TORONTO — As Canada prepares to kick off its FIFA World Cup campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday afternoon, soccer fever is sweeping across the country.
From coast to coast, Canadians will be tuning in to watch the national team take on the world’s biggest stage, and it turns out CFL players are no different.
Earlier this off-season, CFL.ca asked players a simple question: If you could swap jerseys with any soccer player, who would it be? The answers ranged from Canada’s biggest current soccer star to arguably the greatest player in the history of the women’s game.
“For me it’d probably be Alfonso Davies,” said Philpot. “You know, him being a young guy. I just love what he does on the field now. He’s a crazy athlete. I know he’s dealt with a couple of injuries too recently, which you know I can relate to. I think that would be a dope jersey swap, for sure, if we can make it happen.”
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Not big bench guys. 😎
Tyson Philpot and Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund check out the Canada Soccer bench at last week’s match in Montreal ahead of the World Cup! pic.twitter.com/Pvskucn8xl
— CFL (@CFL) June 10, 2026
Davies has become the face of Canadian men’s soccer, starring for Bayern Munich in Germany’s Bundesliga while helping Canada return to the World Cup after a 36-year absence in 2022. He is widely regarded as one of the best left backs in the world and remains one of the country’s most recognizable athletes.
The admiration goes beyond Davies’ highlight-reel runs down the wing. Both athletes know what it’s like to have their momentum interrupted by injury before working their way back to competition. Davies has battled through injuries during his career, while Philpot overcame setbacks of his own before returning to become one of the CFL’s most explosive receivers.
That shared resilience makes the jersey swap an especially fitting choice, with both players representing the next generation of Canadian stars in their respective sports.
BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke went in a slightly different direction.
“I think the obvious answer will probably be Lionel Messi,” said Rourke, “but I think it would be pretty cool to do a jersey swap from the great Christine Sinclair.”
While the Argentine superstar may be the most recognizable name in world soccer, Rourke instead highlighted the lasting impact of Sinclair, Canada’s all-time soccer icon. The longtime national team captain helped lead Canada to a historic Olympic gold medal in Tokyo and retired as the world’s all-time leading international goal scorer, cementing her place among the greatest players the sport has ever seen.
And if Canada’s World Cup opener leaves you wanting to watch even more Canadian talent, the CFL has you covered this weekend.
Philpot and the Montreal Alouettes host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET, while Rourke and the BC Lions take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET, giving fans another opportunity to cheer on two of the country’s top athletes as Week 2 of the CFL season continues.
