This story is part of Billboard’s Global World Cup Series, a collection of 11 cover stories which pairs top soccer stars across the world competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with highly-touted musicians in accompanying countries.

In just a few days, the eyes of the world will turn to Toronto and Vancouver for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. At the center of that global spotlight stands Alphonso Davies, captain of the Canadian men’s national team. 

Though he’s battling through injuries and may miss the beginning of the tournament, the 25-year-old soccer star is a perfect encapsulation of the young and scrappy host team and the country they represent. He’s stylish and energetic, easy to root for, but not just happy to be here. He wants to win. He wants to show the world that Canadians aren’t just hockey-playing nice guys. They can be ruthless. They can win. And, as with globally popular artists like Drake and Justin Bieber, they can be the drivers of worldwide sport and culture. 

“A lot of people underestimate us Canadians,” Davies says.

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Born in a refugee camp in Ghana after his parents fled the civil war in Liberia, the player known affectionately as Phonzy has already lived many lives. His family immigrated to Canada when he was a young child, and he settled in Edmonton, Alberta when he was 5 years old. By the age of 15, he was a budding star on Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the first-ever player born in the 2000s to play professionally in the North American MLS league. Soon, he was transferred to Bayern Munich in Germany, where he has won seven Bundesliga titles — the most recent coming less than two months ago, after recovering from recent hamstring and ACL injuries and an earlier diagnosis of myocarditis (heart inflammation).

Beyond the pitch, Davies is one of the most popular players in the world. He has more than 6 million followers on TikTok and more than 5 million on Instagram, and is often surrounded by music — afrobeats like Burna Boy and Davido, drill hip-hop like Tee Grizzley and Moneybagg Yo, and countrymen like Drake, who he got to know personally after attending his concert in Germany in 2025 (see our interview with Drake producer and Canada Soccer Music Ambassador Boi1da for more on that here). With high-profile fashion brand deals and friendships with online stars like iShowSpeed, he’s a star of the modern runway that is the arena tunnel, an occasionally drill rapper, and a man that everyone wants a piece of — especially now. 

Billboard Canada caught up with Davies to talk about the importance of music to him and his game, his favorite artists, his own forays into music and what he hopes the world will learn about Canada this summer.

You’re usually the guy picking the music before a game. How did that start?

One time after a couple of years at Bayern Munich, the team was staying in a hotel outside of Munich. I called my agent and asked him if he could pick up a boombox and bring it to the hotel. I jumped in and started playing my tunes, and from that day I kind of became the locker room DJ.

How important is music to you before a match?

I listen to a lot of music [before the game], just to clear my head so I can play the game of football, the game that I love. Being able to see the pitch before, knowing the atmosphere, knowing the calm before the storm, how it feels, that’s important too.

Do you have a favorite song that helps lock you in?

I don’t really have a favorite song, but I do listen to a lot of Drake. Him being Canadian and making good music, I listen to him a lot. But having a specific favorite song, I don’t really have just one. Just something that gets the tempo up, knowing the football that I play is very intense, each and every game. It helps get my mind clear and my brain focused for the game.

Alphonso Davies Mat Neidhardt

You released a hip-hop song last year called “München My Throne” to announce you were re-signing with Bayern Munich until 2030. Why was it important for you to announce the news through music?

That was a funny one. When I re-signed, the Bayern Munich media team decided to get a little studio and record a song. If you really listen to it, it’s not really my voice. I was just doing the adlibs and talking in between. But it was a cool idea because I love music. I love listening to music, and I dip and dabble in making music as well.

You released the drill track “Nur Weil” as part of Stugang alongside fellow Bundesliga stars Alexis Fambo and Stephan Mensah, and you’ve teased some other songs. When did you start experimenting with making your own music?

I’ve always had a passion for music. After becoming a professional football player I was exposed to the fashion world and to the music industry. I believe fashion and music along with football bring people together.

Recording and making music [myself] really started in Covid in 2020. Not being able to play football and staying at home for so long, me and my friends just decided to just make some music in my basement, record it and drop it and see where it goes. And yeah, I fell in love with that. And no, I don’t make music anymore. I think that time is done. My music career is over … for now. 

Who are the musical artists who inspire you most?

I listen to a lot of Tee Grizzly. I think I like his flow. I like what he talks about in his music, his story. And also Moneybagg Yo. Everything about those guys, the way they rap, the way they tell the story throughout the songs is very nice and they make it catchy as well. I think those two guys will be up there. And also Drake, as well.

What does it mean to you to represent Canada at the World Cup? 

It means a lot. Being able to go to the World Cup in 2022 with Canada for the first time in so long, it was a very touching moment. I shared that moment on social media when we made it, during my heart problem, my myocarditis. But playing at home in the World Cup in Canada will be amazing — not just for me, but for the whole country. Also for the players playing on the pitch to open our home, open Canada to the world and see how Canada really is. 

What do you hope the world will see about Canada when the games are hosted in Toronto and Vancouver? 

A lot of people underestimate us Canadians. A lot of people see Canadians as very nice. I mean, we are nice, but I think they see us over-nice. [They don’t see us] as being ruthless, having that grit between our teeth, being that team on the pitch that does anything to win. But stepping on the pitch, I think we can show the world that we can play football too. It’s not just ice hockey or baseball or basketball. To show the world that will be truly amazing. 

You were born in a refugee camp in Ghana before coming to Canada, and now you’re based in Germany. How has being Canadian inspired how you are as a person and as an athlete?

I vaguely remember our transition from Ghana. I was very young at the time. But my identity as a person and as an athlete developed in Canada. I loved playing all sports and I even tried hockey, but football was what I loved the most. It was not an easy journey, there was a lot of hard work, but I had good people around me to support me — from my parents to my former youth coach and now my agent, Nedal Huoseh.

Becoming a UNHCR goodwill ambassador was influenced by my family’s struggles as refugees. Taking on this role was important to inspire other refugees that anything is possible. 

What do you miss most from home in Canada when you’re in season in Germany or on the road? 

The number one thing is not the snow. I don’t miss the snow at all. But I do miss my family. My family is still [in Canada]. Not being able to see them every single day and only being able to call them six months out of the year, or see them one out of ten days out of the year, is tough. So, I miss my family, and just being in the environment of Canada. Tim Hortons, all that Canadian stuff, I miss it. But not the snow. Definitely not.