Canada World Cup 2022 roster: Final national team squad and projected starting XI for Qatar

Manager John Herdman has steered Canada to its first men's World Cup since 1986, and only the nation's second-ever men's World Cup appearance.

Outside of a handful of injury absences, Herdman selected most of the players who contributed to the achievement. After the announcement of the 26-man roster on November 13, the selected players are next tasked with shocking the world in Qatar.

Canada had been in fine form heading into Qatar but opened the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Belgium having spurned a golden chance to open the scoring from the penalty spot. 

WORLD CUP 2022 SELECTED SQUADS:
Australia | Argentina | Belgium | Brazil | Cameroon 
Canada | Costa Rica | Croatia | Denmark | England
France | Germany | Ghana | Iran | Japan | Mexico
Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Senegal
Serbia | Spain | Switzerland | Uruguay | USA | Wales 

26 players, 1 dream 🇨🇦#CANMNT x @CIBC #WeCAN pic.twitter.com/cjN1TnqPXf

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) November 13, 2022

Canada World Cup roster for Qatar 2022

The biggest absence will be that of defender Scott Kennedy, who suffered a shoulder injury on October 29 and will not be available for the tournament. Also missing out is goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who suffered a leg fracture in the MLS Cup final on Nov. 5.

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies picked up a hamstring injury on November 5, but he dodged a bullet and will be ready to play in Qatar. Center-back Doneil Henry did not make the final cut after suffering an injury in warmups for the Nov. 11 Bahrain match.

The final roster follows below, and Herdman's admission that "it doesn't take a rocket scientist" to figure out who the key players for Canada will be, turned out to be true.

Canada stars, strengths, and weaknesses at 2022 World Cup

Canada stars

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The two unquestioned stars of the Canadian national team are Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, who have taken this team from CONCACAF region hopeful to World Cup competitor.

Davies plays left-back at his club Bayern Munich, but he is often deployed in a more advanced role for the national team, either at wing-back alongside a back-three or as an out-and-out winger. Still, he can play left-back when needed, providing some defensive acumen along with his world-class attacking play from wide areas.

David, meanwhile, is one of the hottest young attacking stars in Europe and looks set to be a wanted man once the season is up. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. to Haitian parents, David emigrated to Canada as a six-year-old and has represented Canada since his youth days. Now banging in goals at Lille, he's developed a seamless strike partnership with Cyle Larin at the national team level that is likely to see him earn a big-money move in the near future.

MORE: Why Canada didn't get new jersey at the 2022 World Cup

Canada strengths

There are a surprising number of strengths for a Pot 4 team at the World Cup that should give pause to other Group F participants.

In addition to a steady veteran goalkeeping presence in Red Star Belgrade's Milan Borjan, the midfield is incredibly deep. Porto's Stephen Eustaquio is a must-start when healthy, and 37-year-old Atiba Hutchinson, who can also fill in at center-back, will provide leadership if he can gain his fitness back after only playing 70 minutes of competitive action this season in the Turkish cup.

Samuel Piette will sometimes start alongside Eustaquio, with Mark-Anthony Kaye as backup to either player in the deep-lying position. Jonathan Osorio, David Wotherspoon, and Junior Hoilett can occupy a more advanced position as a link to the attackers when the formation calls for it.

As a result of that depth, this team is exceptionally flexible tactically. They are capable of playing a three-center-back formation with Alistair Johnston moving centrally, which allows wing-backs Alphonso Davies and Richie Laryea to bomb forward. Or, they can line up in a more traditional 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formation that sees Davies pushed higher up the pitch and slots the dangerous Sam Adekugbe in at left-back. 

Lastly, this team has an enviable team unity. Herdman has done incredibly well to foster a dressing room culture that has the team playing for each other on the pitch and enjoying life in the national team off it.

Canada weaknesses

The biggest weakness for this team is experience. With Canada reaching the nation's first World Cup since the 1980s, there is nobody on this roster that has been to a major FIFA international tournament before.

Additionally, most of the players are pieced together from either North American sides or smaller European clubs. There are only three players on the projected roster playing in a Big Five European league, and only a handful with Champions League experience.

As a result, this team knows it must play not just as a collection of talented players, but as a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts. Herdman holds this team together, and their performance at the World Cup will depend largely on maintaining that squad buy-in.

Canada starting lineup at the FIFA World Cup

There are actually two possible starting lineups that Herdman can select from, having fostered exceptional tactical flexibility from his group. He has deployed a 3-5-2 on occasion, with Alistair Johnston sliding inside as a third center-back, while also using a more traditional 4-2-3-1 to fit all his attackers in the same lineup.

Herdman opted for the three center-back deployment against Belgium, although there were a few wrinkles. He surprisingly dropped typical left wing-back Sam Adekugbe, suggesting that Alphonso Davies will move back to that spot. Richie Lareya started on the right flank, with Tajon Buchanan moved up in a more attacking role alongside star striker Jonathan David.

Canada have also shown a 4-4-2 occasionally through World Cup qualifying, but has dumped that recently in favor of the other options.

Canada World Cup roster cuts

While Canada are a strong team, the nation is still building a base of top-class football players, and therefore the established player pool is considerably thinner than some other teams.

There are some injuries to consider heading into the World Cup. Defenders Scott Kennedy and Doneil Henry, along with goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau cruelly suffered injuries in the two weeks before the World Cup break, leaving them unavailable for selection.

Those absences left very few tough decisions for Herdman to make when it came to selecting the 26 players to represent the CONCACAF nation.

Young up-and-comer Ismael Kone ultimately made the cut, and Henry's injury likely factored in that decision with veteran Atiba Hutchinson counted on to step in at center-back of the need arises.

It was always going to be either Ike Ugbo or Theo Corbeanu who earned a ticket to Qatar as a third-string forward, and it was Ugbo who made the cut.

Final Canada roster cuts

(* = injury absences)