Bubble Battles: What CanMNT World Cup roster questions can Jesse Marsch answer in March?
While the CanMNT enter this March window with a severely shorthanded roster, that’s not the worst thing for some players within this Canadian set-up, as they will get the opportunity to improve their World Cup stock one last time.
With Canada’s injury troubles, there’s a chance that head coach Jesse Marsch has to make some tough decisions when it comes to naming his squad for the World Cup, especially if some of Canada’s fringe players can step up with some big performances in this window.
One byproduct of Canada’s injury troubles over the last 12 months is that it’s opened the door for several new faces to step up and impress, which has bloated the outer edges of the squad.
#CANMNT Squad Announced for Final Home Matches in Toronto Ahead of FIFA World Cup 26™ 🍁
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) March 19, 2026
Sat 28 March | 🇨🇦 v. 🇮🇸
Tues 31 March | 🇨🇦 v. 🇹🇳
BMO Field, Toronto
TICKETS 🎫: https://t.co/UrkmcJhFex pic.twitter.com/bZWbpToXyv
It must be said that’s a good thing - now, this Canadian team is better equipped than ever to deal with injuries and other absences. What that means, though, is that Marsch and his staff face some tough decisions when it comes to naming a squad, as he’ll have to leave out some key players, no matter what happens between now and June.
Because of that, it’ll be fascinating to see if any players can further complicate that process with some strong performances in this window, helping further stoke the competition that is brewing for spots on the outer edges of the Canada squad.
Here’s a look at some of the key bubble battles to watch out for in this upcoming camp.
The 5th centre back:
To begin lower on the field, there’s a fascinating battle brewing at the centre back position heading into this camp, especially after the emergence of Ralph Priso at the position in recent months.
A big reason for that? Canada’s ongoing struggles with injuries at this position, which has all of a sudden put a lot more pressure on depth options to be ready to step up.
Since the start of the 2025-2026 season, Moïse Bombito, Derek Cornelius, Luc De Fougerolles and Alfie Jones have dealt with injuries, which has opened the door for the likes of Joel Waterman and Kamal Miller to earn minutes in recent CanMNT games.
On paper, there’s no doubting that a healthy Bombito, Cornelius, De Fougerolles and Jones would be Canada’s top four centre-backs, and earn a bulk of the minutes at the position, but it remains to be seen whether or not they’ll all be healthy in time for the World Cup.
And even if all of them are ready for this summer, there’s always the worry that one of them aggravates any past injuries, especially after not playing much to start 2026, which could then put pressure on someone lower down on the depth chart to step up.
Because of that, it’s imperative that Canada’s fifth centre back option is ready to play, and right now, that looks to be either Waterman, Priso or Miller.
As it stands, Waterman is the clear favourite, having become a trusted piece for Marsch, while also doing well at the club level for the Chicago Fire.
Now, though, Priso’s emergence shakes things up, as he’s also shown to be capable of playing Marsch’s style of play and has impressed with his excellent performances in 2026 with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Unlike Waterman, he’s not had much time to play with Canada, however, other than a start in a January Camp friendly vs. Guatemala earlier this year, although he did quite well in that cameo.
While Ralph Priso was a solid distributor in midfield for #VWFC last year, he's been an excellent ball progressor at centre back, and it's added another layer to the Whitecaps build-up
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) March 21, 2026
He'll now look to bring that to the #CanMNT - along with his improved 2026 defensive numbers https://t.co/nfEu9MFgj2 pic.twitter.com/IhiiiN6do1
Because of that, it feels like this camp will be a chance for Waterman and Priso to battle it out, with Miller remaining as an outside shot to also earn a shout - while he’s been inconsistent at the club level, he has risen to the occasion during past Canadian cameos, and is a popular teammate.
It can’t be forgotten that with Canada’s injury woes at centre back, there’s a chance two or even all three of Waterman, Priso and Miller to be included in the World Cup squad, but as it stands, there’s only likely room for one, so they’ll want to prove who is deserving of that spot - guaranteeing their presence at the tournament.
The race out wide:
As it stands, things are quite clear for Canada out wide - Tajon Buchanan, Ali Ahmed and Liam Millar all look to be locks to go to the World Cup, with Buchanan and Ahmed the preferred starters, and Millar a trusted option as a supersub (although he still has a chance to supplant Ahmed in a starting role).
After that, though, there are questions.
In 2024, you would’ve had Jacob Shaffelburg as a lock, but an inconsistent 2025 for club and country has opened up debates on his inclusion - and he currently is dealing with an injury, to further complicate matters.
Then, there’s Marcelo Flores, who recently filed his one-time switch to play for Canada after previously representing Mexico - when he’s on his game, he seems like a favourite to earn that fourth winger spot, especially due to his ability to play as a #10 along with a wide player.
Otherwise, Jayden Nelson has improved his stock massively over the past 12 months, but has sometimes dealt with inconsistent play at the club level, while Junior Hoilett is a trusted and reliable veteran, even if he’s not playing at the highest level.
Junior's first goal for Swindon ❤️
— Swindon Town Football Club (@Official_STFC) March 22, 2026
Junior Hoilett starts the move, before Michael Olakigbe's trickery creates space inside the Tranmere area, he lays it off to Junior to slot home. pic.twitter.com/l2N2m5qJ9R
For sure, there will be room for at least one player among that group, as you have to imagine that Marsch brings four wingers, at a minimum. From there, it remains to be seen whether or not he brings a fifth winger, as that’ll likely depend on whether or not he decides to bring five strikers - in that debate, it does help someone like Flores that his inclusion as a winger could help Canada’s striker depth (they play a 4-2-2-2, but one of their two strikers usually plays more like a #10, like Jonathan David).
