Canada named Jayden Nelson to its World Cup roster on Tuesday as a replacement for midfielder Marcelo Flores, who suffered a knee injury during the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.

Flores, who plays for Mexican side Tigres UANL, had surgery on Friday to repair a cruciate ligament that ruptured during his team’s defeat to Deportivo Toluca last month.

Nelson, 23, currently plays for Austin FC of the MLS. He scored Canada’s second goal in a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan during a pre-World Cup friendly.

Nelson, who previously played for the Vancouver Whitecaps, remained with the Canadian national team after its final roster was announced last month.

Canada, one of the three co-hosts of the World Cup, opens its tournament against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12 before further Group B games against Switzerland and Qatar.

Published on Jun 09, 2026