Six Canadians to feature in UEFA Women’s Champions League

Six Canadians with five clubs are expected to feature in the group phase of 2022-23 UEFA Women’s Champions League starting this Wednesday 19 October. It marks the fifth year in a row that six or more Canadians have advanced to this stage of the competition.

The six Canadians are Kadeisha Buchanan and Jessie Fleming for England’s Chelsea FC, Vanessa Gilles for France’s Olympique Lyonnais, Julia Grosso for Italy’s Juventus, Cloé Lacasse for Portugal’s Benfica, and Ashley Lawrence for France’s Paris Saint-Germain FC. Buchanan is a five-time UEFA Champions League winner while both Fleming and Lawrence are former runners up.

Not counting the qualifying stages, 20 Canadians have featured in the group phase of UEFA Women’s Champions League since 2012-13, with Christina Julien the ground breaker amongst Canadians. Before Julien, Diana Matheson and Rhian Wilkinson were the first Canadians to feature in UEFA Women’s Champions League Qualifying in 2009-10.

Buchanan is Canada’s all-time leader with 33 UEFA Women’s Champions League appearances before the current season, not counting qualifying matches before the group phase in which she has featured.

Canadians in UEFA Women’s Champions League
33 Buchanan, Kadeisha (29 starts, 2,760 minutes, 3 goals) – five-time UEFA Champions League winner
29 Lawrence, Ashley (29 starts, 2,621 minutes, 1 goal)
17 Huitema, Jordyn (7 starts, 751 minutes, 12 goals)
9 Fleming, Jessie (2 starts, 322 minutes, 1 goal)
9 Labbé, Stephanie (9 starts, 810 minutes)
8 Beckie, Janine (6 starts, 570 minutes, 6 goals)
8 Lacasse, Cloé (8 starts, 718 minutes, 1 goal)
8 Lagonia, Alyssa (8 starts, 666 minutes, 1 goal)
6 Sjoman, Kylla (6 starts, 540 minutes)
5 Schmidt, Sophie (3 starts, 361 minutes, 1 goal)
4 Alidou, Marie-Yasmine (70 minutes, 2 goals)
4 Bélanger, Josée (4 starts, 348 minutes, 4 goals)
4 Leon, Adriana (4 starts, 310 minutes, 3 goals)
4 Nault, Marie-Eve (4 starts, 360 minutes)
2 Adamek, Kayla (2 starts, 180 minutes, 1 goal)
2 Rosa, Maegan (2 starts, 148 minutes)
2 Julien, Christina (1 start, 53 minutes)
2 McLeod, Erin (2 starts, 103 minutes)
1 Grosso, Julia (1 start, 66 minutes)
1 Hellstrom, Jenna (12 minutes)