Canada Women

1986–1999: Early years

With many national federations beginning to found national women's teams, the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) held a national all-star tournament and camp in Winnipeg in the summer of 1986 for the purpose of assembling the first Canadian roster. The team was officially picked on Canada Day, and after three days' training, travelled by bus to Blaine, Minnesota for a two-game series against the recently-founded United States national team. Playing its first international match on July 7, 1986, they were defeated 2–0. Having been advised by coach Neil Turnbull that losing both matches might prompt the early demise of the program itself, Canada won the second 2–1, with both of its goals scored by Geri Donnelly.

As was the case for most international peers, resources were scant, with the inaugural annual budget for the women's team being $12,000, in comparison to the men's team's $1.7 million. The Canadian Press dubbed the first team "long on potential, short on cash." This would be an ongoing theme for much of the program's history. However, as many Canadian players were products of the American NCAA college system, they had experience with that country's much wealthier program. The team made its first overseas journey, to Taiwan, in 1987, with each player raising or otherwise contributing $1500 to cover expenses.

After decades of largely ignoring women's soccer, FIFA agreed to host the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament as a trial for a potential women's global championship akin to the men's World Cup. Canada was one of two CONCACAF teams invited to participate, along with the United States. They reached the quarter-finals before being ousted by Sweden. The tournament overall was a success, leading to FIFA establishing the Women's World Cup, with the inaugural 1991 edition in China. Canada sought to secure the lone berth afforded to CONCACAF at the first CONCACAF Women's Championship in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, but was defeated 5–0 in the final by the United States.

Canada's failure to qualify for the 1991 World Cup had an immediate deleterious impact on the team, which would not play another match for two years, leading to nominal coach Sylvie Béliveau remarking that she was "coaching ghosts." The team reunited for the next CONCACAF championship, this time dubbed the 1993 CONCACAF Women's Invitational Tournament and limited to only four teams. Canada again finished second. Canada hosted the 1994 CONCACAF Women's Championship in Montreal, with the tournament held as a World Cup qualifier. They were again runners-up, securing a place at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup. At year's end, the CSA awarded its first Female Player of the Year award to Charmaine Hooper, an original member of the 1986 roster and widely considered the best Canadian player of the era.

Competing at the Women's World Cup in Sweden, Canada played its first match against England on June 6, and was initially down by three goals. The team rallied late in the game, with Helen Stoumbos scoring the country's first-ever World Cup goal (at either men's or women's editions), an Olympico, in the 87th minute. A subsequent goal by Donnelly would see the game end in a 3–2 loss. After a 3–3 draw with Nigeria and a 7–0 rout at the hands of Norway, Canada exited the tournament at the group stage. As a result of this, the team would not qualify for the inaugural women's tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympics, as this was based on placing among the top seven teams at the World Cup.

Canada hosted the 1998 CONCACAF Women's Championship in Toronto, with the United States absent from the competition due to their status as World Cup hosts. Canada defeated Mexico in the final, with Liz Smith scoring the match's lone goal, and earning its first ever major championship gold. Silvana Burtini scored eight goals during the tournament, claiming both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot.

At the landmark 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, Canada drew its opening match against Japan, but lost 7–1 to Norway and 4–1 to Russia, exiting at the group stage for the second consecutive time. Hooper, with goals in both losses, was the country's top scorer. The 1999 World Cup marked the final appearances for much of the squad, including Donnelly, who opted to retire from international soccer.

2000–2008: Pellerud and the Sinclair ascendancy

Following the disappointment at the 1999 World Cup and resultant failure to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, the CSA sought to recruit a European coach for the national team, ultimately selecting former Norwegian national coach Even Pellerud. After the roster dispersed following the previous year's World Cup, he was provided with no scouting information about the nation's players, and opted to travel across the country holding practice matches to assess available players. Among those he identified was a 16-year-old Christine Sinclair, who he immediately named to the team's roster for the 2000 Algarve Cup, their first event under the new coach. Sinclair would rapidly become the team's most important player in the years ahead. Later in 2000, Canada competed in what was now called the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, which this time featured Brazil and China as invitees. Canada faced the United States in the semi-final, losing 4–1. Hooper and Sinclair led the team in scoring with seven and five goals, respectively. Pellerud continued to bring new young players into the roster in the next few years, with the squad for the 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup including future mainstays Candace Chapman, Carmelina Moscato, and Kara Lang, in addition to Sinclair. Canada reached the final of the Gold Cup, qualifying to the World Cup in the process, but lost 2–1 to the United States after Mia Hamm scored in extra time. Sinclair and Hooper, with seven goals apiece, tied American Tiffeny Milbrett as the tournament's top scorer.

