Canada Poised to Land Ex-Mexico Prodigy in Major 2026 World Cup Coup

Tigres attacking midfielder Marcelo Flores appears to be moving closer to choosing Canada as his international destination, after it seemed his opportunity to don the maple leaf had passed when he earned his first senior cap for Mexico in 2021.

Canadian head coach Jesse Marsch has maintained communication and made regular visits in his pursuit of the tri-national player who holds citizenship in Canada, Mexico, and England. Now in 2026, several years following former coach John Herdman's initial attempts to recruit Flores, Canada appears poised to secure his services. 

"I had heard numerous things about Marcelo prior to our first meeting. Upon taking this position, I approached everything and everyone with a completely open perspective," Marsch shared with the Vamos Network. 

"What I discovered upon meeting Marcelo was that despite his youth, he possessed remarkable maturity. Having gone through some meaningful experiences and difficult challenges, he was compelled to develop maturity in various aspects."

Having previously suited up for Mexico, Flores appears on Canada's official January roster, with the possibility of earning his debut minutes for his birth nation in a friendly match against Guatemala on January 17. 

Currently a dynamic offensive player with 72 total appearances for Tigres across all competitions, Flores represented Mexico through various youth levels before pledging to El Tri at the senior level, despite being born in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada. 

However, his senior international experience with Mexico was limited to brief substitute appearances in a December 2021 friendly versus Chile and an April 2022 friendly against Guatemala, before making his competitive bow against Suriname in June 2022 during Concacaf Nations League action. 

Following that competitive appearance, he hasn't received another invitation. Therefore, when Marsch assumed control of the Canadian national team in 2024, the possibility of Flores switching allegiances became a realistic prospect. 

"Canada is also pursuing me, but I believe that if Mexico selects me for the 2026 World Cup, that's where I would prefer to be," Flores admitted in 2025. "At this moment, I'm uncertain, honestly. I'm contemplating and simply preparing for when I'll make my final choice."

Canada Debut Approaches for Flores

This week presents Flores with the chance to represent Canada for the first time while keeping an eye on securing a spot in the 2026 World Cup roster. Previously, he opened the door to this possibility in November as a training participant in Marsch's camp, though he avoided committing to a cap-tying situation. 

If he features against Guatemala, he would need to submit a one-time international switch request to FIFA, permanently linking his future to Les Rouges with aspirations of competing in the 2026 World Cup on home territory and beyond.

"No final decisions have been reached yet, but I continue working to help him understand that being part of this Canadian group and team is truly extraordinary," Marsch explained.  "He joined our November camp as a guest participant. I believe he made a significant impression, and everyone trained exceptionally well.

"This represents another chance, I believe, for him to familiarize himself with us and for us to learn more about him. I'm genuinely optimistic that we'll persuade him to make the transition and become Canadian."

World Cup Aspirations Following Earlier Attempts

When Flores originally pledged to Mexico, he was competing for Arsenal's youth teams and harbored ambitious goals for his European career as a young player. The Canadian option, however, remained a consideration, even with his father, Rubén Flores, having competed in Mexico. 

In January 2021, Flores actually accepted a Canadian call-up under Herdman, before withdrawing to remain with Arsenal during the busy European schedule.

Nevertheless, Herdman continued discussing Flores, including following a 2–0 victory in 2022 World Cup qualifying against the U.S. men's national team, as Canada proceeded to lead the final qualifying round to earn its first World Cup qualification in 36 years.

"I'm certain you have players like young Marcelo Flores [who] might be observing after this match and questioning whether he wants to represent Mexico or Canada," Herdman stated at that time.
This is the kind of influence we're beginning to create globally."

Currently, as Flores's club career has evolved into consistent playing time in Liga MX, he has fallen out of El Tri's considerations, and his attention has shifted to Canada, where he is gradually moving closer to pledging his international future.

To earn a World Cup roster spot as a squad player, he must excel against Guatemala and secure another chance in the official March friendlies, hoping to make the final World Cup preparation camp in June. To achieve this, he'll need to commit defensively under Marsch's stringent expectations for wide players. 

"Despite his commitment to the Mexican national team, he was still born in Canada, feels Canadian, knows many of the national team players, and that remains in his heritage," Marsch noted. "The discussions I've had were all very positive and I genuinely enjoyed them. And while he didn't lose his confidence, it was more grounded in practicality."

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