Canada's men's soccer team to face Australia in Montreal
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Canada is set to play in Montreal for the first time since 2017
Canada Soccer announced Thursday evening that the senior men’s side will take on Australia in a friendly at Stade Saputo, the home of CF Montreal, on Oct. 10.
It will be the first time Canada takes the pitch in Montreal since captain Alphonso Davies’ senior debut in June 2017 when the CanMNT defeated Curacao by a score of 2-1.
“We are excited to be playing another high-quality match on home soil with our first game in Montreal since 2017,” Canada head 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.”
The match against the 26th-ranked Socceroos will be the third of four matches against a FIFA top-50 opponent set for this fall. Canada will play No. 45 Romania (Sept. 5) and No. 29 Wales (Sept. 9) during the September international window. Following the Australia match, Canada will take on No. 14 Colombia on Oct. 14.
Like Canada, Australia has already qualified for the World Cup. The Socceroos punched their ticket to a sixth straight World Cup with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia last month. Next summer’s will be Australia’s seventh overall appearance at the quadrennial tournament. Tony Popovic’s side matched their best-ever finish at a World Cup at Qatar 2022 with a trip to the Round of 16.
October’s match will be the 10th between Canada and Australia and first since 2013. It will also mark 100 years since the two teams played for the first time. Canada’s first six matches against the Socceroos took place over the summer of 1924 across Australia. Canada went 2-1-3 in the six contests.
The most famous matches between the two sides occurred in 1993 ahead of the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Canada and Australia vied for a single berth in the tournament via the CONCACAF-AFC playoff that was played over two legs. The CanMNT won the first leg at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on July 31 by a score of 2-1 with the winning goal scored by Domenic Mobilio. The return leg on Aug. 15 in Sydney saw the reverse with the Socceroos claiming a 2-1 lead through 90 minutes. After extra time solved nothing, Australia advanced to the World Cup thanks to a 4-1 win on penalties.
Most recently, Australia beat Canada 3-0 on Oct. 15, 2013 in a friendly played in London at Fulham’s home grounds, Craven Cottage.
Australia holds a 5-1-3 edge over the previous nine matches with Canada.