The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in the United States for the second consecutive time, featured a Canada squad that included veteran players like Hooper, Burtini and Andrea Neil and Pellerud's younger additions, the latter now also including Diana Matheson. The team enjoyed unprecedented success at the tournament, losing its opening match of Group C to eventual champion Germany by 4–1, before defeating Argentina 3–0, and Japan 3–1 to place second in their group and advance to the knockout stage. Canada faced defending silver medallists China in the quarterfinal match. Hooper scored in the seventh minute, in what would later be called the most important moment of her international career, giving Canada a 1–0 upset victory. Canada was defeated by Sweden in the semi-final match 2–1, and faced the United States in the third-place match, where they were defeated 3–1 and finished fourth at the tournament. Hooper was subsequently named to the All-Star Team, a first for a Canadian player.

While Canada's fourth-place finish at the World Cup would have been sufficient to qualify for the prior two Summer Olympics, in advance of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens the qualification format had been changed to involve federation qualifying tournaments. Canada enter the 2004 CONCACAF Women's Pre-Olympic Tournament as heavy favourites to qualify, but were unexpectedly ousted by Mexico in the semi-final, missing the Olympics for the third time. In light of their results the prior year, Sinclair would later admit "we'd planned our lives around going to the Olympics. Not qualifying was the biggest low."

Pellerud sought to improve training conditions and professional standards for the historically underfunded women's team, persuading Greg Kerfoot, the owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps in the men's USL First Division, to help finance a residency program that would allow players to earn a salary and focus on playing soccer full-time in the years leading up to the next World Cup and Olympics. However, this led to conflict between the coach and some players, with Hooper, Christine Latham and Sharolta Nonen alleging that they had been inappropriately pressured to player for the Whitecaps' women's team as part of the residency program. As a result, they were all suspended in advance of the 2006 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup. Sinclair and the rest of the team expressed support for Pellerud, and an arbitrator subsequently found he had acted appropriately. The dispute marked the end of Hooper's twenty-year career with the national team, and Sinclair replaced her as captain.

Canada's results at the Gold Cup qualified them for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. In Group C, the team lost 2–1 to Norway in its opening match. A 4–0 victory against Ghana followed, with Sinclair managing a brace. Sinclair scored another goal in the 85th minute of the final group stage match against Australia, which would have been sufficient to advance to the knockout stage had it held, but Australia equalized in stoppage time and Canada exited the tournament. Later in the year, the team won a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games, in what was widely considered an unimpressive performance marked by player complaints about overtraining.

The CSA declined the opportunity to host the 2008 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, saying they could not afford the estimated $400,000 expenditure, a decision Pellerud publicly criticized. Canada defeated Mexico in a semi-final rematch from four years' prior, earning its first Olympic berth, in what Sinclair called "sweet revenge." The 1–1 event final eventually saw the United States prevail on penalties. At the women's tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Canada defeated Argentina 2–1, with Chapman scoring Canada's first Olympic goal and Lang providing the winner. The team advanced out of the group stage before being defeated by the United States, the eventual gold medallists, in their quarter-final match, with Sinclair scoring Canada's lone goal in the 2–1 loss.

Following the Olympics, Pellerud retired from coaching the national team. In assessments of his tenure, he was credited by Matheson for having created "a competitive, professional-feeling team. Before that, it was just sporadic camps a couple of times a year." Some, such as future CSA president Jason DeVos, argued that his tactics had become outdated by 2008, in light of developments in the women's game. Pellerud himself would later say he had left "a solid foundation, so it was the right time for a new coach to come in with a new view."

