Ali Ahmed is going to the World Cup. Canada named the Norwich City winger in its 26-man squad for next month’s home tournament, days after he had limped out of the final Championship game of the season with a hamstring concern.
The selection answers the question that had hung over Ahmed since that match against Hull: whether the injury would cost him a place on the plane. It also matters because Canada has now locked in its roster for a rare home World Cup, with Jesse Marsch cutting his training group from 32 to 26 players and handing the 25-year-old a place in the final list.
Ahmed said earlier that when he went down, the possibility of missing out went straight through his mind. He told OneSoccer that he worried the problem might hurt his chances of performing at the highest level he could, though he also said the hamstring issue was not too serious. He spent the past few weeks in rehab in Canada, and he was hoping to be involved in the final pre-tournament friendly against the Republic of Ireland next weekend.
That makes his inclusion more than a routine squad update. Canada will play in only its second World Cup since 1986, opening in Toronto on Friday, June 12 against Bosnia and Herzegovina before meeting Qatar and Switzerland in the group stage. Marsch described the selection as an honour and said the squad reflects the communities, cultures and journeys that make up the country, as Canada prepares to host a tournament that has been a long time coming.
Ahmed’s place also adds to Norwich’s summer footprint on the international stage. He is the fourth Canaries player confirmed for the tournament after Jose Cordoba, Anis Ben Slimane and Kenny McLean were named in their own squads, with Mo Toure expected to follow for Australia in the coming days. Ahmed is one of five players in Canada’s squad who play domestically in England, a small detail that underlines how much of this team has been built outside the country even as it prepares to play on home soil.
The hamstring scare did not knock Ahmed out of contention, and that is the story. For Canada, the bigger issue now is how much, if at all, he will feature against Ireland next weekend before the focus shifts fully to Toronto and the opening match that will define the start of their summer.
