While World Cup success has eluded them, the Canadian women’s soccer team has achieved consistent Olympic success over the past 12 years.
Back-to-back bronze medals won at London 2012 and Rio 2016 were followed up by a historic gold-medal victory three years ago in Tokyo. Now Canada is looking to reach the medal podium for a fourth consecutive time this summer to further enhance its reputation as Olympic specialists.
Here’s what you need to know about the women’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
How does the Olympic tournament work?
The tournament runs from July 25 to Aug. 10 in seven cities across France.
Twelve teams are divided into three round-robin groups in the first round. The top two teams in each group advance to the quarter-finals. The two-best third-place teams overall also move on.
The final will be held at Parc des Princes in Paris.
Unlike on the men’s side (predominantly an under-23 competition), there are no player-age restrictions for teams participating in the women’s competition.
How did Canada get here?
Canada and Jamaica finished second and third at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship staged in Mexico. That forced the two nations to face each other in an Olympic qualifying playoff.
Canada won the two-legged series over Jamaica last September, earning a 2-0 road win and a 2-1 home win in Toronto.
Who is in Canada’s group?
Canada will compete in Group A at the Olympics and will face New Zealand (July 25 in Saint-Étienne), France (July 28 in Saint-Étienne) and Colombia (July 31 in Décines-Charpieu).
Canada is No. 8 in the FIFA world rankings, six spots behind France, and well above both Colombia (No. 22) and New Zealand (No. 28).
The Canadians have only met Colombia twice, winning both times, in 2011 and 2012. Canada sports a 10-1-4 all-time record against New Zealand, with its lone loss coming in 1987. Canada fought New Zealand to a 0-0 draw in the 2015 World Cup and won 2-0 when they met at the 2019 World Cup.
Canada’s all-time record against France is 5-8-3. The French have won five of the last six games, including a 2-1 victory last April in Le Mans. But Canada defeated France 1-0 in the 2012 Olympic bronze-medal game and 1-0 in the 2016 quarter-finals.
“New Zealand will be hard to break down. They can catch you on the counter directly. You have to be switched on and if history tells you anything about a New Zealand-Canada game, it’s never been easy,” Canadian coach Bev Priestman told Sportsnet.
“France, I don’t need to say a lot about the home nation. They’ve got a lot of top players; we’re going to have to defend just as well as we are going to have to attack in that game. Colombia is an unorthodox counter-attacking team and has world-class players in Linda Caicedo and Mayra Ramírez. They’ve got some top players that can really hurt you.
“But three teams with three different styles that we’re gonna have to be prepared for.”
The other two groups are:
Group B: Australia, Germany, United States, Zambia
Group C: Brazil, Japan, Nigeria, Spain
If Canada wins Group A, it’ll meet the third-place team from Group B or C in the quarter-finals. If it finishes second, it’ll face the Group B runner-up. A third-place finish potentially sets up a quarter-final match with the Group C winner.
Who is on the Canadian roster?
Priestman has put together an 18-player squad that features 13 members of the gold-medal team from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The most notable names on the Canadian Olympic squad are captain Jessie Fleming, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, defenders Kadeisha Buchanan, Vanessa Gilles and Ashley Lawrence, midfielders Julia Grosso and Quinn, and forwards Janine Beckie and Adriana Leon.
Six players — Beckie, Buchanan, Fleming, Lawrence, Prince and Quinn — will be participating in their third consecutive Olympic Games this summer. At the other end of the spectrum, midfielder Simi Awujo, forward Cloé Lacasse, defenders Jade Rose and Gabrielle Carle will be making their Olympic debuts.
Here’s the full Canadian roster:
Goalkeepers: Sabrina D’Angelo and Kailen Sheridan
Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan, Gabrielle Carle, Vanessa Gilles, Ashley Lawrence, Jayde Riviere and Jade Rose
Midfielders: Simi Awujo, Jessie Fleming, Julia Grosso, Quinn
Forwards: Janine Beckie, Jordyn Huitema, Cloé Lacasse, Adriana Leon, Nichelle Prince, Evelyne Viens
Alternates: Desiree Scott, Lysianne Proulx, Shelina Zadorsky, Deanne Rose
Canadian player to watch: Adriana Leon
If one player will lead the offensive charge for Canada, it’ll most likely be Aston Villa forward Adriana Leon.