2009–2011: Initial success under Morace, World Cup nadir

The CSA recruited Carolina Morace, formerly both a player and coach for the Italian national team, to serve as Canada's next coach. Building on critiques of the team that had been made toward the end of Pellerud's tenure, which was described as having "a one-dimensional style of play that emphasized the long ball, physical strength and endurance" Morace sought to introduce the team to a new approach with greater emphasis on what The Globe & Mail would later describe as "the gift of style, of beautiful, technically and tactically advanced soccer."

Morace's new approach enjoyed great initial success, culminating in Canada's victory at the CONCACAF championship, this time called the 2010 CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying. With the United States unexpectedly ousted in the semi-final, Canada faced Mexico in the final, winning 1–0 with Sinclair scoring to take the first major senior title of her tenure. By February 2011, Canada had risen to ninth in the FIFA Women's World Ranking, its highest placement in four years. However, despite this success, Morace and the team found themselves enmeshed in disputes with the CSA over funding and compensation. On February 4, 2011, Morace announced that would quit following the World Cup, citing strategic differences with the federation. Days later, the team itself went on strike in support of her, eventually returning to the pitch after the CSA began talks with Morace to resolve differences. She ultimately agreed to rescind her resignation after an agreement was reached to create a management group for the team involving parties including Own the Podium. As part of the agreement, the women's team was to train for the World Cup in Morace's home nation of Italy.

At the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, Canada faced host nation Germany in its opener, a 2–1 defeat most noteworthy for Sinclair scoring a goal despite having her nose broken by a German player earlier in the match. A 4–0 rout at the hands of France formally eliminated Canada from the tournament. Sinclair would later describe it was "the lowest point in my soccer career, the worst game I'd ever seen our team play." Canada went on to lose 1–0 to Nigeria. Morace resigned as coach following the team's last-place finish, as did her coaching staff. While generally praised for her tactical improvements, and having taken the team to a new high of sixth in the FIFA Rankings, some members of the team would subsequently say that they felt Morace had unnecessarily devalued "what makes us Canadian -- the fight that puts fear in other teams."

2011–2018: Herdman's "bronze age" and 2015 World Cup

Englishman John Herdman, the erstwhile coach of the New Zealand national team, was hired as Canada's next coach in August 2011. Herdman sought to build on Morace's approach to the team. In time, this would be regarded as arguably the most consequential hiring in the history of Canadian soccer. Less than two months into the new coach's tenure, the team won gold at the 2011 Pan American Games, defeating Brazil in a penalty shootout in the final.

The 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament was hosted in Canada. Victory over Mexico in the semi-final secured qualification, but Canada was defeated 4–0 by the United States in the final. The 2012 Summer Olympics in London began in unpromising fashion with a loss to Japan. After defeating South Africa and drawing Sweden, Canada nevertheless advanced out of the group stage as the third seed, led by performances from Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi. Canada faced host nation Great Britain in the quarter-final, defeating them 2–0. This led to a historic Olympic semi-final against the United States at Old Trafford that saw the Americans prevail 4–3, with Sinclair recording a hat-trick. The game was noted both for its high quality of play and for the controversial calls made by referee Christina Pedersen, who many felt had wrongly penalized Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod for time-wasting, which penalty had in turn allowed the United States to tie the game. Canada would go on to the third-place game, Matheson scoring to secure the women's first-ever Olympic medal.

The London Olympics had a significant legacy for the women's national team, elevating both its profile and that of captain Christine Sinclair, and helping to make Canada a rare instance where the women's team enjoyed significantly greater visibility than the men's team. Sinclair became the first soccer player to win the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canadian female athlete of the year, and the first soccer player, male or female, to win the Lou Marsh Trophy as athlete of the year. She was soon called "the face of Canadian soccer." The team received the Canadian Press Team of the Year Award, another first for soccer.

