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Women's National Team September 25, 2023

Canada remain focused on eve of Olympic Games opportunity

#CANWNT

Canada are just 90 minutes away from qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but they will need to be at their best against a tough Jamaica side that have come to Toronto chasing Canada’s 2-0 lead from the opening leg in Jamaica. The two-match Concacaf W Olympic Play-In series wraps up this Tuesday night in front of a sold-out Canadian crowd from which only one nation will earn Concacaf’s second and final spot at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament next summer.

“We want to build on that first performance because while we were happy, there are still some things on which we want to improve,” said Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “Our focus has been taking that next step forward.”

For Canadian fans not in the stadium, there will be a live broadcast on OneSoccer starting at 19.00 ET / 16.00 PT (19.00 local). OneSoccer is available on the fuboTV Canada platform, as a linear channel on Telus’s Optik TV (Channel 980), as well as online at OneSoccer.ca and through the OneSoccer app. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANWNT.

Canada won the first leg away 2:0 at Jamaica’s National Stadium on Friday 22 September with goals scored by Nichelle Prince and Adriana Leon. Across two matches, if both nations score the same number of goals, then the nation with the most away goals will advance as the series winner. If both nations are tied on goals scored and tied on away goals, then 30 minutes of extra time will be played and, if necessary, potentially kicks from the penalty mark to decide the series winner.

“We are going to need that 12th player on Tuesday, so to have our fans be there right until the very end is going to be critical,” said Priestman.

With Head Coach Priestman, Canada have back-to-back wins against Jamaica from the 2022 Concacaf W Championship and the 2023 Concacaf W Olympic Play-In. Leon has scored in both of those matches while goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan has posted back-to-back clean sheets with the help of her backline, including centre backs Kadeisha Buchanan and Vanessa Gilles.

“Whenever you get a clean sheet, it feels like that’s part of our Canadian DNA, especially to come from playing away against a tough Jamaica side,” said Gilles.

So far, only four nations have qualified for the Paris 2024 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament: hosts France, Concacaf champions USA, and CONMEBOL’s top-two nations Brazil and Colombia. Unlike the Men’s Football Tournament which features 16 nations, only 12 nations will qualify for the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament which means that only the one spot remains for a Concacaf nation.

To date, Canada and Jamaica have met 10 times at the international “A” level, be it the Concacaf Championship, Concacaf Olympic Qualifiers, or the Pan American Games. Since the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, Jamaica have posted an international record of four wins, three draws and nine losses across all competitions while Canada have posted an international record of eight wins, one draw and five losses.

CANADA SOCCER’S WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Canada are Olympic champions (Tokyo in 2021), two-time bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016), and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in eight consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2023) and four consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2021). At Tokyo 2020, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team became the first Canadian team to win three consecutive medals at the Summer Olympic Games and just the third nation in the world to win three medals in women’s soccer.

Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Canada have qualified for nine editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all seven editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).