Canada

The Canada women's soccer team will go on strike with immediate effect because of pay equity concerns and budget cuts by the country's soccer association, captain Christine Sinclair said on Friday, less than a week before the SheBelieves Cup.

Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, are to face the United States in their first game of the SheBelieves Cup, which begins on Feb. 16, with Brazil and Japan also participating.

The USWNT is preparing for its biggest test before the Women’s World Cup with upcoming games against Canada, Japan and Brazil in the 2023 SheBelieves Cup. For those wondering how to watch SheBelieves Cup this article is for you.

Watching U.S. Soccer has been a little different in 2023 as this is the first of an eight-year deal with WarnerMedia. All English-language broadcasts for World Cup qualifiers, friendlies, SheBelieves Cup and more are now shown by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.

United States women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski revealed the 2023 USWNT SheBelieves Cup roster on Wednesday. This tournament will be the team’s biggest test ahead of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The latest USWNT roster has three changes from the January roster that played two friendlies in New Zealand. Hailie Mace and Sam Coffey were both dropped, and Megan Rapinoe returns after missing the last two games with an ankle injury.

The latest women’s FIFA rankings were released on Friday and, to no one’s surprise, the USWNT remains No. 1. The last time the Americans fell out of the top spot was for a few months in 2017. England and Germany surged up the Top 10, but coming in at No. 10 is yet another baffling appearance from a team that hasn’t played in three years.

The Top 9 of the women’s FIFA rankings include all the usual suspects: USA, Germany, Sweden, England, France, Netherlands, Canada, Spain and Brazil, respectively. 

The U.S. women’s national team is heading back to the Olympics thanks to a bit of revenge on the team that knocked it out of the last Olympics less than a year ago.

Alex Morgan converted a 78th-minute penalty kick to finally break through against Canada for a 1-0 win in the Concacaf W Championship final on Monday in Monterrey. Neither team had given up a goal all tournament, and Morgan buried the winner against her club teammate Kailen Sheridan, who was marvelous on Monday to keep the U.S. off the scoreboard from open play. 

Oh, Canada. Soccer has never looked so promising up north. Both the women's and men's teams have qualified for the World Cup and boast promising young stars like Julia Grosso and Alphonso Davies. Popularity is skyrocketing for a sport which is widely considered to be the fastest growing in Canada. With growth at an all-time high, this is a crucial time for Canada Soccer.