6 forgotten European-based players looking to crack the CanMNT squad for the 2026 World Cup
It’s almost hard to believe, given that the 2024-2025 season technically only ended this past weekend, but the start of the 2025-2026 campaign is almost underway for a large chunk of European clubs - in fact, for some, it's already begun.
Most teams are back in preseason, with some leagues set to start later this month and others in August, with many early-round European qualifiers already underway.
For several CanMNT regulars, this promises to be a big season, and for good reason, with the World Cup just around the corner. Now, the focus for them will be on staying in form and healthy, as they look to be part of the group that helps guide Canada through co-hosting a World Cup.
While Canada’s squad is relatively settled now under head coach Jesse Marsch, they’re deeper than ever, which could open the door for some surprise faces in their World Cup team. For example, there’s everyone’s favourite subject - dual nationals. Seeing how the football world operates, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a couple of young dual nationals emerge and push for Canada’s World Cup squad, the same way Ismaël Koné went from making his professional debut to playing at a World Cup in less than 12 months in 2022.
But there will be plenty of time for Canadians to focus on those dual nationals over the next year. In this piece, we’ll look at a couple of players who people know well, but have maybe fallen off the Canadian radar over the last little while for different reasons, something they want to change as they look to also be included in the 2026 squad.
At the end of the day, the World Cup roster will be picked based on performance, so these players have every shot at being included, provided they hit the ground running in 2025-2026. The re-emergence of someone like Jayden Nelson after a strong half-season with the Vancouver Whitecaps is a perfect example of what that can look like, for example.
With that in mind, here are six players looking to get back on the CanMNT’s radar this European season.
Liam Millar:
To be fair, it’s hard to say Millar has been a forgotten player in the Canadian pool, as he’s been absent with a major knee injury, but that’s one of the reasons it can be tough for a player to deal with an extended injury absence - it opens other players to step up and earn minutes in your place.
It can be easy to forget, but Millar featured in all 11 of the first games Canada played under Marsch, making five starts, as he proved to be a good early fit in his new coach’s system. That shows why his October injury will have felt so frustrating, as he could’ve had a big role to play in Canada’s Nations League and Gold Cup campaigns this year, for example.
Now, he’ll have to figure out where he fits in among Canada’s wingers, especially after the emergence of Ali Ahmed and the resurgence of Tajon Buchanan, which has changed the dynamic of the position, somewhat. To do that, however, a big season at Hull City is a must for Millar, as he enters his second season with the Championship club, scoring one goal and adding two assists in 12 games in 2024-2025 before his late-October injury.
A Hull squad that only survived relegation on goal difference, they’ll have lots to prove in 2025-2026, and it’s hoped that a hungry Millar can help them with that, as he enters the year with the World Cup on his mind.
For what it’s worth, it’s important to remember Millar was also in Canada’s 2022 World Cup squad, even playing nine minutes off the bench vs. Belgium, so don’t discount the value of that experience as makes his return to action, seeing that he’s got 35 caps for Canada despite still only being 25 years of age. When remembering his importance to Marsch’s system in the early days, he’ll feel a bigger role could be in the cards for him at the 2026 World Cup, but that will only come if he can regain his pre-injury form, and that starts with his play for Hull.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) October 16, 2024
JONATHAN DAVID GIVES #CANMNT THE 2-1 LEAD 💥
Combining with Liam Millar, the Lille OSC star puts Canada ahead of Panama with just minutes left in this one with the cool tap-in 🥶
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/vjaFQtJZXH
Theo Bair:
When discussing Canadians playing in the top five European leagues, Theo Bair seems to always be forgotten, even though he quietly featured in 30 games for AJ Auxerre last year, including 29 in Ligue 1 play.
Granted, he played more of a supersub role for the club, but he still started 11 Ligue 1 games on a side that finished 11th in the table, which is nothing to scoff at given that they were freshly promoted from Ligue 2. Yet, that shows the growing forward depth on this Canadian team that he was unable to crack any of their squads this year, as a Ligue 1 regular with two goals and one assist would’ve been a certain inclusion in past Canadian squads.
La belle finition de Theo qui inscrit son premier but en @Ligue1 🎯
— AJ Auxerre (@AJA) October 7, 2024
🌟 𝐋𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 vous est présenté par l’agence 𝑷𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒌𝒂 #TeamAJA #ASSEAJA pic.twitter.com/Y2XOmIHgGD
Certainly, if he can carve out a bigger role on this Auxerre side in 2025-2026, finding the net with more regularity, there’s room for him to return to the Canadian fold. Marsch did include him in four of his first five squads with the CanMNT, giving him 33 minutes, so he’ll know him well and could be tempted to bring him back if he can hit the ground running, especially after a summer where a lot of Canadian bubble strikers didn’t impress.
Their loss could be Bair’s gain, so look for him to prove that his first year in France was just an adjustment period, one that sets the table for an extravagant second stanza. 
Bair's percentile chart from 2024-2025. As seen here, he did a good job of winning aerial duels, dribbling, getting touches in the box and setting up teammates. Perhaps with a bigger role, that'll lead to an increase of output, especially if he can take more shots.
Junior Hoilett:
On a young Canadian team, could Junior Hoilett prove to be a valuable veteran presence?
There’s certainly an argument to be made, and to Hoilett’s credit, he can thank his own performances for that, as he’s done what he can to at least throw his name in the hat. In his first season with Hibernian, he had four goals and five assists in 30 appearances (1642 minutes), doing well to build off a half-season with Aberdeen in 2023-2024, where he had two goals and eight assists in just 15 appearances.
