Canada to face familiar foe Brazil in the Quarter-finals of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team will have the opportunity to take an important step on their journey back to the Olympic podium when they face Brazil in the Quarter-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. With a spot in the Olympic Semi-finals on the line, Canada will put itself in a position to be guaranteed a chance to play for a medal at Tokyo 2020 for the third consecutive Summer Olympic Games.

Canada will play their Quarter-Finals match in Miyagi on Friday 30 July at 17.00 local (04.00 ET / 01.00 PT). The match will be broadcast live on CBC.ca and fans will also find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANWNT.

This marks the fourth consecutive time that Canada has advanced to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Quarter-Finals. Through three matches in the group phase at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Canada remains undefeated with one win and two draws, having scored 4 goals and recorded one clean sheet.

“We are ready to face Brazil in the Quarter-Finals. This kind of match is the reason why we are playing,” said captain Christine Sinclair. “I think our team played really well against Great Britain. Obviously, at this point of the tournament, with the quick turnaround between the matches, there is some fatigue, but we play for these moments, and the team is ready to go and will do what it takes to get a result.”

Canada played Brazil two times since the beginning of the year, first at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup in February (a 2:0 win for Brazil) and in a Women’s International Friendly match in Spain in June (a 0:0 draw). Canada’s all-time record against Brazil is 8 wins, 8 draws, and 9 losses in 25 appearances.

Five years ago, Canada defeated host nation Brazil in the bronze medal match at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games to secure back-to-back podium finishes at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Canada earned the distinction of becoming the first Canadian team to win back-to-back medals at the Summer Olympic Games since 1908 as well as the first-ever women’s Canadian team to repeat on the podium.

“We are very familiar with Brazil,” said Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach Bev Priestman. “We played them not that long ago, and that was a great test run for us, we learned some things from this. We have a good history against them and if you look at the last Olympic Games, we won the Bronze Medal Match against them. Of course, we can’t underestimate them, but I feel like we have the right mindset and the right confidence going into that match.”

Canada are one of just five nations in the world that have qualified for each of the past four Women’s Olympic Football Tournaments. Canada is also the only nation in the world to reach the podium at both London 2012 and Rio 2016 in women’s football.

OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNERS & CONCACAF CHAMPIONS

Canada are two-time Olympic bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016) and two-time Concacaf champions (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2019) and three consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2016). At Rio 2016, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team were the first Canadian Olympic team to win back-to-back medals at a summer Olympic Games in more than a century.

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 seven editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all six editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).