Tigres’ Marcelo Flores grabs his knee after being injured during the CONCACAF Champions Cup final against Toluca. | Photo Credit: AP

Canada midfielder Marcelo Flores was ruled out of the World Cup on Sunday after suffering a knee injury during Saturday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup final, head coach Jesse Marsch confirmed.

Flores, who plays for Mexican side Tigres UANL, suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in his team’s defeat to Deportivo Toluca, Marsch said.

“Obviously we’re devastated for him,” Marsch said after confirming the 22-year-old’s exit from the World Cup.

Marsch has not yet decided on a replacement for Flores as he prepares for Canada’s friendly against Uzbekistan in Edmonton on Monday.

Flores formally switched his allegiance to represent Canada earlier this year after previously playing for Mexico in friendly games. Flores, who was born in Canada, was eligible to play for El Tri due to his Mexican father.

Marsch meanwhile had a more encouraging injury update concerning Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies, who was named as captain of the the Canada squad on Friday despite carrying a hamstring injury.

“He has had an MRI last week and it shows there has been really good progress, he’s typically a good healer so it’s a good sign,” Marsch said.

Canada, one of the three co-hosts of the World Cup, opens its tournament against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on June before further Group B games against Switzerland and Qatar.

Published on Jun 01, 2026