Alfie Jones officially eligible for CanMNT, will start vs. Venezuela
Canadian men's national team head coach Jesse Marsch has confirmed that defender Alfie Jones is now officially eligible to play for Canada, having taken his oath of citizenship on Monday. Marsch revealed that Jones will be in the starting XI for Tuesday night's friendly against Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Jones, a 28-year-old centre-back born in Bristol, England, has chosen to represent Canada. He is eligible via his grandmother, an Alberta native, and has now become a Canadian citizen and can play for Les Rouges.
Marsch called the Middlesbrough FC defender up to this Canada camp in hopes that he would be able to make his international debut, but Jones was not yet eligible to play last Thursday against Ecuador. Now, after completing the citizenship process, he is slated to appear against Venezuela.
"I want to acknowledge a lot of people inside our organization, as well as the Canadian government who helped us push this through in a respectful way, but a way that showed urgency for Alfie, for our team and for our preparation for the World Cup," Marsch said in an availability on Monday.
"I'm really excited to add Alfie, I'm really appreciative of everybody's work behind the scenes. Some people had to tolerate my impatience, I tried to always be respectful, but they did it in a way that I think showed importance for the World Cup next summer."
Jones brings an extensive resume in English football to Canada, having spent four consecutive years in the EFL Championship with Hull City, winning the club's Player of the Year award in 2022-23.
He signed for Middlesbrough over the summer, and has started all but one match for the club this season, racking up 1,329 minutes already in 15 games.
Canada's friendly against Venezuela, their final match of 2025, kicks off at Chase Stadium in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 18 (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT).
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