VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC forwards Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson have been called up to Canada's men's national team for a pair of matches in the upcoming October international window as they continue preparations for the FIFA World Cup 26™. Both matches will be live on TSN and OneSoccer.
Canada is currently at their highest ever FIFA ranking (#26). The Red and White will first face Australia (#25) on Friday, October 10 at Saputo Stadium in Montreal (4:30 p.m. PT). Canada will then head across the border to play Colombia (#13) on Tuesday, October 14 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey (5 p.m. PT).
Ahmed will be looking to build on a strong September camp, in which he started both the 3-0 win over Romania and 1-0 win over Wales, scoring his first international goal for Canada in the process. Nelson also made a good impression, coming off the bench in both matches to bring his national team appearances to 10, while Ahmed is now at 19.
The 'Caps duo was part of Canada's squad at the inaugural Canadian Shield tournament and the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup earlier this summer.
CANMNT Squad
Canada’s three goalkeepers this window will be Maxime Crépeau and James Pantemis from Portland Timbers, as well as Dayne St. Clair from Minnesota United FC.
Defenders selected are: Zorhan Bassong from Sporting Kansas City, Moïse Bombito from OGC Nice, Derek Cornelius from Rangers FC (on loan from Olympique de Marseille), Luc de Fougerolles from F.C.V. Dender E.H. (on loan from Fulham FC), Richie Laryea from Toronto FC, Niko Sigur from Hadjuk Split and Joel Waterman from Chicago Fire.
Midfielders joining the group are: Ali Ahmed from Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Tajon Buchanan from Villarreal CF, Mathieu Choinière from LAFC (on loan from Grasshopper Zurich), Stephen Eustáquio from FC Porto, Ismaël Koné from U.S. Sassuolo Calcio (on loan from Olympique de Marseille), Liam Millar from Hull City FC, Jayden Nelson from Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Jonathan Osorio from Toronto FC, Nathan Saliba from R.S.C. Anderlecht and Jacob Shaffelburg from Nashville SC.
The rest of the squad will feature forwards: Jonathan David from Juventus FC, Promise David from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Cyle Larin from Feyenoord (on loan from RCD Mallorca) and Tani Oluwaseyi from Villarreal CF.
Broadcast Information
Both October friendly matches will air live on TSN, RDS and OneSoccer , available on the fuboTV Canada platform, as a linear channel on Telus’s Optik TV (Channel 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANMNT.
CANMNT A-Z
Player | Age | City in which they grew up | Notable Canadian youth clubs
Ahmed, Ali | 24 | Toronto, ON, CAN | North Toronto SC
Bassong, Zorhan | 26 | Toronto, ON, CAN | CS Longueuil
Bombito, Moïse | 25 | Montréal, QC, CAN | CS St-Laurent
Buchanan, Tajon | 26 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
Choinière, Mathieu | 26 | St-Alexandre, QC, CAN | AS Haut-Richelieu
Cornelius, Derek | 27 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
Crépeau, Maxime | 31 | Candiac, QC, CAN | Ligue de soccer pour enfants de Candiac
David, Jonathan | 25 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | Ottawa Gloucester Dragons
David, Promise | 24 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Vaughan Azzurri
de Fougerolles, Luc | 19 | London, UK |
Eustáquio, Stephen | 28 | Leamington, ON, CAN | Leamington MS
Koné, Ismaël | 23 | Montréal, QC, CAN | AS Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Larin, Cyle | 30 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
Laryea, Richie | 30 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Club Uruguay Toronto
Millar, Liam | 26 | Brampton, ON, CAN | North Mississauga SC
Nelson, Jayden | 23 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
Oluwaseyi, Tani | 24 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | GPS Academy
Osorio, Jonathan | 33 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampston YSC
Pantemis, James | 28 | Kirkland, QC, CAN | Lakeshore SC
Saliba, Nathan | 21 | Longueuil, QC, CAN | CS Longueuil
Shaffelburg, Jacob | 25 | Port Williams, NS, CAN | Valley United SC
Sigur, Niko | 21 | Burnaby, BC, CAN | Mountain United FC
St. Clair, Dayne | 28 | Pickering, ON, CAN | Ephinay Church Soccer League
Waterman, Joel | 29 | Surrey, BC, CAN | Surrey United SC
