CanWNT Celebration Tour heads to Vancouver, Langford in friendlies vs. Nigeria

Canada Soccer's Women's National Team will face Nigeria in a pair of international matches as the Women's National Team Celebration Tour comes to British Columbia for the upcoming April window on the FIFA International Match Calendar.

The two-match west coast series will open Friday 8 April at BC Place in Vancouver and continue Monday 11 April at Langford's Starlight Stadium on Vancouver Island.

The first match in Vancouver also provides Canada Soccer with the opportunity to celebrate Christine Sinclair's world international goalscoring record in front of her home crowd. This celebration was originally planned for April 2020, but postponed on account of the global pandemic. Since breaking the record in January 2020, the Canadian captain from neighbouring Burnaby, British Columbia led Canada to an Olympic Gold Medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in August 2021.

The two-match series will also mark a farewell to Stephanie Labbe who will wrap up her professional and international career as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The Olympic Gold Medal winner, who finished second in voting for The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper in 2020-21, has already played her last club matches at Paris Saint-Germain FC and will now wear the Canada maple leaf for one last series on home soil. We look forward to reconnecting with our Canadian fans on the west coast for these two home matches,” said Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “These two matches against Nigeria in Vancouver and Langford will also provide us with great experience as we continue to prepare for this summer’s qualifiers to both the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games.”

Tickets for the two matches will go on sale this Friday 18 March via Ticketmaster.ca. Both the Friday 8 April BC Place and Monday 11 April Starlight Stadium matches will kick off at 19.30 local time. Group discounts (10+ tickets) are available for the match at BC Place on Friday 8 April. Fans organizing a group of 10 or more are eligible to receive discounts of up to 30% off regular priced tickets. For more information visit CanadaSoccer.com.

British Columbia has been home to incredible moments for Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team including group stage matches to the 2002 Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup in Victoria, qualification to the London 2012 Olympic Games in Vancouver, and the record-setting crowds at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015. Before the global pandemic, Canada’s most recent match in British Columbia was a 1:1 draw against USA in November 2017.

Canada are currently preparing for the 2022 Concacaf W Championship which doubles as both the qualification route for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 as well as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The upcoming Concacaf W Championship will feature eight nations from 4-18 July in Monterrey, NL, Mexico, with Canada and USA to be joined by six other nations yet to be determined through April’s Concacaf W Qualifiers.

For their part, Nigeria have always been one of the top nations in women’s football, in fact 11-time African champions and one of only seven nations in the world that have qualified for every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since 1991. Like Canada, Nigeria are currently preparing for their summer qualifiers to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023: Nigeria are one of 12 nations competing in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations from 2-23 July.

Both Canada home matches will be broadcast live on OneSoccer, with details to be confirmed in advance of the match. The final squad for the matches, which is expected to feature all of Canada’s Olympic champions, will be announced in advance of the international window which opens 4 April. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube featuring the hashtag #CANWNT.

Already this year, Canada have posted an even record across a win, a draw and a loss at the 2022 Arnold Clark Cup in February, with notably Canada’s first-ever clean sheet victory over two-time FIFA World Cup champions Germany. Last year as part of the Women’s Celebration Tour, Canada won back-to-back matches against New Zealand in the October 2021 window, with an initial 5:1 victory in the nation’s capital of Ottawa, Ontario and then a 1:0 win three days later in Montréal, Québec.

“It's an honour to welcome our Canadian champions and celebrate women in sport,” said Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart. “Our Canadian Women’s Soccer team has demonstrated the strength of sport in Canada and I’m proud we have the opportunity to show our support and recognize their accomplishments before a home crowd.” 

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Canadian and Nigerian Women’s National Soccer Teams to Langford next month,” said Langford Mayor Stew Young. “High calibre sporting events like this happening in Langford aligns with the City’s goal of becoming a National Sports Capital and provides an opportunity for residents to see international level athletes without leaving their community.”

What's up Vancouver!!! The Celebration Tour continues and we're coming to you🤝 #CANWNT pic.twitter.com/2pm8jl5lKT

— Canada Soccer's Women's National Team (@CANWNT) March 16, 2022