As Luc de Fougerolles takes home the prize at Canada Soccer for Best Young Player of 2025, the Footy Prime crew found it timely to discuss some additional CanMNT players who could be on the path to a breakout year in 2026.

Promise David

Subjectively the player with the most to prove, Promise David is also proving to be a high-performing player away from camp. The 24 year old forward from Brampton is rocking it at Union SG in the Belgian Pro League, signed a new contract and has eyes on him all over Europe.

Promise would also make for a well-matched partner to Jonathan David on the field. While Tani Oluwaseyi is also a match, Promise has a slightly higher ceiling. Give him another few months to adapt and he likely has the most to gain from the few months before FIFA World Cup 2026.

Tani Oluwaseyi

Speaking of Tani, it’s believed that 2025 could have been the breakout year for this 25 year old forward but unfortunately, he didn’t come across as clinical enough for the Canada Men’s National Team.

He works hard and does a lot of good things on the pitch, however, he simply didn’t get the ball in the net enough.

Of more positive note, Oluwaseyi has made the move to Spain and is adjusting, and playing, really well for Villarreal CF (La Liga). Coach Marcelino García Toral loves him and is providing him with decent minutes off the bench in major games. Plus, he’s scoring goals!

Tani could definitely have a breakout year with the CanMNT in 2026. We’ll just have to wait and see who is paired with Jonathan David up front.

Theo Bair

One CanMNT player who’s not discussed often enough, Theo Bair had a positive time at AJ Auxerre and has since been loaned to FC Lausanne-Sport (Swiss Super League).

Build-wise, he’s a big guy and everyone knows how big he is. When you see him at training, he’s a beast

Ismaël Koné

While things were up and down for Koné at Marseille (Ligue 1), we saw a lot of potential in the 23 year old midfielder.

Do we think he can get to a big club in Europe? Absolutely, the sky’s the limit.

We’ve previously discussed on the pod how he might have needed to work on getting his mind in the right place and understand better what it means and takes to be a professional footballer. However, if you watch him now at U.S. Sassuolo Calcio (Serie A), he’s playing terrific football and you can see him mature at both club level and with the national team.

Most of all, he’s enjoying his football, believes in himself and is growing as a leader at Sassuolo. He’s got many of the attributes you want in a central midfielder like size, pace, drive and the ability to bring others into the game.

If he does well in the World Cup, starting alongside Stephen Eustáquio, others will continue to take notice of the maturity setting in and he’ll very likely get a very big club move.

Stephen Eustáquio

When it comes to setting up a midfield pairing to battle Canada’s World Cup opponents, the two names that come to mind are Eustáquio and Koné.

An undeniably good balance, Eustáquio could continue to be a maestro in midfield while Koné reads the game, breaks things up and works from box to box.

However, there is a concern about Eustáquio’s inconsistent minutes at Porto (Primeira Liga). With him not playing 90 minutes every week as we head into the World Cup, a January loan might not be a bad idea.

Nathan Saliba

Saliba has a very noticable energy and method in the way he plays. His timing in duels, his recoveries, the way he reads the game and his positioning all fit exactly what Jesse Marsch wants. Saliba’s got the tactical acumen defensively and the energy to match.

If he was a starter at the first game of the World Cup, we wouldn’t flinch. He’s got the engine, he’s got the talent, he complements players like Koné well and could do a positive job in midfield.

Ali Ahmed

We could argue that Ali Ahmed has already had a breakout year. In 2025, his improvement was incredible and his ability to beat defenders and deliver during matches massively improved.

If he continues to improve his finishing, and scores more goals in 2026, he can go to another level.

At CanMNT, he’s the only true left winger in the group alongside Alphonso Davies and Richie Laryea. If he could add goals to that, the conversation about the left side will become even more fascinating.

Will Cyle Larin Get a Spot?

While Cyle may not be getting much of a sniff at Feyenoord right now, we still think he could have big months ahead.

After losing his roster rank partly through injury, he’s simply got to play himself not just back into the squad but the starting 11. A respected veteran who’s still got a lot to prove, our eyes are still on Cyle.

Alfie Jones, Derek Cornelius, Moïse Bombito & Final Thoughts

While Jones has already proved himself to Jesse Marsch, there’s a real battle between him and Cornelius for a starting role.

If Moise Bombito is healthy, he steps in no matter what thanks to his brilliantly quick pacing

With CanMNT now having depth we haven’t always seen in the past, the standards have been raised and Jesse Marsch has more flexibility. The starting 11 is no longer a locked repeat match after match.

Every spot is earned, every camp matters and every person we’ve listed has something to prove heading into 2026.