Alphonso Davies may have only turned 18 in early November, but Canada’s soccer wunderkind is no stranger to watershed moments.

At 17, he charmed 200-plus delegates in Russia in June as part of the U.S.-Canada-Mexico presentation for the 2026 men’s World Cup bidding.

“My parents are from Liberia and fled the Civil War. I was born in Ghana, in a refugee camp. It was a hard life. But when I was 5 years old, a country called Canada welcomed us in and the boys on the football team made me feel at home,” Davies said, clad in bright red Canada Soccer sweats and sporting spiky hair and a wide smile that revealed braces.

“Today, I am 17 years old and I play for the men’s national team and I’m a proud Canadian citizen. And my dream is to some day compete in the World Cup, maybe even in my hometown of Edmonton.”

The joint bid by the North American countries won in a landslide, 134-65 over Morocco, and Davies may get his wish. Toronto, Edmonton and Montreal are the expected sites for 10 Cup games.

Davies, a Vancouver Whitecaps product who debuted with the Canadian national team at 16, signed a $22-million (U.S.) deal with German giant Bayern Munich in July that will take him through 2023. The women’s program has grown around captain Christine Sinclair, a generational talent. With Davies, the men’s side could do the same.

The coach tasked with getting the Canadians there is Englishman John Herdman, Sinclair’s longtime coach on the women’s side. Herdman replaced Octavio Zambrano last January. He is no stranger to uphill battles — Herdman took over the women’s team after it finished last of 16 teams at the 2011 Women’s World Cup and led the group to a pair of Olympic bronze medals — but he has his work cut out.

Canada is ranked 78th in the world, up 17 spots after going 4-0 against lower-tier nations in 2018, and qualifying for a 32-team field in the 2022 World Cup will be a challenge. The lowest-ranked teams at least year’s event were No. 67 Saudi Arabia and No. 70 Russia, the tournament host. Canada will likely be granted an automatic berth as a co-host in 2026, when the field will include 48 teams.

Canada’s first target is the top 10, of 34 countries, in CONCACAF Nations League qualifying. That would guarantee a spot in next summer’s Gold Cup and League A of the inaugural Nations League competition against United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras.

If Canada achieves that goal — the squad likely needs at least one point against French Guiana at BC Place in March — there will be more opportunity to make significant strides.

There is also the risk that Canada isn’t ready to take that step and be competitive with the top teams in the regions, though Herdman believes he laid a foundation in his first 12 months in charge that will prepare Canada for stiffer opponents.

Veteran players Scott Arfield and Atiba Hutchinson are lending a hand in developing the next wave: Davies, Liam Millar, Alessandro Busti, Zachary Brault-Guillard, Jonathan David and Ballou Table, all teens who play for European clubs.

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Herdman believes his team will eventually shine.

“I think for Canadians, (2019) may be an opportunity for some of these younger players to break out like Alphonso did back in 2017.”