Maxime Crépeau is Canada’s starting goalkeeper for the 2026 FIFA World Cup while Milan Borjan is not part of the setup.
Crepeau, who plays for Orlando City in Major League Soccer, has been installed between the posts for Canada at the tournament that the country is co‑hosting in 2026. Borjan, by contrast, who earned 80 caps over more than a decade with the national team, last suited up internationally in 2023 and is absent from the World Cup group.
The turn in goalkeeping is striking because Borjan was a staple of Team Canada for years. He moved into club football in Saudi Arabia in 2024 and finished a season in the Saudi Pro League for Al‑Riyadh; the timeline records that he aged out of the national‑team setup just a bit early to take part in the 2026 competition.
That sequence — a long-serving goalkeeper stepping away and a new starter taking over as Canada prepares to host — is the immediate explanation fans need: Crepeau is the goalkeeper Canada is relying on at the World Cup, and Borjan will not be on the roster.
Putting Crepeau in goal closes one question and opens another. On the one hand, the team enters the home tournament with a clear pick at the position. On the other, Borjan’s absence creates a continuity gap; a goalkeeper who compiled 80 caps and who had been a fixture through multiple qualifying cycles is not available for the country’s marquee event.
The facts available outline the what and the when but not the precise why. Public records show Borjan last played for Canada in 2023, joined Al‑Riyadh in 2024 and then was not part of the 2026 setup because he 'aged out' before the tournament. Those details describe the timing; they do not specify the exact factor or decision that produced his early exit from consideration.
For supporters and analysts, that missing detail matters because it shapes how they judge the selection. With Canada hosting the World Cup, the goalkeeper choice will be measured against home‑turf expectations: does Crepeau justify the start with performances, or will questions linger because the team did not have Borjan available to provide veteran continuity?
The most consequential unresolved question is narrowly defined and practical: what specific factor caused Milan Borjan to age out of the setup prior to the 2026 World Cup? Until that is answered, assessments of Canada’s decision will rest on Crepeau’s starts and on how the team handles the pressure of a World Cup played in front of its own supporters.
