The 2026 World Cup is less than two weeks away, as the Canadian national team will begin its tournament on June 12 in Group B against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Canadian midfielder Marcelo Flores was looking forward to being one of the top players for his country on the world’s biggest stage this summer.
On Saturday, Flores left during the second half of the Concacaf Champions Cup final while playing for Mexico’s Tigres against Toluca.
While he was dribbling in Toluca’s box, Flores went down, grasping his right knee after clipping his foot in the grass. The 22-year-old was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the field by the training staff.
Canada and Tigres UANL midfielder Marcelo Flores (24) against Inter Miami CF.© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
This final was the last competitive match Flores was set to play in before representing his country of Canada in the World Cup. On Sunday, after the scary injury, he took to Instagram to describe what he has been going through.
“Sorry I haven’t gotten back to anyone yet, really tough times, my ACL is gone,” Flores wrote in a statement on his Instagram story. “I just wanted to say thank you to everyone and all the messages, I haven’t been on my phone or checked messages but I promise to get around to everyone and I really appreciate the concerns, I’ll be back stronger ❤️.”
This injury to Flores came just one day after he was selected to Canada’s squad to play in the World Cup. This would have been his first World Cup playing for Canada after making just two appearances for the national team leading up to the tournament.
With Flores now being out for the tournament, head coach Jesse Marsch and the CANMNT will have to make a decision on how to replace him on the squad.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
