Canada had a field day against Qatar, winning 6-0 with David providing three of them. Qatar weren’t able to defend at all, got two red cards and were disheveled by David and company. It came at a cost as midfielder Ibrahim Koné suffered a gruesome leg injury that will render him unavailable for the rest of the World Cup.

With this, David joins Messi as the top goalscorer of the tournament so far. Messi scored his three goals in a magnificent performance vs. Algeria. However, Messi has played just once in this tournament, while David has played twice.

2026 World Cup top goalscorers so far

Messi and David are the only ones with a hat-trick in this tournament, but the reality is that there are a plethora of names following them really close behind. What it’s certain is that the Golden Boot race is barely starting.

• Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 3
• Jonathan David (Canada) – 3
• Kylian Mbappé (France) – 2
• Erling Haaland (Norway) – 2
• Harry Kane (England) – 2
• Kai Havertz (Germany) – 2
• Folarin Balogun (United States) – 2
• Yasin Ayari (Sweden) – 2
• Elijah Just (New Zealand) – 2

How many players have scored a hat-trick in the World Cup?

Scoring a hat-trick in the World Cup stage is quite a feat. However, it’s been done plenty of times. After all, the World Cup has been around since 1930. A total of 53 players have scored World Cup hat-tricks for 56 3-goal performances. This means only four players have scored a hat-trick twice.

Those four players are:

• Gabriel Omar Batistuta (Argentina) – 1994, 1998
• Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) – 1954 x2
• Just Fontaine (France) – 1958 x2
• Gerd Müller (West Germany) – 1970 x2

In a much more exclusive group, only two players have scored hat-tricks in a World Cup final:

• Kylian Mbappe (France) – 2022
• Geoff Hurst (England) – 1966

Alphonso Davies leads the way in that regard, as he is one of the biggest names on Canada’s national team and perhaps the most prominent example of a foreign-born player representing Les Rouges. Davies was named to Canada’s roster for the 2026 World Cup despite dealing with a hamstring injury that put his status for the tournament in doubt.

Still, Davies is not the only foreign-born player on Jesse Marsch’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. In fact, the other marquee star on the roster, Jonathan David, was also born outside Canada, although his birthplace was much closer than Davies’. David was born to Haitian parents in New York City, United States, before moving to Haiti at a young age and later relocating to Ottawa with his family.

As for Davies, he was born in 2000 to Liberian parents in a refugee camp in Ghana before moving to Edmonton in 2005. Davies and David—the two faces of the Canadian national team—are just two examples. The list of foreign-born players extends to seven members of Canada’s 2026 World Cup roster.

Full list of Canadian players born abroad

In addition to David and Davies, Canada’s squad for the 2026 World Cup features the likes of Owen Goodman, Luc de Fougerolles, and Alfie Jones, all of which were born in England but naturalized Canadians. Moreover, Ismael Kone, who was born in Ivory Coast, also represents Canada at the 2026 World Cup.

Kone could’ve chosen to represent the Elephants, as there are several players born in France and abroad representing Ivory Coast at soccer’s biggest competition. Lastly, Tani Oluwaseyi is also a part of Canada’s squad, although he was born in Nigeria and moved to The Great White North at the age of 10.

Where are Canadian-born players from?

With seven players born abroad, the remaining 19 players on the 26-man roster were all born and raised in Canada. However, we’ll take a look at which province provided the most players to the national team for the 2026 World Cup.

To no one’s surprise, Ontario—the most populous province in Canada—produced the most players on Canada’s World Cup roster, with 11 members of the squad hailing from the province. Quebec ranks second with four players, while British Columbia has produced three. Nova Scotia contributed one player. Provinces such as Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan did not produce any players on the roster.

Alberta may have a claim to recognition, as Davies spent most of his life in the province, but he was born in Ghana. For the purposes of this analysis, however, Alberta comes away empty-handed. Check out the full list below:

• Ontario: Dayne St. Clair, Derek Cornelius, Richie Laryea, Ali Ahmed, Tajon Buchanan, Stephen Eustaquio, Liam Millar, Jonathan Osorio, Promise David, Cyle Larin, and Jayden Nelson
• Quebec: Maxime Crepeau, Moise Bombito, Mathieu Choiniere, and Nathan Saliba.
• British Columbia: Alistair Johnston, Niko Sigur, and Joel Waterman.
• Nova Scotia: Jacob Shaffelburg.