Leon, 31, scored a tournament-high six goals and tallied two assists for Canada at this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. She was also named to the competition’s Best XI.
She bagged a brace and tallied an assist in the win over El Salvador and followed that up with a hat trick against Paraguay. Leon’s three-goal effort was her biggest offensive outburst for Canada since she scored four times in an 11-0 win over St. Kitts and Nevis in an Olympic qualifier on Jan. 29, 2020. Her last goal came in Canada’s semifinal loss to the United States.
Leon, from Mississauga, Ont., has 40 goals and eight assists in 114 international games, and ranks as Canada’s third all-time leading scorer.
U.S. looks to rebound under new coach
The United States has dominated this competition since its inception in 1996, winning four golds, two silvers and one bronze, and only failing to achieve a medal finish at Rio 2016.
But the Americans are coming off a Round-of-16 exit at last summer’s World Cup and are in a period of transition at the moment. New coach Emma Hayes, who had great success at club level with English outfit Chelsea, has been brought in with the express purpose of restoring the Stars and Stripes to its past glory on the Olympic stage.
World Cup champs Spain set for Olympic debut
Spain’s progression has been steady over the years. It first qualified for the World Cup in 2015 in Canada when it bowed out in the group stage and reached the Round of 16 four years later in France, before winning it all last summer in Australia and New Zealand.
Paris marks the Olympic debut of the Spanish, and it has to be said they’re in a very good position to add a gold medal to their résumés. Montserrat Tomé’s team boasts world-class players, including reigning Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, and great bench depth. It’s their tournament to lose, and anything less than a bronze medal would be a massive disappointment.
Marta’s Olympic farewell
Brazil’s Marta Vieira da Silva, known simply as Marta, is widely considered the greatest female footballer in history with six FIFA Player of the Year awards to her credit.
But the 38-year-old has yet to hoist a major trophy with her country, having settled for silver at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, and finished as runners-up to Germany at the 2007 World Cup.
Marta holds the record (both men and women) for the most goals at the World Cup with 17. The Orlando Pride forward previously announced this will be her last Olympics.
Non-Canadian player to watch: Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
The FC Barcelona midfielder was named the 2023 Ballon d’Or winner after she helped her team win the first of two consecutive UEFA Champions League titles, as well as playing a starring role in Spain’s World Cup victory last summer.
Bonmati, 26, scored three goals and played in every game for Spain at the World Cup, and took home the Golden Ball award as the tournament MVP.
The Spaniard is coming off a sensational 2023-24 season in which she guided Barcelona to a fifth consecutive Spanish league title. She also scored six times in the UEFA Champions League, including the winner in a 2-0 victory over Lyon in the final, to help her club repeat as European champions. She was voted the competition’s MVP and was named to the Best XI.
Pre-tournament Power Rankings
1. Spain — The reigning World Cup and UEFA Nations League champion will be looking to make a statement in its Olympic debut. They are the team to beat, as no other squad can match their overall quality and depth.
2. France — Guided by experienced international manager Hervé Renard, the French have a deep and talent roster, and have the advantage of playing in front of the hometown fans.
3. United States — Even though their attack has been inconsistent, the Americans have to be considered among the favourites after winning the Concacaf W Gold Cup and SheBelieves Cup earlier this year.
4. Germany — The European powerhouse will be looking to make amends for its shocking group-stage exit at last year’s FIFA World Cup.
5. Canada — A fourth consecutive medal isn’t out of the question, but it won’t be easy for Bev Priestman’s side, as it first has to navigate a group that includes the host nation.
6. Brazil — Can the South Americans finally come good in Marta’s last Olympic tournament? When Brazil is good, it’s very good. But it lacks consistency, especially against top-tier nations.
7. Australia — The Aussies impressively finished fourth on home soil at last summer’s World Cup without top scorer Sam Kerr. Can they go on a run again in France without the star forward.
8. Japan — A technically proficient side, the former World Cup winner (in 2011) could go on a run in Paris.
9. Colombia — One of the up-and-coming nations in women’s football, the Colombians are coming off a solid quarter-final showing at last year’s World Cup.
10. Nigeria — Made its way through a long African qualifying campaign only to be drawn into a very difficult group at the Olympics.
11. New Zealand — The Football Ferns made history by winning their first World Cup match last summer at home soil, but remain rank outsiders.
12. Zambia — The African nation has made great strides over the last few years, but can’t compete against the top teams in the world.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.