Canada qualifies for its eighth U-17 Women’s World Cup
Canada Soccer’s Women’s U-17 National Team (canw17) has secured its place at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025™ after winning all three matches at the Concacaf qualifying tournament in Nicaragua.
“As far as a performance, it was resilience and heart personified. It means the world to these players—especially those who experienced the heartache last time around, when they deserved to qualify. I’m so very proud of this group and the amazing staff I had on this camp. A collective achievement, for sure.”
– Gary Moody, Canada Soccer’s Women’s U-17 National Team Interim Head Coach
Canada opened Group B with a strong 5-0 win over host nation Nicaragua on Tuesday, 1 April, followed by a 2-0 victory over Panama on Thursday, 3 April. Canada sealed their qualification with a hard-fought 3-2 win against Puerto Rico on Sunday, 6 April. Canada’s 10 goals throughout the tournament came from seven different players, with Olivia Chisholm, Kaylee Hunter, and Melisa Kekic leading the charge with two goals each.
With three wins in three matches, Canada topped its group and earned one of the four available World Cup berths for Concacaf nations. They join the other two group winners, the United States and Mexico, and the best second-place finisher, Costa Rica. at the upcoming World Cup, which will be held in Morocco from 17 October to 8 November 2025.
This qualification marks Canada’s eighth appearance at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup since its inaugural edition in 2008. Canada’s best finish came in 2018, when they reached the semi-finals in Uruguay before losing to Mexico in the third-place match.
Led by Interim Head Coach Gary Moody, canw17 entered the Qualifiers with strong momentum following a European preparation tour in February. The team travelled to San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain, for the Costa Cálida MIMA Cup, where they faced England, Scotland and Sweden.
Canada will now shift its focus to preparing for Morocco, where the team will aim to build on its legacy at the U-17 level and continue developing players for future tournaments and the senior national team.
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