Because of that, there are two things to watch out for in this camp.
Firstly, there’s the play of Flores. Based on his positional flexibility, his potential and the work Canada did to court him, they’ll be pushing to bring him to the World Cup. But he’s yet to play for Canada, so him having a good first camp with his new country would go a long way towards confirming that he’s ready to play the sort of role many are hoping that he’s capable of filling.
Secondly, there’s the play of the other wingers, as they’ll battle to prove to Marsch that it’ll be worth sacrificing a forward for another wide player. Unfortunately, Shaffelburg and Nelson won’t be in this camp as they deal with minor injuries, so the player with the most to prove will be Hoilett - and that’s bad news for the others, as Hoilett tends to do quite well whenever he represents Canada.
Of course, if Shaffelburg and Nelson find some form in MLS before the World Cup, that will give them every opportunity to make the team, but it shows that this window will be quite big for Flores and Hoilett, in particular. 
What’s going on up front?
It’s been a relatively tough start to 2026 for Canadian forwards, as Jonathan David has struggled for form with Juventus, Tani Oluwaseyi has struggled for minutes with Villarreal CF, Promise David suffered a major injury, and Daniel Jebbison has been relatively inconsistent with his performances and minutes. Cyle Larin has been in great form as of late, to be fair, but he’s not scored a whole lot for Canada since Marsch’s arrival, remaining with just one goal, so even he has plenty to prove this window despite entering in good form.
Because of that, it feels like this is a big window for all of the six forwards in this camp, which include J. David, Oluwaseyi, Jebbison and Larin, along with the return of Jacen Russell-Rowe and a first call-up for Aribim Pepple.
📈Most goals in 2026 (all domestic comps):
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) March 23, 2026
12⚽️: ⬆️BIM PEPPLE⬆️, David McGoldrick
11⚽️: Dom Ballard
10⚽️: Igor Thiago
9⚽️: Joao Pedro, Jayden Wareham, Jack Marriott, Joe Taylor#pafc pic.twitter.com/gVq4Uslh9L
Primarily, David will need to prove that his form for Juventus isn’t affecting his play for Canada, after having had a quiet end to 2025 at the National Team level. No matter what happens the rest of the season, he will start and play a significant role for Canada this summer, so it’ll be hoped that he can be productive with those minutes - and a good camp would help increase the confidence in his ability to do that.
After that, Oluwaseyi and Larin will be in a big battle to prove they deserve to start alongside David - perhaps, that means they’ll each get a game to start alongside David to audition themselves. For Oluwaseyi, he’ll want to show why he’s become a trusted member of Marsch’s team, thanks to his fit in the tactical system, while Larin will want to show that his good club form is a sign that he can return to the heights he once hit for Canada earlier in this decade.
Lastly, Jebbison, Russell-Rowe and Pepple will want to make the most of any potential cameos and show that they could be deserving of a depth role this summer. In particular, Russell-Rowe and Pepple are fascinating names to watch, as Russell-Rowe has been earning more minutes with Toulouse lately after an impressive transfer to France’s top flight from MLS, while Pepple has been on fire for EFL League One side Plymouth Argyle since the start of 2026 - they’re both outside shouts to earn a World Cup spot, showing why they’ll want to improve their stock with a good camp.
With Promise David hoping to be healthy enough to play some sort of role this summer, even if it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to earn the starting role he was trending towards potentially having before his injury, it’ll be up to the likes of Jebbison, Russell-Rowe and Pepple (along with Theo Bair) to put pressure on Marsch to include them ahead of P. David - especially if he’s not fully fit. 
Roster composition notes:
Lastly, it must be noted that some of the last battles on this team could come down to roster composition, which will be determined both by factors out of Marsch’s control (injuries, form and others), as well as the players themselves.
Of course, it won’t be until closer to the World Cup that the full extent of injuries and form will be noted.
As a result, look for players to show that they’re worth altering Canada’s roster composition to accommodate.
What that means for these players, however, is doing what someone like Niko Sigur did - with how excellent he’s been as a full back for Canada, he’s made himself a lock in this squad, and his inclusion has altered Canada’s potential roster composition, with his ability to also play as a midfielder. Now, it’s expected that Canada will bring one fewer midfielder and full back because of that, which could allow them to bring another centre back or attacker. 
Yet, that’s why someone like Flores was highlighted as someone to watch, as his ability to play multiple positions could offer Marsch a bit more flexibility with his squad composition.
Some other players to watch in that regard? Priso, with his ability to also play as a midfielder, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, who has played at both full back positions, and Jebbison, who Marsch has also touted as a potential winger option.
Otherwise, positional versatility isn’t just one option to consider - there’s also intangibles such as leadership, which could open the door for players like Jonathan Osorio, Junior Hoilett and Kamal Miller.
Ultimately, creating a 26-player squad is much more dynamic than just naming your 26 best players and calling it a day - positional needs, tactical fits, age dynamics and team chemistry are but a few of the many other factors a coach must consider.
On paper, you could argue that there are upwards of 30 players who could argue to be included in Canada’s World Cup squad, especially if everyone is healthy. Because of that, this camp will be a great opportunity for players to show that they deserve a chance to make the 26, and flexing positional versatility and showing good leadership are just a few of the many ways someone can do that, other than the obvious of just showcasing good form for club and country.
