Alistair Johnston

Johnston attended St. John's University for two years, before moving to Wake Forest University in 2018 in search of a bigger challenge both in soccer and academically. He switched positions from central midfield to right-back upon joining Wake Forest.

Early career

While in college, Johnston returned to Canada to play with League1 Ontario side Vaughan Azzurri from 2015 to 2019 during the college offseason. He played in the 2019 Canadian Championship for Vaughan Azzurri and was sent off in the second leg of the away goals defeat to the HFX Wanderers.

Nashville SC

On January 9, 2020, Johnston was selected 11th overall by Nashville SC in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. He officially signed with the club on February 25, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included Nashville withdrawing from the MLS is Back Tournament due to an outbreak amongst the team, his debut was delayed until August 12 against FC Dallas, coming on as a substitute. He made his first start four days later, also against Dallas. He helped the club reach the MLS Playoffs in their debut season, making 18 appearances. On September 22, 2021, Johnston scored his first MLS goal in a 5–1 victory over Inter Miami. In December 2021, Nashville announced they were exercising Johnston's contract option, keeping him at the club through the 2022 MLS season.

CF Montréal

On December 23, 2021, CF Montréal acquired Johnston from Nashville in exchange for $1 million in allocation money, with Nashville also retaining a percentage of a transfer fee in a future sale. Montreal confirmed the deal on December 27 and announced Johnston had also signed a new contract taking him through 2023, with options for 2024 and 2025. He made his debut for Montreal on…

Johnston accepted an invitation to the Canada national team camp in January 2021. He made his debut for Canada on March 25, 2021, as a 69th-minute substitute against Bermuda in the first round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying. He scored his first goal for his country in the following match, an 11–0 win against the Cayman Islands, which became the largest victory in the team's history. In June 2021, Johnston was named to the 60-man preliminary squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and on July 1 he was named to the final squad. In November 2022, Johnston was called up to Canada's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he played in all three of Canada's matches. In June 2023, he was named to Canada's 23-man squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. In June 2024, Johnston was named in Canada's squad for the 2024 Copa América. Following the conclusion of the competition, he was named in the Team of the Tournament, being the only non-South American player included. In July 2025, Johnston was called up to Canada's squad for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In May 2026, Johnston was named to Canada's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Johnston was born in Vancouver to a Canadian father and an Irish mother from Poleglass. His family moved to Montreal when he was four, where he began playing soccer with Lakeshore SC. The family again moved to Aurora, Ontario when he was seven. There, he played youth soccer with Aurora FC and Richmond Hill SC. He made his debut in the Canadian youth program at an under-18 camp in 2015, when he was 16. He played youth soccer with ANB Futbol, and earned a tryout with French club Troyes AC while there. In 2015, he joined Vaughan SC, helping them win the 2015 U-18/U-19 Disney Soccer Showcase, the 2015 OYSL U-18 League title, and the 2016 and 2017 U21 Ontario Cup.