Canada to face Japan in Fall International Friendly

Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team will face FIFA number 20 ranked Japan in an international friendly this upcoming 13 October 2023. The clash, officially named the Mizuho Blue Dream Match 2023, will be contested at the Denka Big Swan Stadium, in Niigata, Japan.

Canada will use the October window as part of its ongoing preparation for the 2023/2024 Concacaf Nations League which serves as the qualifier for Concacaf teams participating in the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024. Canada has been drawn directly into the quarter-final stage of the Concacaf Nations League which will be played in a home-and-away format during the November FIFA Match Window.

“Playing Japan prior to the World Cup proved to be a valuable experience for our team, and we now get a chance to improve on our last performance against a top 20 ranked team,” said John Herdman, Head Coach, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team.

“We are delighted to host Canada, one of the best teams in Concacaf, who are well organized with highly talented players. Canada will be one of the host nations for the next FIFA World Cup, so this will be a good opportunity to get a glimpse of what is to come in 2026,” added Hajime Moriyasu, Japan National Team, Head Coach.

The Canada-Japan match will be broadcast live on OneSoccer (with kickoff time to be confirmed at a later date), available as a linear channel on Telus’s Optik TV (Channel 980) as well as online at OneSoccer.ca, through the OneSoccer app and on the fuboTV Canada platform. Fans will find extended coverage for the matches across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANMNT.

At this time, there are no international friendlies scheduled for the Men’s National Team in the September FIFA window.

“Given our inability to confirm an additional high-quality opponent in the September window that met our competitive needs, as well as financial constraints, we were unable to secure fixtures for both windows,” added Jason deVos, interim General Secretary, Canada Soccer.”

Canada and Japan have met three times in international ‘A’ competition. Canada has a 1-0-2 record, winning the most recent match between the two sides 2:1, on 17 November 2022, leading into the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

CANADA SOCCER’S MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team are preparing to compete as a host nation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Prior to this year,Canada made their return to the men’s FIFA World Cup after finishing first in the Concacaf Final Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Most recently Canada secured Silver at the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League Finals in Las Vegas. Canada previously won titles when they lifted the Greg Kafaty Trophy at the 1985 Concacaf Championship and the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2000.