Canada's women’s national soccer team will finally get a chance to take a bow in front of its fans when the team hits the pitch for the first of two matches on home soil since winning Olympic gold.
The Canadian Olympic champs will face No. 23-ranked New Zealand in a series dubbed the Celebration Tour: The first match will be played on Saturday in Ottawa (3 p.m. ET) and the second will take place three days later in Montreal (7:30 p.m. ET).
After winning bronze at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Canada went on a magical run in 2021 in Tokyo, going undefeated in six matches before upsetting Sweden for gold. It ended in a dramatic penalty kick shootout, Canada’s second shootout triumph in the tournament after knocking off Brazil in the quarterfinal stage.
MORE: How Canada won soccer gold in Tokyo
Now, the focus shifts to keeping up the momentum heading into the next major tournament: the 2023 World Cup. Canada’s regional qualifying matches kick off in July 2022.
Canada and New Zealand met in the group stage of each of the last two editions of the World Cup. The first match in 2015 finished in a 0-0 draw, and Canada came back four years later in France to earn a 2-0 win on goals by Jessie Fleming and Nichelle Prince.
New Zealand, which will co-host that 2023 World Cup tournament with Australia, is kicking off a new era under manager Jitka Klimkova. She recently signed a six-year contract and will debut in the post against Canada.
How to watch Canada vs. New Zealand
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 23
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: OneSoccer on TELUS channel 980
- Streaming: OneSoccer.ca
The match will be available via OneSoccer which can be accessed two ways: TELUS channel 980 and OneSoccer.ca. Ottawa’s TD Place Stadium at Lansdowne Park will serve as the host site. It is the home to Canadian Premier League team Atletico Ottawa.
Canada vs. New Zealand squads
All 22 members of the Olympic gold medal-winning side were called up for the two-match celebration tour in Ottawa and Montreal.
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They will be joined by four training players for the international camp: Marie Levasseur (Fleury FC), Victoria Pickett (Kansas City-NWSL), Jade Rose (Harvard University) and Nikayla Small (Wake Forest). Rose and Forest are the youngest players in camp at age 18.
Goalkeepers (3): Stephanie Labbe (PSG), Erin McLeod (Orlando Pride), Kailen Sheridan (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
Defenders (7): Kadeisha Buchanan (Lyon), Allysha Chapman (Houston Dash), Vanessa Gilles (Bordeaux), Ashley Lawrence (PSG), Jayde Riviere (Univ. of Michigan), Jade Rose (Harvard Univ.), Shelina Zadorsky (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders (8): Gabrielle Carle (Florida State Univ.), Jessie Fleming (Chelsea), Julia Grosso (Univ. of Texas at Austin), Victoria Pickett (Kansas City NWSL), Quinn (OL Reign), Sophie Schmidt (Houston Dash), Desiree Scott (Kansas City NWSL), Nikayla Small (Wake Forest Univ.)
Forwards (8): Janine Beckie (Manchester City), Jordyn Huitema (PSG), Adriana Leon (West Ham), Marie Levasseur (Fleury FC), Nichelle Prince (Houston Dash), Deanne Rose (Univ. of Florida), Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns), Evelyne Viens (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
New Zealand called up a 22-player roster, but due to quarantine requirements upon returning to New Zealand and Australia, players based in those countries were not included. That allowed for the callups of three players who ply their trade in the NWSL, and 10 other players who play collegiate soccer in the USA.
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While veteran Abby Erceg stayed back with the North Carolina Courage, six players received their first call-up: Amelia Abbott, Aniela Jensen, Ava Collins, Jacqui Hand, Sam Tawharu and Tahlia Herman-Watt.
Goalkeepers (3): Victoria Esson (Avaldsnes IL), Anna Leat (West Ham), Erin Nayler (unattached)
Defenders (5): CJ Bott (Valerenga), Katie Bowen (Kansas City NWSL), Tahlia Herman-Watt (Arizona State Univ.), Meikayla Moore (Liverpool), Ali Riley (Orlando Pride)
Midfielders (9): Amelia Abbott (Univ. of Texas), Olivia Chance (Celtic), Daisy Cleverley (Georgetown Univ.), Ava Collins (St. John’s Univ.), Betsy Hassett (Stjarnan), Maggie Jenkins (Univ. of Central Florida), Aniela Jensen (Univ. of the Pacific), Ria Percival (Tottenham Hotspur), Emma Rolston (Arna-Bjornar)
Forwards (5): Hannah Blake (Univ. of Michigan), Jacqui Hand (Colorado College), Gabi Rennie (Indiana Univ.), Sam Tawharu (Univ. of Iowa), Rosie White (OL Reign)