Jayden Nelson (born September 26, 2002) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a winger for club Bolton Wanderers and the Canada national team.

Early life Nelson grew up in Brampton, Ontario and began playing soccer at age four with Brampton YSC. He later joined the Toronto FC Academy at age 14.

Club career Toronto FC Nelson made his debut for Toronto FC III in League1 Ontario on September 2, 2017, in a game against Toronto Skillz FC in his only appearance of the season. The following season, he made seven appearances, scoring his first goal for Toronto FC III on June 17, 2018, against Windsor TFC.

Nelson made his professional debut for Toronto FC II in USL League One on April 6, 2019, coming on as a substitute against Orlando City B.

On January 23, 2020, Nelson signed a Homegrown Player contract with first-team Toronto FC. He made his MLS debut for Toronto during the MLS is Back tournament, starting their round of 16 match against New York City FC. He was loaned to the second team for some matches in 2021. He scored his first professional goal for Toronto FC II on June 16, 2021, against Fort Lauderdale CF.

In December 2021, after the conclusion of the 2021 MLS season, Nelson joined Belgian club Anderlecht for a training stint. He scored his first MLS goal on April 9, 2022, against Real Salt Lake.

Rosenborg In February 2023, Toronto announced they had transferred Nelson to Eliteserien side Rosenborg. He made his official debut on April 16 against Molde. Nelson scored his first goal for his new club on June 4 against HamKam, netting the third goal in an eventual 4–0 victory.

Nelson joined 2. Bundesliga club SSV Ulm on loan in August 2024. Ulm also secured an option to sign him permanently.

Vancouver Whitecaps On January 24, 2025, Nelson returned to Canada, signing with Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The contract is for a transfer through 2028 with an option for the following year. In Nelson's league debut with the Whitecaps, he would get a goal and three assists against the Portland Timbers.

Austin FC On December 18, 2025, Austin FC acquired Nelson from the Whitecaps for $700,000 in 2026 GAM, $550,000 in 2027 GAM, and their first round draft pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft.

Bolton Wanderers On August 26, 2026, Bolton Wanderers announced the signing of Nelson for a fee that could reach £1.64m ($2.34m) on a four-year deal.

International career Youth Nelson attended his first Canadian youth camp in 2016. Nelson made his debut for the Canada national under-15 team in the 2017 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship on August 13, 2017, against the United States.

Nelson made his debut for the Canada national under-17 team in the 2019 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship on May 2, 2019, against the United States. Against Guatemala in the second game of the group stage, Nelson scored a hat-trick in a 4–2 win. Nelson scored twice more in the tournament – against Curaçao and Costa Rica respectively – as Canada qualified for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup for the first time since 2013. At the end of 2019, Nelson was named the Canadian Men's Youth International Player of the Year.

Nelson was named to the Canadian U-23 provisional roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship on February 26, 2020.

Senior In January 2020, Nelson was called up to the Canadian senior team ahead of friendlies against Barbados and Iceland. He made his debut on January 7 against Barbados, coming on as a substitute in a 4–1 victory and scored his first goal three days later, also against Barbados.

In June 2023, Nelson was named to Canada's preliminary roster for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Initially left off the roster, on June 26 he was called into the final squad along with Liam Fraser as replacements for Sam Adekugbe and Stephen Eustáquio.

On June 9, 2026, Jayden Nelson was called up to Canada's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a replacement for Marcelo Flores, who was ruled out of the tournament after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) to his right knee.

Personal life Jayden was born in Canada and is of Jamaican descent. In 2022, Nelson made a donation to his former elementary school to restart a snack program which had been discontinued.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeaguePlayoffsNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsToronto FC III2017League1 Ontario10————10201871———2091Total81———20101Toronto FC II2019USL League One140————140202183————83Total223———10223Toronto FC2020MLS700000—1080202170—0000—702022311—40——351Total45100400010501Rosenborg2023Eliteserien244—3032—3062024111—3100—142Total355006132—448SSV Ulm (loan)2024–252. Bundesliga60————60Vancouver Whitecaps FC2025MLS232505170—403Austin FC2026MLS1320010—10152Bolton Wanderers2026–27EFL Championship400000000040Career total15614501621024018918

International

+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsCanada202031202100202210202311202400202570202631Total153

Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nelson goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Jayden NelsonNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 January 10, 2020 Championship Soccer Stadium, Irvine, United States 4–1 4–1 Friendly2 July 4, 2023 Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, United States 3–1 4–2 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup3 June 1, 2026 Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Canada 2–0 2–0 Friendly

Honours Toronto FC Canadian Championship: 2020

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Canadian Championship: 2025

Individual Canadian Youth International Player of the Year: 2019 Canadian Championship Best Young Canadian Player: 2025

References

External links Toronto FC player profile