Canada’s men’s national team held its final training session on Thursday as the start of its FIFA World Cup campaign moved to less than 24 hours away, with midfielder Ismaël Koné and defenders Alphonso Davies and Moïse Bombito all on the field. Canada is set to face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday at Toronto Stadium, with pre-match coverage on TSN beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT and kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
Koné had missed training on Wednesday after leaving before the session began because of a reported fever, but his return on Thursday was a positive sign for Canada ahead of its opener. The 23-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a productive season at club level with Sassuolo in Serie A, scoring six goals in 36 appearances. For Canada, he has recorded four goals in 40 international appearances.
Bombito’s participation also drew attention after his World Cup status had been uncertain as he continues to recover from a serious leg injury suffered last year. The 26-year-old Montreal native broke his leg in an October match against Monaco, which ended his Ligue 1 season. He returned earlier this month in Canada’s 2-0 win over Uzbekistan in Edmonton, but was forced off after 31 minutes. He later missed the friendly against Ireland before appearing for about 30 minutes in a closed-door scrimmage last weekend. Bombito has made 20 appearances for Canada.
Davies, meanwhile, remains one of the biggest injury questions for the team after suffering a hamstring injury last month in Champions League play. The Bayern Munich winger said last week that his availability for the Bosnia and Herzegovina match would depend on how his recovery progresses over the final days before kickoff. He stressed that there was no reason to rush his return if he was not fully ready. Davies scored once in 23 games for Bayern Munich this season and has 15 goals in 58 career matches for Canada. He famously scored Canada’s first-ever men’s World Cup goal against Croatia at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Canada will continue its Group B schedule after the June 12 opener, facing Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24. Both of those matches will be played at BC Place in Vancouver. The team’s final training session and the return of key players offered a clearer picture of Canada’s squad health as the tournament begins.
