Toronto: Long before he became the face of Canadian football, Alphonso Davies was a child born in a refugee camp.

Today, as Canada begins its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, the nation's hopes are once again tied to a player whose life story mirrors the country's multicultural identity and growing football ambitions.

Born to Liberian parents in a refugee camp in Ghana, Davies moved to Canada when he was just five years old. What followed was one of the most remarkable rises in modern football, from grassroots youth football in Canada to becoming one of the world's most celebrated full-backs.

Widely regarded as Canada's greatest-ever player, Davies has spent years breaking barriers. He became the first player born in the 2000s to feature in Major League Soccer, emerging as a prodigious talent with Vancouver Whitecaps before securing a then-record MLS transfer to Bayern Munich in 2019.

His rise in Germany was rapid. Davies won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award in 2019-20 and played a key role as Bayern captured a historic continental treble, including the UEFA Champions League title. In doing so, he became the first Canadian player to win European club football's biggest prize.

Known for his explosive pace, dribbling and creativity, Davies has become one of the world's premier full-backs. His achievements have extended to the international stage as well, earning him back-to-back CONCACAF Men's Player of the Year honours in 2021 and 2022.

Perhaps his most iconic moment came at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when he scored Canada's first-ever goal at a men's World Cup with a towering header against Croatia. 

Davies has scored 15 international goals for Canada, an extraordinary tally for a player whose primary role is in defence. Yet as Canada prepares for another World Cup challenge, concerns remain over his fitness.

The Bayern Munich star was ruled out of Canada's opening match against Bosnia-Herzegovina as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury sustained during Bayern's UEFA Champions League semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain on May 6.

Canada coach Jesse Marsch remains optimistic about Davies' chances of returning during the group stage.

"We're getting ready to ramp things up," Marsch said on Thursday after revealing Davies had undergone an MRI scan a day earlier.

His absence is a significant blow for a Canadian side eager to make history. Despite qualifying for previous World Cups, Canada are still searching for their first-ever points at the tournament and harbour ambitions of reaching the knockout rounds for the first time.

The country's football boom provides the backdrop to those ambitions.

Football has quietly become Canada's most-played youth sport, surpassing hockey and all other sports in participation. According to a recent report by the charity Jumpstart, half of Canadian youth take part in organised soccer.

Luke Reece, a supporter from the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, reflects a generation that grew up with football rather than hockey at the centre of their sporting lives.

"Wish I had tickets to the game tomorrow, but I don't," Reece said. "I'm going to a game in Vancouver. It was cheaper to get a ticket out there."

For many observers, the World Cup represents a potential breakthrough moment for the sport in Canada.

"It already has a good hold in this country in terms of participation. I think we all expect that to grow. These tournaments inspire so many next-generation people to find their heroes, play the game," said Christina Linz, president of the women's Northern Super League. "I think (it) will really draw those emotional connections."

The excitement has been visible across Toronto, where red Canada jerseys have become a common sight as the tournament unfolds across North America.

Marsch believes the moment extends beyond football.

"I have felt a real momentum behind this team and behind this moment," he said.

"Canada has become more and more multicultural, and I think the excitement for so many different nations to be here in North America and in Canada, and to be playing with all of the greatest players in the world and some of the greatest coaches, I think that there's real excitement behind what this will be."

While Davies remains the team's biggest star, Marsch insists Canada's identity is built on collective pride.

"Every one of these boys is incredibly Canadian, and the pride they have in putting on the jersey, representing the country, hearing the national anthem," Marsch said.

"These guys sing the national anthem, belt it out to the top of their lungs, because they want to show the country how proud they are to be here, to be Canadians, and to represent what Canada is."

Whether Davies returns later in the tournament or not, his journey from a refugee camp in Ghana to becoming captain of Canada's national team has already transformed the sport in the country.