Canadian men's soccer team to host Australia in October for friendly in Montreal ahead of World Cup
Canada Soccer announced the opponent Thursday for the international friendly in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup.
No. 30 Canada finished fourth at last summer's Copa America but dropped out of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a quarterfinal loss to Guatemala last Sunday.
The men's national team holds a 3-1-5 record against Australia, which currently stands 26th in the FIFA rankings.
The Socceroos qualified for the 2026 World Cup – co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States – with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in June.
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The Canadian men will also face No. 14 Colombia in an Oct. 14 friendly at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J.
Last time out in Montreal, Canada defeated Curaçao 2-1 in June 2017. Current captain Alphonso Davies made his international debut in the match.
'We're excited to be playing another high-quality match on home soil with our first game in Montreal since 2017,' Canada coach Jesse Marsch said in a statement. 'Connecting the people's team with the Canadian community is one of our main priorities as we build excitement ahead of our home FIFA World Cup in 2026.
'We know how passionate the Quebec community is for our team, and we look forward to a packed house in October.'
Montreal will also serve as the host city for the Canadian men's final preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a final sendoff match against an opponent to be determined by qualifying results and the tournament draw.
Canada will host 13 games at the 2026 tournament, seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto.
Canada will also travel to Europe for friendlies against No. 45 Romania and No. 29 Wales on Sept. 5 and Sept. 9, respectively.
The World Cup is scheduled for June 11 to July 19, 2026, with 48 teams competing in 16 cities across the three host countries. The tournament draw is scheduled for January.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Canada's Savannah Sutherland is moving fast and breaking records
For the last year, Savannah Sutherland has been moving fast and breaking records. But for the next week, the 21-year-old hurdles phenom is taking a well-deserved break from preparing for Canadian nationals and the world championships. She's in her hometown of Borden, Sask., spending time with her family – and working on a new role. "I'm an aunt as of February," Sutherland told CBC Sports. "My nephew [is] about five months old now, so that's really special to me. Family is huge to me." It marks a slower pace than Sutherland had been operating at for the past year. That started with her Olympic debut last summer in Paris and wrapped up with a spectacular performance to end her collegiate career with the University of Michigan at last month's NCAA outdoor championships. Sutherland captured her second NCAA title in the women's 400-metre hurdles by running a record-breaking time of 52.46 seconds at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Not only did she better her own Canadian record (53.08), it was also an NCAA Championship meet record, a Big Ten record, and a new NCAA record. It was also the ninth-fastest time ever recorded in the event. The previous NCAA best of 52.75 was set in 2018 by two-time Olympic champ – and current world No. 1 – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Sutherland and McLaughlin-Levrone are the only women's runners in NCAA history to break 53 seconds, and the Canadian is still coming to terms with being in such exclusive company. "Obviously, Sydney's the greatest to ever do it, so, it's kind of surreal to just have my name mentioned in the same conversations as hers, honestly," Sutherland said. "I don't think that that will ever fully sink in." Sutherland has already shared the track with McLaughlin-Levrone, when the Canadian reached the final in her Olympic debut, finishing seventh. That race marked another record-book moment for Sutherland, becoming the youngest-ever Canadian to reach an Olympic track final. Records aside, making that final opened Sutherland's eyes to her own growing potential. "I think making the Olympic final last season really boosted my confidence," Sutherland said. "I think that that was the big difference this season, just knowing that the ceiling is higher than I expected it to be." "When I made the Paris Olympics, it sent the message to me that, today, no matter who's on the track, I belong there, I've earned my spot there because I've competed at the highest level. But now that I'm ninth all-time – typically there's nine lanes on the track – so now it's like whoever's on the track, I have earned my spot there." Not long after breaking McLaughlin-Levrone's record, Sutherland was named the NCAA's women's outdoor track athlete of the year. That made her Michigan's first athlete to ever earn a national honour in track and field. "Michigan is definitely more of a distance [running] school, historically," she said. "You know, Saskatchewan isn't really a big track place either. So, I kind of have always been from a place where maybe it was a little bit more difficult, or maybe you had to work a little harder, drive a little farther, or compete indoors for a longer amount of time, than other places. "So [I] just kind of leaned into that and it kind of felt familiar in that sense." WATCH | Sutherland on NCAA record, going pro ahead of Tokyo worlds: Savannah Sutherland on NCAA record, going pro ahead of Tokyo worlds 2 days ago Duration 7:36 Hometown support 'pushed me to the next level' Sutherland grew up in the village of Borden, which is about 50 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. The population only numbers about 300 and Sutherland credits the "tight-knit community" with helping her get to where she is today. "Everybody knows everything that goes on in each other's life – which can be both a blessing and a curse at times – [but] for me it was mostly a blessing because I always had the support of the entire community behind me," Sutherland said. "I think that it was a driving factor because it pushed me to want to represent these people that I know are supporting me. I think it just pushed me to the next level, knowing that I was running for everybody else and accomplishing all of these things for the entire community and not just myself." While she was aware of track and field sports from small meets in elementary school, Sutherland really took the first steps in her career by following in the footsteps of her older brother, Cole. "He's five years older than me, and I really looked up to him and was chasing after him in a lot of aspects," Sutherland said. "So, I would find myself enrolled in the sports that he was passionate about. 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That "lucky necklace" is around Sutherland's neck every time she races, and she said it serves as a reminder of why she competes. "I look at it every time I'm in the blocks and just remind myself who I'm running for and why I'm doing what I do." World championships on the horizon Sutherland's 2025 season will continue with a few more meets, including Canadian nationals, before culminating with September's world championships in Tokyo, where her goal is clear. "Honestly, [I'm] trying to keep my expectations low. [The] first thing is to make the final like I did last year," she said. "It's a super competitive event, right now and I feel like anything can happen, especially when there's hurdles involved. So I'm just kind of trying to keep my head on straight and hopefully finish higher than I did last year. "Just as long as I'm making forward progress, I think that's enough for me."
National Post
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