Sassuolo’s Canadian midfielder suffered a serious leg injury during this week’s World Cup match against Qatar
Ismael Cohn returns to Canadian camp in Vancouver
Ismael Cohn has returned to the Canadian national team in a new heartwarming video shared by the national team. The midfielder suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in the frightening attack during Thursday’s 6-0 win over Qatar, and subsequently underwent surgery on his fractured left foot.
Asim Madibo’s challenge initially earned him a yellow card from referee Cristian Garay, but the decision was upgraded after a VAR review and the Qatari midfielder was shown a red card. Kone was carried off the pitch on a stretcher and as soon as he hit the ground he was clearly in pain and Madibo held his head in his hands.
Tensions rose among the players and on the sideline as Cone received treatment, with coach Jesse Marsh later confirming that Cone was in the hospital with his mother in preparation for surgery. “Last night, Ismael Kone underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured leg. He is expected to make a full recovery, but will miss the remainder of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Canada Soccer said in a statement Friday.
“By the time we got to him, he had already taken some medication to sedate him a little bit. He was getting ready to go into the operating room, but he was in great spirits and insisted he was OK. (The surgery) took about an hour and a half and there were three surgeons. I think the surgeons were watching on TV and saw what happened and immediately knew what happened,” Dr. Marsh said at a news conference Friday.
“So they immediately brought their top three surgeons to the hospital to take care of him. So by the time he got to the hospital, the surgeons were on site and ready to go. And all we had to do was communicate with the medical team and make sure that surgery was the best option we thought. But as we met with them and talked to them about the situation, we could see that he was really okay. So they said the surgery went very well.”
Coach Marsh continued: “Ismael is such a great kid. He’s so imperfect, but that’s why you love him. He does great things and then loses focus the next moment. He embodies the essence of the team. It’s a big loss for us. He’ll be fine, we’ll refer him to good doctors. He has a big future and he plays a big role in everything we do.”
On Saturday, Cohn was reunited with his teammates in Vancouver. Team Canada shared a video of his return to camp, capturing how valued he is within the group and highlighting the strong sense of unity around him.
He arrived in a minivan and received a loud and hearty welcome. As soon as the doors opened, cheers erupted and the entire Canadian team gathered around to applaud.
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Cohn, on crutches, posed for photos with his family, teammates, Marsh and members of the Canadian national team. The welcome grew louder, and the chorus of “Ishmael” echoed around him.
The Sassuolo star will now watch his country from the stands as he begins a rehabilitation program, which is expected to take four to five months. The co-organizers will now have to deal with Kone’s absence for the remainder of the tournament, but FIFA will also be covering the costs.
Ismael Cohn undergoes surgery for injury (Image: Getty Images)
The FIFA Club Protection Program provides compensation to clubs if a player is injured on international duty and the termination period exceeds 28 days. The 24-year-old earns around £3,200 a week at Sassuolo, so 150 days out would mean he would be paid around £480,000, although the final amount could rise significantly depending on how long his recovery takes.
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