2015 was Canada's "summer of soccer hosting," with the country awarded both the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2015 Pan American Games, in addition to matches of the men's Gold Cup. In light of the women's team's last-place finish in 2011 and its subsequent bronze medal at the Olympics, there were expectations on the team to perform on home soil. Herdman expressed a desire "to aim high and make sure 2015 is a memorable year for Canada," in the hopes of accelerating the growth of support for both women's soccer and the sport in general. In the World Cup's Group A, Canada defeated China by 1–0 in its opening match, on the strength of a Sinclair penalty kick. They drew the remaining two group stage matches, but finished first in the group and faced Switzerland in the Round of 16. Defeating the Swiss 1–0 in the opening of the knockout stage, Canada advanced to face England. In the quarter-final, Sinclair scored Canada's lone goal in the 42nd minute, with Canada ultimately losing the match 2–1. The result was generally considered underwhelming, highlight the team's struggles with offence from players other than Sinclair. Centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan earned distinction at the tournament, being named the winner of the FIFA Young Player Award and a place on the All-Star Squad. Later in the summer, Buchanan joined the Canadian squad for the Pan American women's tournament, alongside other touted emerging talents such as Jessie Fleming, Janine Beckie, Ashley Lawrence, Quinn, and Shelina Zadorsky. Canada reached the semi-finals, losing there to Colombia, before also losing the bronze medal match to Mexico. At year's end, Buchanan received the CSA's Female Player of the Year award, ending an eleven-year Sinclair winning streak, and was also shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon d'Or.

Canada next focused on qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The team reached the final of the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship, thereby qualifying to the Olympic Games, and losing the championship match to the United States 2–0. A month later, they won the 2016 edition of the Algarve Cup, defeating upcoming Olympic host nation Brazil in the final. At the Olympic women's tournament, Canada swept its three group stage games, culminating in a historic win over Germany that broke a 12-game, 22-year losing streak. Canada defeated France in the quarter-final, but was defeated in a semi-final rematch with Germany by 2–1. Playing in the bronze medal game for the second consecutive Olympics, Sinclair scored the game-winning goal against Brazil.

In 2017, Herdman informed the CSA that he hoped to transition to men's coaching following the next World Cup. However, disagreements with then-current national men's coach Octavio Zambrano led to this opportunity emerging earlier than expected, and he was announced as the next Canadian men's coach in January 2018, a move that came as a surprise to the women's team. Herdman would later express regret that the news had not been delivered better. Stylistically, the team during his tenure was at its best known for "defending well and being opportunistic on attack." Conversely, goal-scoring outside of Sinclair remained a constant question. Herdman was credited for his motivational skills, and for continued improvements to the team's infrastructure. At the time of his departure, Canada sat fifth in the FIFA Rankings, a new highpoint. The Canadian Olympic Committee called the Herdman era "the bronze age."

2018–2023: Tokyo Olympic gold and Sinclair era's end

Assistant coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller, previously a coach of the Danish women's team, was named as the next head coach for Canada. Canada pursued World Cup qualification at the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, routing Panama 7–0 in the semi-final to secure a berth. They were defeated by the United States in the final 2–0.

At the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, Canada narrowly defeated Cameroon in its opening group stage match, with Buchanan scoring the winning header. After defeating New Zealand, Canada faced the Netherlands in its final group match, losing 2–1, with Sinclair's goal equalling Brazilian Marta's achievement of scoring in five different World Cups. Facing Sweden in the Round of 16, Canada was down 1–0 when they were awarded a penalty after a hand ball by a Swedish defender. While Sinclair commonly took penalties for the team, in this instance she was aware that Swedish keeper Hedvig Lindahl had saved her penalty attempt at the Algarve Cup the previous March, and opted to have Beckie take it instead. Beckie's attempt was saved by Lindahl, and Canada were ultimately eliminated. The performance of the national team was widely critiqued in the aftermath of the event, with many commentators faulting the lack of goal-scoring threat from players other than Sinclair.

During the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship, Sinclair scored her 185th career international goal, breaking the record previously set by American Abby Wambach. Canada reached the tournament final, thereby qualifying for the Olympics, and lost 3–0 to the United States in the final. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the Olympics being delayed by a year. Heiner-Møller had originally intended to depart for a job with the Danish Football Association following the conclusion of the Olympic tournament, but due to the change in scheduling, he instead left in advance of it in the summer of 2020.

