Canada delivers great news on star defender Bombito ahead of FIFA World Cup
Canada’s men’s national team appears set to have one of its most important players available for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after all.
With the official 26-man roster due to be submitted Thursday at 3 p.m. EDT/noon PDT, OneSoccer’s Kristian Jack reports that OGC Nice defender Moïse Bombito will be named as the 26th man on Canada’s World Cup squad.
Bombito’s status been one of the biggest question marks leading up to the tournament.
The Montreal native suffered a broken leg while playing for French club OGC Nice in Ligue 1 action last October and has been slowly working his way back since.
Moïse Bombito is IN ✅
Sources tell Kristian Jack that the OGC Nice defender has reportedly made the CanMNT 🇨🇦 World Cup roster, and is set to be on the squad list when it officially has to be submitted to FIFA before 3PM ET today 😎#VWFC standout Ralph Priso misses out as a… pic.twitter.com/Pa2Va34kNq
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 11, 2026
The 26-year-old made his return in an international friendly against Uzbekistan on June 1, but was substituted off after just 38 minutes. He then missed Canada’s final pre-World Cup friendly a few days later against Ireland, and has been limited in training throughout the week in Toronto.
TSN’s Matthew Scianitti reported after Canada’s practice on Wednesday that Bombito was wearing two wraps on his previously injured leg. Though this new report from OneSoccer suggests the opposite.
It appears Canada head coach Jesse Marsch and the medical team have faith that Bombito can contribute more than another defender at 100 per cent during Canada’s group-stage campaign.
Bombito appeared to acknowledge the speculation late Wednesday night, posting a series of photos on Instagram in the Canada Soccer kit alongside his teammates with the caption: “Latest reports confirm.”
If Bombito had been ruled unavailable, Vancouver Whitecaps defender Ralph Priso was expected to take the final roster spot. Priso has been training with the squad throughout the week as a precaution while Canada evaluated Bombito’s recovery.
While Bombito now appears set to make the roster, it remains unclear whether he or Luc de Fougerolles will start in Friday’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Whoever gets the nod will have a difficult assignment, marking Bosnia’s star striker Edin Džeko.
The 40-year-old is still one of international soccer’s most prolific goal scorers, having netted more than 70 goals for his country over his career.