Canada will announce its roster for the FIFA World Cup on Sunday, November 13.
Posted at 7:17 p.m.
The announcement will precede Canada’s first group stage match by 10 days against second-placed FIFA World Rankings Belgium.
Head coach John Herdman can invite a total of 26 players. In previous tournaments, the player limit was set at 23.
In June, with the intention of providing more flexibility, FIFA announced that the final rosters would be increased to at least 23 players, and to a maximum of 26 players, “in order to deal with the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unusual period in which the World Cup will take place”.
This year, the big meeting of global soccer is held in November and December, instead of the summer season, because of the high temperatures in Qatar. This schedule means that most players take part in club matches until the international break.
Herdman is already facing hurdles following injuries to Quebec goaltender Maxime Crépeau (broken leg) and defenseman Scott Kennedy (shoulder), who will not play in the tournament.
PHOTO KELVIN KUO, USA TODAY SPORTS
Quebecer Maxime Crépeau was injured on November 5.
Canada also feared losing the services of Alphonso Davies, who suffered a hamstring injury on Saturday during a German Championship match.
However, officials at Bayern Munich, the professional team Davies plays for in Germany, have said the 22-year-old Albertan is expected to recover in time for the World Cup.
Teams must reveal their roster by November 14 for the tournament, which runs from November 20 to December 18.
Herdman had mentioned that he planned to announce his roster as late as possible, to be able to react in case of injuries.
Herdman is currently holding a training camp in Bahrain for players whose club season has ended, with a preseason match against Bahrain on Thursday. The full squad will take part in a final preseason match on November 17 against Japan in Dubai.
Teams have already started making their rosters public. This is the case of Japan and Brazil. The United States must do the same on Wednesday in New York.