⏪ Junior Hoilett rolling back the years at @HibernianFC pic.twitter.com/CmTUpAHq9D
— SPFL (@spfl) March 31, 2025
Given that Hibernian renewed his contract after they finished third in the SPFL, that’s a good sign of how they perceived Hoilett’s performances with their club, which they’ll hope he can build on, especially as they try and push for the Europa League or Conference League this summer.
That’s a story worth following from a Canadian perspective, as he could still bring a lot to this CanMNT despite his age. Of course, his leadership is one big skill, but he brings quality on the ball, and can play multiple positions, which is valuable for a potential supersub.
GOAL 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 16, 2024
JUNIOR HOILETT, LET'S GO 😎#CanMNT go up 1-0 over Suriname in Leg 1 of this Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals series 💥
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/SJgS9EVSQu
Having made three appearances under Marsch, he’s also made the most of those short cameos, too, which totalled 40 minutes, as he scored a massive goal in Canada’s Nations League quarter-final vs. Suriname last November, showing that he could be ready to take on such a role again if needed. For a Canadian team that isn’t exactly flush with winger depth, that could help him put his name in that mix ahead of next summer. 
Here's Hoilett's percentile chart from 2024-2025. As seen here, he created chances at a high level, and was a strong dribbler, but was also solid at getting shots off. Also, impressively, his defensive numbers are decent, something that Jesse Marsch will be pleased to see.
Zachary Brault-Guillard:
Among the names already seen on this list, Brault-Guillard might be the first true forgotten player, as he hasn’t featured in a Canadian squad since the 2023 Gold Cup, where he played just 10 minutes - and before that, he had just three appearances since the start of 2021, playing 56 minutes in a 2022 World Cup qualifier vs. Aruba, seven minutes in a World Cup qualifier vs. El Salvador and 31 minutes in a pre-World Cup friendly vs. Bahrain.
Yet, he still remains one to watch, as he’s coming off a solid first season in Switzerland, having joined FC Lugano after a five-year stint with CF Montréal. In 2024-2025, he made 27 appearances for his new club (1555 minutes), including two matches of Europa League qualifying, two matches in the Conference League proper and 20 matches in the Swiss Super League.
Now, he could build off that in 2025-2026, too, as Lugano finished fourth in the Swiss league, a figure they’ll want to improve. Having also made it to Europa League qualifiers again, there’s a strong chance they feature in European competition again, as well, which is not bad at all.
Because of that, keep an eye on Brault-Guillard, as Canada’s not exactly flush with full back depth, something that has become apparent over the last few months with all of the injuries they’ve had at the position. Bringing in someone playing regularly in the Swiss league would be a pretty good way to help that, especially given that he’s still only 26 and still has lots to prove. 
Here's Brault-Guillard's percentile chart from 2024-2025. As seen here, his big strength was to put in crosses - otherwise, he was solid, if not unspectacular in a lot of metrics, showing decent defensive impact.
Scott Kennedy:
Much like Brault-Guillard, Kennedy fits the mould of a forgotten Canadian player, as he also hasn’t been in a Canadian squad since the 2023 Gold Cup, where he played 51 minutes across two appearances. Granted, he’s been on a bit of an adventure since - after three seasons in the German second tier with Jahn Regensburg, he joined Austrian top-flight side Wolfsberger AC in 2023-2024, but then moved to Belgian second-tier side KAS Eupen last winter.
He’s been playing semi-regularly - he featured 21 times for Wolfsberger in 2023-2024, before playing just once with them in 2024-2025, making 20 appearances for Eupen since his transfer there in 2024-2025, which is key to note.
The challenge for Kennedy, however, will be the level he’s at - it’s hard to imagine him slotting into a competitive Canadian squad while still playing in Belgium’s second flight. That’s important to note.
What could be worth watching, however, is if a move could be on the table. For example, he could be a worthwhile punt for one of the Canadian MLS teams to make (Toronto FC is going through a centre back injury crisis right now, just to name one), while another top division club in Europe could also be a good move, which could then create an avenue back into the Canadian fold.
For what it’s worth, he has the tools to thrive under Marsch, sitting with the sort of straight speed that fits in the high line Canada now employs, so one can only wonder what that fit could look like. Unless a potential move to a higher level happens, however, that idea remains a long shot, but stranger things have happened.
Justin Smith:
Smith represents a bit of an anomaly on this list, as all those above him have represented Canada before, but Smith still feels like a forgotten name when considering that he featured six times for Canada’s U20s in 2022, and has been in dual-national discussions for a long time.
Since 2022, however, Smith has been on quite the adventure, as he’s spent time in the French second, third and fifth tiers, as well as the Spanish fourth tier. This past year, however, he made a big breakthrough, as in his debut season in Spain with Espanyol’s B team (who plays in the fourth tier), he had the chance to play in five La Liga games and one Copa Del Rey match, not looking wildly out of place despite seeing the field vs. the likes of Barcelona, Valencia, Getafe, Osasuna and Celta de Vigo, either.
Still just 22, it was a reminder of the potential he’s had since he was at Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, where he was on the books as a professional but never made his debut. Because of that, it feels like he could be in for a big 2025-2026, especially if he can carve out a bigger role on Espanyol’s first team, who managed to secure survival in La Liga for next season after earning promotion the year prior.
Able to play in midfield and at the back, he offers good versatility, which could be valuable for a Canadian team looking for more depth at the former, in particular.
Of course, he’ll only enter discussions to be in Canada’s squad going forward if he becomes a first-team regular with Espanyol, so the big goal for him will be to prove that those handful of La Liga appearances weren’t a flash in the pan occurrence, but instead a glimpse to what the future could still hold for him.
