The clock is ticking. The 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup is now under 3 months and just 2 international windows away. The Canadian Men’s National Team (CANMNT) is, to say the least, in a turbulent, uncertain position ahead of the tournament’s opening group stage.
For one, much of the nation’s defensive core (incl. Alphonso Davies, Alistair Johnston, Derek Cornelius, and Moïse Bombito) are battling serious injury. Davies, a left-back that was not too long ago considered the best in the world at his position, has now been dealing with injuries for the better part of two seasons at Bayern Munich.
On top of this, be it due to age (in the case of Junior Hoilett), lack of confidence (in the case of Jonathan David), or both (in the case of Cyle Larin), the forwards that contributed most to Canada’s 2022 World Cup efforts are now filled with question marks. For Hoilett and Larin, it would not be surprising if they were left out of Canada’s 23-man squad altogether.
With this said, several recent breakouts will likely get the opportunity to prove themselves with the CANMNT at the 2026 World Cup. This tournament, which was once looked at as the ultimate window for Canada’s Golden Generation, may now serve to thrust some Canadian wonderkids into newfound stardom.
In this article, considering current transfer values, player ability, injuries, and several other factors, we will attempt to buy and sell stock in some of the members of the Canadian Men’s National Team. To put it simply, buying stock means that we believe that these players will exceed current career expectations over the coming years, and selling stock means that we believe a player will drop below expectations in coming years.
Buying Stock: Ali Ahmed
Fresh off of a 4th place MLS finish and a finals appearance in the CONCACAF Champions Cup with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Ahmed transferred to Norwich City during the January 2026 transfer window. To put simply how Ahmed’s start at his new club has gone, he’s scored the same amount of goals in 10 Championship games with Norwich as he did in all 68 of his MLS matches with Vancouver since 2022.
Ahmed is now playing for an entirely revitalized Norwich side. Once facing relegation, the club’s recent stint has given fans hope that they could win promotion in the 2026-27 season. Given Ahmed’s recent performance and Jacob Shaffelburg’s collapse of form, Ahmed is now a lock for the LW position in Canada’s XI. Assuming that he keeps tearing up the Championship and is a key piece of Canada’s attack at the World Cup, he might prove to be a Premier League level player.
Selling Stock: Maxime Crépeau
Over the past few years, Crépeau has pretty consistently looked great for country but mediocre for club. At this point, though, the gap between him and Dayne St. Clair in club form may be too large to ignore. While St. Clair was just given the opportunity to start between the sticks with one of the MLS’ best teams in Inter Miami, Crépeau got his job at Portland Timbers taken. Upon moving to a weak Orlando City side, Crépeau has had an abysmal start to the 2026 season. Most recently, he was shown red for catching the ball outside of the box.
Yes, it is possible that Crépeau remains a top choice for Canada over the next few years. Here’s how I see it, though: he just moved to a club in awful form, is older than St. Clair, and will have less resources to remain on top of his game in comparison. Going forward, DSC will more than likely be Canada’s first choice.
Buying Stock: Ismaël Koné
Koné’s stock may currently be at an all-time high – and you’d still be ridiculous to not buy it. At just 23 years old, Koné has looked like one of the better midfielders in Italy’s Serie A this season, helping to lead Sassuolo to one of their first ever seasons in the top half of the league’s table.
A top 4 goal-scorer for Sassuolo from a midfield position, Koné looks like he may have finally taken the leap that Canadian football fans have been projecting onto him since his time at Watford. Considering that Stephen Eustaquio is no longer playing in Europe, Koné has become Canada’s top midfield option ahead of the World Cup.
Should he have a strong performance at the WC and continue to improve over the next few seasons, Koné may well be the next Canadian to enter world-class discussions.
Selling Stock: Cyle Larin
You could argue that Larin’s stock is already too low at this point. That may be true. Still, the best move at this point is probably to get some return on what little stock left you hold of his. Unable to ever find that permanent home post-Beşiktaş, Larin most recently left Dutch club Feyenoord to play for Southampton in the English Championship.
At Southampton, Larin has already scored 2 goals so far. Still, he’s on the other side of 30 and unable to get consistent minutes for club. For country, Larin is competing with an increasingly deep pool of European-level strikers in Jonathan & Promise David, Tani Oluwaseyi, and a few others.
Given his 2022 World Cup qualification heroics, it hurts to admit it, but Larin is well past his prime as a player.
Buying Stock: Alistair Johnston
This is the boldest pick on this list. AJ is approaching the end of his 20s and has recently dealt with recurring hamstring injuries. Still, he is just so incredible when he does play. All of these concerns may just mean that now is the best time to buy stock on what a fully healthy Alistair Johnston could be.
AJ was incredible in the 2024-25 season for Celtic. He may have been the best player on the team that season; a season where the club had a strong UCL performance and almost took down Bayern in the knockout round. In a UCL campaign that saw most of the club significantly drop off from Premiership levels, AJ was one of two starters to keep an average rating over 7.0, proving that he could compete with the world’s best talent.
If Johnston can come off these injuries and continue progressing as he was, he could legitimately have a couple years at the end of his prime on a top-flight club. It may sound ridiculous right now, but don’t be surprised if AJ is playing for a UCL side in one of the big-5 leagues for the last few seasons of his prime. The guy is insanely talented.
Selling Stock: Daniel Jebbison
Jebbison’s stock has been slowly dwindling for the past half-decade, it seems. Despite a decent rebound this season, now may be the time to sell it.
Yes, Jebbison holds the title of youngest player to ever score in his Premier League debut. What has he done since then? He’s bounced around at different levels of the EFL system, never finding a permanent home at any club. Even this year, while looking solid for Preston North End, the idea of Jebbison still remains better than the actual player.
Jebbison could be a rotational striker for Canada. His stock according to many fans does not reflect that. He was once seen as a prodigy. He is simply not that. That’s okay, but you can sell his prodigy-priced stock right now and be better off for it. With the David’s, Oluwaseyi, and even possibly Russell-Rowe looking like better options going forward, Jebbison may be left in the dust by a second country in his international career.
Honourable Mentions you May Want to Buy Stock of
- Niko Sigur: very young, may still explode after an expected transfer to a better club
- Luc de Fougerolles: still just barely 20 years old. He is streaky, but the flashes are there
- Jonathan David: stock is low right now and he could still put it all together
- Jayden Hibbert: undermentioned young GK with huge upside
Cover image credit: beIN SPORTS Türkiye, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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