Canada begins an exciting summer with two high profile fixtures against Ukraine and Côte D’Ivoire at BMO Field in Toronto
VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender Sam Adekugbe, and midfielder/forwards Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson have been called up to Canada's men's national team among 23 players for the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament in Toronto at BMO Field this summer.
Adekugbe has been a part of Canada's men's national team since 2015 and has played in 42 matches, including at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with three goals scored. Ahmed most recently played for Canada in the 2025 Concacaf Nations League in March, and will be looking to add to his 14 appearances for his country since making his debut at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup. Nelson has played in five matches for Canada, with the last appearance coming at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup where he scored one of his two goals for the senior men's national team.
As a result, the trio will miss the 'Caps MLS regular season home match against Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday, June 8. The final roster for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup will be announced at a later date.
The new Canadian Shield competition will bring together Canada, Ukraine, Côte D’Ivoire and New Zealand for a four-match series over two days to determine a champion in this June’s FIFA Window. Canada is set to take on Ukraine on Saturday, June 7 and Côte D’Ivoire on Tuesday, June 10 at BMO Field and is being presented by MLSE, SPORTFIVE, and MIB Sport Agency.
CANMNT will continue its community outreach initiatives by starting training camp in Halifax, hosting an open training session on Wednesday, June 3 at Wanderers Ground. Tickets are priced at $10 and are available here.
“We are excited for two competitive matches on home soil in front of Canadian crowds. We expect an excellent atmosphere and spirited matches that will help prepare us for the types of games we will play at this summer’s Gold Cup and next summer’s FIFA World Cup.” – Jesse Marsch, MLS Canada Head Coach of the Men’s National Team
Canada has been drawn into Group B for this summer’s 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, where they will face Honduras, El Salvador, and Curaçao in the Group Stage of North America's premier international tournament. Canada’s competition will begin on June 17 as they take on Honduras at Vancouver’s BC Place before traveling to Houston for matches against Curaçao on June 21 and El Salvador on June 24. The Group B winner and runner-up will advance to the knockout stage.
25th Anniversary Gold Cup Celebration
Twenty-five years later as we prepare for the 2025 edition of the Concacaf Gold Cup, Canada Soccer will celebrate this most memorable achievement by our 2000 National Team Heroes during the Saturday June 7 home match in The Canadian Shield tournament. As part of an on-field presentation, Canada Soccer invites members of the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup-winning team in Toronto to join at halftime to be celebrated by Canadian supporters.
Broadcast Information
The Canadian Shield matches will air live on OneSoccer, available on the fuboTV Canada platform, as a linear channel on Telus’s Optik TV (Channel 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANMNT.
Ticket Information
The Canadian Shield will take place over two days, 7 and 10 June during the summer FIFA window, with two double headers hosted at BMO Field and a tournament champion crowned. Tickets to the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament are sold as double headers, with tickets for each day giving access to both games. Full tournament ticket packs as well as single tickets are available at CanadianShieldTournament.com.
CANMNT A-Z
Player | Age | City in which they grew up | Notable Canadian youth clubs
Adekugbe, Sam | 30 | Calgary, AB, CAN | Calgary Foothills SC
Ahmed, Ali | 24 | Toronto, ON, CAN | North Toronto SC
Bassong, Zorhan | 26 | Toronto, ON, CAN | CS Longueuil
Buchanan, Tajon | 26 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
Choinière, Mathieu | 26 | St-Alexandre, QC, CAN | AS Haut-Richelieu
Cornelius, Derek | 27 | Ajax, ON, CAN | Ajax SC
Crépeau, Maxime | 31 | Candiac, QC, CAN | Ligue de soccer pour enfants de Candiac
David, Jonathan | 25 | Ottawa, ON, CAN | Ottawa Gloucester Dragons
David, Promise | 23 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Vaughan Azzurri
de Fougerolles, Luc | 19 | London, UK |
Eustáquio, Stephen | 28 | Leamington, ON, CAN | Leamington MS
Jebbison, Daniel | 21 | Oakville, ON, CAN | ANB Futbol
Knight-Lebel, Jamie | 20 | Montréal, QC, CAN |
Koné, Ismaël | 22 | Montréal, QC, CAN | AS Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Larin, Cyle | 30 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton YSC
Laryea, Richie | 30 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Club Uruguay Toronto
Nelson, Jayden | 22 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brapmton YSC
Oluwaseyi, Tani | 24 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | GPS Academy
Saliba, Nathan | 21 | Longueuil, QC, CAN | CS Longueuil
Shaffelburg, Jacob | 25 | Port Williams, NS, CAN | Valley United SC
Sigur, Niko | 21 | Burnaby, BC, CAN | Mountain United FC
St. Clair, Dayne | 28 | Pickering, ON, CAN
