World Cup co-hosts Canada continue building towards next summer's pivotal tournament as they taken on Australia in an international friendly from Montreal on Friday, followed by a matchup against Colombia four days later.
Les Rouges have a number of key players missing due to injury, but the overall prognosis is strong as Jesse Marsch has led the squad on a nine-match unbeaten run beginning back in March with the Nations League victory over the United States.
Canada were eliminated from the Gold Cup in disappointing fashion as part of that run, falling on penalties to Guatemala in the quarterfinals, but that slip has been overshadowed by a newfound resilience that has the fanbase feeling good heading towards the World Cup. That was reinforced by a pair of victories overseas last month, winning on the road in Europe against both Romania and Wales while keeping clean sheets in both games.
They ramp up the level of opposition this month, with this game against 25th-ranked Australia to be followed by a very difficult challenge against 13th-ranked Colombia in New Jersey.
The Sporting News runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides as the match draws nearer.
Canada vs. Australia lineups: Predicted starting XI, team news, injuries
Canada suffered a major blow as rising defensive star Moise Bombito went down with a broken leg just before the international break while on club duty for Nice. Bombito, along with young Luc de Fougerolles, have risen to the level of regular starter, with their growth and development one of the hallmarks of Jesse Marsch's tenure thus far.
Bombito, who will require 4-5 months of recovery similar to what Tajon Buchanan endured after a similar injury sustained during last summer's Copa America, joins Alphonso Davies on the long-term shelf as the Bayern Munich man continues working back from an ACL tear.
Marsch said that Davies is unlikely to recover in time for the November international window, but "not out of the question." Alistair Johnston is also not yet back from his hamstring injury and is pushing for a November return.
Maxime Crepeau seems to have the upper hand in the starting goalkeeper battle over Dayne St. Clair for now, but that has been a fluid situation in the wake of Milan Borjan's retirement. Canada all-time leading goal scorer Cyle Larin is no longer a regular international starter, supplanted on the depth chart by upstarts Promise David and Tani Oluwaseyi for the striker spot next to Jonathan David.
Canada predicted XI (4-4-2, right to left): Crepeau (GK) — Laryea, Cornelius, de Fougerolles, Sigur — Buchanan, Eustaquio, Osorio, Ahmed — J. David, Oluwaseyi.
Injured: Bombito (leg), Davies (ACL), Johnston (hamstring).
Suspended: None.
Full Canada squad
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, James Pantemis, Dayne St. Clair.
Defenders: Zorhan Bassong, Derek Cornelius, Luc de Fougerolles, Richie Laryea, Kamal Miller, Joel Waterman.
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Tajon Buchanan, Mathieu Choiniere, Stephen Eustaquio, Ismael Kone, Jonathan Osorio, Nathan Saliba, Niko Sigur, Jacob Shafelburg.
Forwards: Jonathan David, Promise David, Cyle Larin, Liam Millar, Jayden Nelson, Tani Oluwaseyi.
Croatian-born Aussie international Fran Karacic was forced to withdraw from the squad due to an injury picked up in a league match just before the window while on club duty with Hajduk Split. He was replaced by uncapped Jacob Italiano, who plays for Grazer AK in the Austrian top flight.
Ageing veterans Jackson Irvine and Aziz Behich have been phased out of the international picture and have not been called in for a number of windows. In their stead, a young crop of talent has come through, headlined by 21-year-old Mohamed Toure who has been in strong form for Danish club Randers and bagged a brace in the September friendly win over New Zealand.
It will be interesting to see whether that's enough for Toure to supplant regular striker Mitch Duke, who has struggled this season in J-League play and has just two international goals since the start of 2024.
Australia predicted XI (5-4-1, right to left): Ryan (GK) — Miller, Burgess, Degenek, Circati, Rowles — Metcalfe, O'Neill, Yazbek, Irankunda — Toure.
Injured: Faracic (undisclosed).
Suspended: None.
Full Australia squad
Goalkeepers: Joe Gauci, Paul Izzo, Mathew Ryan.
Defenders: Jordan Bos, Cameron Burgess, Alessandro Circati, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Jacob Italiano, Hayden Matthews, Lewis Miller, Kye Rowles.
Midfielders: Max Balard, Cameron Devlin, Ajdin Hrustic, Connor Metcalfe, Aiden O'Neill, Alexander Robertson, Patrick Yazbek.
Forwards: Daniel Arzani, Martin Boyle, Nicholas D'Agostino, Mitch Duke, Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure.
Canada vs. Australia match details
- Date: Friday, October 10, 2025
- Kickoff Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT/ 0:30 a.m. BST (Saturday)
- Location: Stade Saputo (Montreal, Quebec)
- Last meeting: Canada 0-3 Australia (Oct. 15, 2013 | International Friendly)