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The Canada men’s national team did not have the 2025 they had hoped for, despite some landmark results against top nations worldwide.
At the start of the year, the goal for manager Jesse Marsch’s side was clear—win a trophy. Canada managed to fail spectacularly in their two attempts at silverware in 2025, falling to Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal and then to Guatemala in the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals.
Yet, the secondary goal for Marsch in the year before the Reds co-host the 2026 World Cup was to deepen the national team player pool and provide competition amongst the starting lineup and potential best squad, which he accomplished. There has never been more players vying for spots on the roster than there is heading ahead of next summer’s tournament.
Here are Sports Illustrated’s picks for the best Canadian player of 2025.
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Jonathan David had a formative year in 2025, ending his five-year spell with Lille and joining Juventus as the first elite jump of his career. He left Lille with 109 goals in 232 appearances, and went on to score in his debut with the Serie A giants, a 2–0 win over Parma on opening day.
While he cooled off to end the year and had to compete for playing time as he settled in Italy, David has recently rediscovered his form, scoring a winning goal in Champions League action against Bodø/Glimt and finding more opportunities in Serie A.
Meanwhile, with Canada, he played in all 14 matches, tallying six goals and two assists, while also earning 2024–25 Concacaf Men’s Player of the Year honors in November.
Tajon Buchanan suffered a brutal broken leg in the summer of 2024, but returned to form in 2024–25 after moving from Inter Milan to Villarreal on loan. The midfielder then signed a permanent deal ahead of the 2025–26 season.
While he had not been at his best throughout his time with Inter, Buchanan rediscovered his form in La Liga, daring to take on defenders one-on-one with his top-tier speed and skillful dribbling. In 2025, he registered six goals and two assists in 37 appearances across all competitions for the Yellow Submarine, including a hat trick against Girona in the second gameweek.
With his confidence back and having found a consistent club home in a top-flight European league, Buchanan likely has locked down a starting position on the right wing for Canada at the World Cup.
2025 was the year of Promise David. The 24-year-old established himself as one of the top goalscorers in the calendar year and made his first appearances for Canada, appearing in eight matches and scoring four goals. In fact, he averaged a goal every 51 minutes in an incredible start to his national team tenure.
David’s best moments, though, came with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Belgian top-flight, where he led the club to its first title in 90 years, on the back of 19 goals in 34 appearances in 2024–25.
Through 2025–26, he scored his first goal in the Champions League and has gone on to score 12 more across all competitions. After 18 games in the Belgian Pro League, the Canadian also sits atop the Golden Boot race for the season.
The next step for him will be to impress Marsch and establish himself as an actual counter-pressing attacker, potentially earning a spot alongside Jonathan David in the Canadian starting lineup.
Dayne St. Clair is the favorite to start for Canada at the World Cup, despite being in a tense back-and-forth goalkeeper battle with Maxime Crépeau throughout 2024 and 2025 under Marsch.
However, despite splitting most two-game windows, there is a belief that St. Clair has the inside track, considering he has started the more prominent friendly among those combinations. Most recently, the goalkeeper was given a match against No. 23-ranked Ecuador, while Crépeau started against No. 48 Venezuela.
The 28-year-old continued to establish himself with the national team in 2025 and enjoyed his best MLS season yet, earning Goalkeeper of the Year honors for his play with Minnesota United.
He became the second Canadian to win the award, joining Pat Onstad, who won in 2003 and 2005, by leading MLS with a save percentage of 78% and a goals-against average of 1.00 or lower.
After failing to reach a new deal with Minnesota, he is poised to sign with MLS Cup winners Inter Miami for the 2026 season and beyond.
Through the tail end of 2024 and into 2025, Tani Oluwaseyi had a formative two years and is a frontrunner to start for Canada at the World Cup, likely alongside Jonathan David in Marsch’s 4-4-2.
After breaking out with Minnesota United in 2024 and earning his first Canadian cap, Oluwaseyi hit new heights in 2025. He began the year in MLS with Minnesota, recording10 goals and eight assists in 24 matches, before going on to start regularly for Canada across international friendlies and the Gold Cup.
His physical skills, ability to counter-press effectively and blistering pace caught the eye of La Liga side Villarreal, who spent a reported $8.5 million on the attacker to bring him in for the 2025–26 season, where he’s linked up with fellow Canadian Buchanan.
Since signing with the Spanish side, Oluwaseyi has scored in La Liga and the Champions League, while continuing to start for Canada, bringing him to two goals in 21 international caps.
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