said of Kahn.

Can Theo Corbeanu stake a claim for himself? 

The injuries Osorio and Shaffelburg suffered for their MLS teams last week paved the way for Toronto FC winger Theo Corbeanu, fullback Zorhan Bassong (Sporting Kansas City) and forward Charles Andreas Brym (NAC Breda) to be called into the squad this week as injury replacements.

Corbeanu, 24, is the youngest of the three newcomers and the least experienced (seven caps). But the native of Hamilton, Ont., might have the best chance at getting some playing time against Guatemala.

Corbeanu was also called in as an injury replacement last month but didn't play in Canada's 1-0 loss to the United States in St. Paul, Minnesota. That was his first call-up under Jesse Marsch since his appointment in 2024. The TFC winger's previous appearance for Canada was on Sept. 22, 2022, in a friendly vs. Uruguay when he was subbed on for the final 11 minutes of regulation. 

He missed the first 13 matches of the 2026 MLS campaign after undergoing off-season knee surgery before finally making his season debut on May 23. The Canadian winger finished the season with three goals and six assists in 21 appearances (15 starts). 

Corbeanu will no doubt be hoping for an opportunity to feature in these matches vs. Guatemala in order to boost his chances for more call-ups and regain a foothold in the senior national team setup after being ignored for the past four years. 

"[With] the quality he has in one-v-one situations, he can beat a guy and he can either make a play to get a goal or set up crosses or set up dangerous moments in transition to get assists and to be a dangerous attacking player," Marsch said of Corbeanu.

"What I'm also challenging him to do is to understand how to be a complete player with us, and how to be still good against the ball with pressing and counter-pressing. How to stay connected with the team. How to understand how we play. But he's eager to learn. And so let's see. I think there's potential for him to play [vs. Guatemala], and let's just see how the matches go, and see who we need to be called upon to help the team."