As co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup , Canada can be proud of their efforts. They came into the tournament having never won a game in the FIFA competition, but beat the likes of Qatar and South Africa as they made it all the way to the Last 16.
This was where Jesse Marsch's men met Morocco, who proved too strong to overcome. Canada dominated the first half but couldn't open the scoring, as their African opponents took control as the game wore on.
In the end, a brace from Azzedine Ounahi and a late effort from Soufiane Rahimi saw Morocco win the game 3-0. Manager Marsch insisted his team were the better side despite the loss , and things were certainly tighter than the final result suggests.
As Canada struggled in the second half, having conceded in the 50th minute but then not again until the 80th, many watching on wondered why Alphonso Davies was not used. A full explanation of his absence has now emerged.
Marsch Explains Why Alphonso Davies Did Not Play vs Morocco
Davies is very much the star man for Canada, having established himself as one of the best left-backs in the world during his time at Bayern Munich. Sadly, though, he entered the World Cup with a hamstring injury.
As such, the defender played in just one game out of five for his nation this summer, and that appearance came as a substitute. That outing, however, came in the Last 32 win over South Africa, with his lively 15-minute cameo suggesting he could be involved against Morocco.
This was not to be the case, though, as he was left on the bench as his team lost 3-0 and exited the World Cup. As quoted by BavarianFootballWorks, Marsch has since told Sportsnet why the Bayern star did not play :
"Alphonso didn’t feel right yesterday in training and we got an MRI. And it was clear, so the good news was that there was no injury, but his hamstring didn’t feel right. So we were hoping that by the time this morning he woke up that he would feel better, but he didn’t. So we wanted to be cautious and make sure that we weren’t risking anything.
“And obviously, at the 60th minute when it’s 1-0, it would’ve been great to have him in the match. Or even at halftime. But we weren’t able to have him healthy and it killed him more than anyone, but I think it was the right decision to preserve him and his career and get him fully healthy.”
The two players were seen in conversation after the match.
Davies Was Working With Specialist
With his injury issues widely known throughout the tournament, Davies was working with independent specialist Matthias Blankenburg across the entire World Cup. As per The Athletic, this was agreed upon by the player, as well as Bayern Munich and Canada.
As such, it's unclear whether or not manager Marsch made the final call on Davies being able to play or not, or if the decision was taken out of his hands. The Canada coach's comments suggest some frustration around the inability to play the left-back vs Morocco, and it seems odd that they wouldn't take a risk with so much on the line.
That said, if Davies simply wasn't fit, there would be no point in playing him. It appears as though this was the case, with the defender's injured hamstring ultimately ending his World Cup dream.
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