The Brooklyn, New York native is in his fifth season with Lille, following a successful two-year stint with Gent in Belgium. To date, David has amassed 124 goals in 272 games throughout his club career. At the international level, he has scored 29 goals in 55 caps for Canada, tying him with Cyle Larin as the country’s all-time top goal scorer.

A recent report from Tutto Sport in Italy highlights that Jonathan David is on the wish list of three top European clubs, including two from Serie A and one from La Liga.

Who is After Jonathan David?

According to the report, Inter Milan, a long-time admirer of David, is among the clubs showing interest. Juventus, currently undergoing a team overhaul under new manager Thiago Motta, is also a potential destination.

FC Barcelona, the third club in the running, is interested due to David’s Lille contract expiring at the end of the season. The report suggests that David has no plans to extend his stay in France.

With no transfer fee required, David is likely to attract numerous suitors come summer, and he could join one of these three clubs. Notably, Inter Milan has been closely monitoring David for some time.

The head-to-head record between Canada and Guadeloupe is tied at one victory each, therefore there is no clear favorite. There have been no draws thus yet.

The Reds won their previous meeting, which took place on June 11, 2011, by a score of 1-0. When these two nations meet for the first time since then, in the 2023 Gold Cup, it promises to be an even more intriguing encounter.

Why is Canada’s Jonathan David missing the 2023 Gold Cup?

Some key players will be unavailable for Canada’s Gold Cup campaign. Along with Alphonso Davies, Cyle Larin, Tajon Buchanan, Alistair Johnston, Atiba Hutchinson, and Ismael Kone, Jonathan David is one of the seven players who will not be traveling with the team from the Nations League to the Gold Cup.

For reasons including rest for injured players and rest for others who just need a break, head coach John Herdman has previously said that the roster would be subject to change.

“We’ve got some young lads that we’ll start looking at for this Gold Cup. I’d love to have the same squad filtering over but it won’t happen. It is a tough time,” Herdman told the reporters on June 19.

It will be Canada’s first World Cup since Mexico 1986, where they lost all three games and did not register a goal. Jonathan David of Lille is hoping to turn those fortunes around for Canada.

Jonathan David has been with Lille for three seasons now scoring 41 goals in 108 games. Before that the 22-year-old was with Gent in Belgium and recorded 37 goals in 83 matches. David is hoping Qatar is his major coming out party and that he can move to a top league.

Jonathan David and his desire to play at a bigger league

The Brooklyn, New York born forward moved to Canada at age six and has become a young prospect in soccer. David has 22 goals in 34 matches for The Canucks and in that short time is the second leading goal scorer in Canada’s history.

David spoke to Sky Sports and stated, “I was always watching European football on TV. So, for me that was always the goal. For me it was, I only wanted to go to Europe… The next step is always growing, having more ambition, a bigger club. Every player wants to play for a massive club in their life. I think if I had the chance to do it, I’ll go for it for sure.”

When compared where he would like to go to next the Premier League or LaLiga, David stated, “They are two different leagues. But I think I can adapt to both for sure… I think with the experience that I’ve had here in France, it will help me a lot if I need to adapt to someplace else a lot faster. I think both leagues suit me.”

David has won two championships at Lille and is teammate of USMNT winger Tim Weah, who was also born in New York.

Last summer, Los Blancos were notably quiet as they have only signed David Alaba, who arrived for nothing after his deal with Bayern expired, and Eduardo Camavinga, the formerRennes sensation who cost them €31m.

Meanwhile, theybagged €40m from Manchester United for Raphael Varane and€35m from Arsenal for Martin Odegaard. But things would be different at the end of the season, with Carlo Ancelotti reportedly interested in a Canadian prospect who has already caught the eye of the Premier League.

Report: Real Madrid, Premier League sides interested in Canadian young star

According to Marca, Real Madrid are seriously interested in Lille striker Jonathan David, who is enjoying a wonderful moment in the Ligue 1 and looks ready for a new challenge in Europe.

The Canada international, 21, is the French league top goalscorer having been on target 12times so far, way more than PSG superstars Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe, for instance.

David’s stats with the Canucks are also impressive, as he boasts 18 goals in 24 senior appearances. Lille paid €27m for him in 2020 and, although his contract runs until 2025, his agent said this will be his last season at the French club.

This situation could have an impact on Hazard, given that things haven’t exactly gone according to plan since he joined Madrid. His former club Lille would welcome the Belgian star with open arms though, so it remains to be seen whether the interest in Jonathan David ultimately has an effect on Hazard’s future.