TORONTO — Defender Moïse Bombito will remain on Canada's World Cup roster, though his availability is unknown as he continues to recover from a broken leg.
Bombito's inclusion on Canada's official World Cup jersey-number list, released Thursday by Canada Soccer, confirmed the defender remains on the 26-man roster.
The 26-year-old defender fractured his left tibia playing for OGC Nice in October and has been working his way back to full health ever since.
Bombito was emphatic at Canada's training camp last month that he would "100 per cent" be ready for the nation's first game of the tournament, a bout with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on Friday.
"The fact that I’m here with the national team, playing, running, that means that I’ve made a lot of progress," he said in Charlotte, N.C., on May 27. "I’ve just got to keep building on that.”
The Montreal product was named to the initial 26-man World Cup roster, then logged 31 minutes in the squad's 2-0 friendly win over Uzbekistan on June 1. After leaving the field, he was spotted icing the injured leg.
Canada's head coach Jesse Marsch said Bombito experienced "sensitivity" from the lingering injury, and that he would give him every chance to recover.
He was available off the bench when Canada took on Ireland in a friendly in Montreal on June 5, but Luc de Fougerolles filled his spot in the starting lineup.
"Luc with the ball was outstanding and helped set up a lot of our initial movements to get us into the attack,” Marsch said. “He was really good on what we call rest defence and defending some difficult moments, standing players up, not giving away fouls.
Marsch had until this afternoon — 24 hours before Canada's World Cup opener against Bosnia — to replace any seriously ill or injured players.
He had already replaced midfielder Marcelo Flores, who will miss the tournament after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament on May 30.
Winger Jayden Nelson was named to the roster in Flores' absence.
Canada has been beset by injuries in the lead-up to the tournament, including to captain Alphonso Davies.
The Bayern Munich left back continues to recover from a hamstring injury and is unlikely to play when the country hosts its first-ever World Cup game on home soil Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2026.
The Canadian Press
