TORONTO — Nikola Vasilj knows all about Alphonso Davies.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina goalkeeper plied his trade in Germany’s top division over the last two seasons.
Davies, meanwhile, continued to star for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich as the club secured back-to-back league titles.
Canada’s talismanic force also appears unlikely to suit up for the country’s World Cup opener Friday — and that suits Vasilj just fine.
“One of the most important players,” the 30-year-old said Tuesday during a brief media availability before training. “Actually, the most important player for them, taking into consideration what he’s doing in the Bundesliga and also with the national team lately.”
Davies is continuing to work back from a hamstring injury as one of the tournament co-hosts prepare to face the Bosnians on home soil.
The 25-year-old was limited to 23 club appearances in all competitions this campaign and hasn’t suited up for the national team since March 2025. His importance as the 30th-ranked Canadians look to win their first-ever World Cup match is clear, but Vasilj said the lightning-quick left back’s status won’t impact No. 64 Bosnia-Herzegovina’s approach.
“That’s of course a good thing for us,” the St. Pauli keeper said of Davies being a major question mark. “But doesn’t mean that it’s going to be different, and for us, actually, doesn’t change a lot.
“It’s just about putting the focus on our game and what we can do, and just doing things that we showed we can do in the qualifications.”
The Bosnians, who will also face No. 19 Switzerland in Los Angeles on June 18 before wrapping up their Group B play June 24 against No. 57 Qatar in Seattle, held their training session at a park with heavy security on Toronto’s west side that received millions of dollars in upgrades ahead of the global showcase.
The team also moved up the scheduled start time earlier in the day by an hour, which left media members from both countries scrambling.
The country’s public relations staffer then cut off scrums for both and defender Nikola Katic and Vasilj after just two English questions, with the latter’s then getting interrupted by sprinklers being turned on, which sent reporters and camera operators in all directions, after the conversation switched to Bosnian.
Katic, who plays in Germany with Schalke, said his team is expecting a motivated opponent for Canada’s first-ever men’s World Cup game on home soil Friday at Toronto Stadium — an unbranded BMO Field for the duration of the tournament — in Canada’s biggest city.
“Tough match, very hostile atmosphere,” said the 29-year-old Katic. “We watched them, analyzed them in a few past games. We saw a very aggressive team who is going to run a lot and give everything, press high.
“Very difficult match, but we also have our qualities and we have our plan.”
A crowd of about 50 fans greeted the team’s buses as they pulled into the parking lot off a sleepy suburban street.
Toronto’s Italian community was left bitterly disappointed when their heroes failed to get past Bosnia-Herzegovina in a European playoff to qualify, but Vasilj said his group is feeling the love both here and when they were St. Louis for a final tune-up fixture over the weekend.
“It’s nice to see … to arrive here, and then to see so many people,” Vasilj said. “People are coming (from) all over the world, and also we know that there are so many in the U.S. and Canada. It’s a nice thing.
“It gives you a little bit of this feeling like home, just to be surrounded by our people.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
