Olympic champions Canada face first WWC test vs. Nigeria

MIAMI, Florida – The Canadian Women’s National Team is set for their first test of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Thursday night at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium against one of the top teams in Africa, Nigeria.

The North Americans arrive at this first match as reigning Olympic champions, crowning themselves at Tokyo 2020 and being one of the teams that fans are looking forward to seeing in Group B.

They also landed in Australia/New Zealand as runner-ups of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, a position that has allowed them to dream about defending their Gold at Paris 2024 if they defeat Jamaica in the Olympic playoff in September.

With all of that serving as part of their journey to get Down Under, Canada is now ready to show their game.

After exiting France 2019 in the Round of 16, Canada have reinforced themselves, bringing in Englishwoman Bev Priestman as Head Coach in 2020. Her leadership had an immediate impact on the squad and brought the already-known Canadian talent to a new level.

One of the players that has benefitted from Priestman’s guidance is MF Julia Grosso. Named as the best midfielder for her performance in Italy’s Serie A with Juventus, Gross will be one of the keys to control the game against the Super Falcons.

Both Grosso and MF Jessie Fleming scored three goals in the CWC and will be called upon to help lead the Canadian attack.

Nigeria, considered to be one of the best women’s teams in Africa, arrive to their first match in Australia after finishing in fourth place in the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Asisat Oshoala, captain of the team, is one of the players that the Canadian defense have to keep an eye on, since she is a lethal force in front of goal, evidenced by being named the best African player last year.

Canada and Nigeria do have some past Women’s World Cup history, with their prior World Cup contest ending in a 1-0 Nigeria group stage win at Germany 2011.