In October 2020, the CSA hired Bev Priestman as the next head coach. She had previously coached the Canadian women's youth teams and served as an assistant to Herdman before leaving for a job with The Football Association. Looking ahead to the Tokyo Olympics, she said her intent was "to change the colour of the medal." The Olympic women's tournament commenced with a 1–1 draw against hosts Japan, with Sinclair scoring in her 300th appearance. Goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé was injured in a collision, but played through it to make a key penalty save before exiting the match. Beckie scored twice for a 2–1 victory against Chile, before Canada managed another draw against Great Britain to conclude the group stage. A scoreless quarterfinal match against Brazil was decided on penalties, Canada prevailing 4–3, with a returning Labbé a standout in goal. After missing her own penalty attempt, Sinclair advised Priestman that Fleming should take future penalties, which she did decisively in the semi-final match with the United States, Canada winning 1–0. This was the team's first victory over the Americans in twenty years. Fleming scored another penalty in the final against Sweden, which ended 1–1 after extra-time. Canada eventually won the match 3–2 on penalty kicks to capture the gold medal in women's soccer for the first time, with Julia Grosso scoring the clinching goal. The result was hailed as the biggest victory in Canadian soccer history, and a capstone to Sinclair's tenure.

The immediate post-Olympic period saw the retirement of Labbé, who had achieved significant fame as a result of her performance in Tokyo, with Kailen Sheridan becoming the team's new starting goalkeeper in advance of the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. Grosso scored the lone goal in a group match with Panama to send Canada to the semi-final and secure World Cup qualification. Canada defeated Jamaica in the semi-final, before losing 1–0 to the United States in the final.

Longstanding disputes with the CSA over compensation and program funding led to the players calling a strike ahead of the 2023 SheBelieves Cup, but under threat of legal action from the federation they agreed to resume training. With morale low, the team performed poorly and finished last among the four participants. The team played only one additional match prior to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, a 2–1 loss to France in April. Canada was drawn into Group B, entering as one of the favourites to advance, but with questions raised around the team's offensive capabilities, injuries to key players, and the off-field disputes with the CSA. With Fleming now widely identified as the team's most important player, an injury in the pre-tournament that left her unavailable for the opening match against Nigeria was a setback. The match ended in a 0–0 draw, with Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie saving a Sinclair penalty attempt. The match renewed concerns about offense. After a poor first half against Ireland, Canada mounted a comeback for a 2–1 victory. Canada entered the final group match against co-host Australia needing only a draw to advance to the Round of 16, but were routed 4–0 by the Australians, exiting the tournament. They became the first reigning Olympic champions not to advance to the knockout stages of the World Cup. Assessments of the team once again criticized its lack of scoring potential with Sinclair no longer in her prime, as well as its struggles to keep up with evolution of the women's game internationally.

Following the disappointment at the World Cup, doubts were raised about the team's prospects in its September CONCACAF Olympic qualification playoff against Jamaica, with the latter team having performed unexpectedly well at the World Cup and reached the Round of 16. Priestman made a number of changes to her configurations, including starting perennial substitute Cloé Lacasse and relative newcomers Jade Rose and Sydney Collins. Canada defeated Jamaica by an aggregate score of 4–1 across the two matches, securing its fifth consecutive Olympic berth. Sinclair notably featured in only thirty minutes, coming on as a substitute during the second game at BMO Field. Having achieved Olympic qualification, Sinclair announced that she would retire at year's end, having been persuaded to play in a "farewell tour" that saw the team play four matches across the country, including its first in the Maritimes since 2012. The tour concluded with Sinclair's final match on December 5, 2023, held at BC Place in Vancouver, renamed "Christine Sinclair Place" for the occasion. Canada defeated Australia 1–0 before a crowd of 48,112, a national record for a women's friendly, with Sinclair starting the match and being substituted off early in the second half. Her departure was called the end of an era for Canadian soccer.

2024–present: New era

In advance of the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, Fleming was named the new team captain. Canada won its group and finished first in the overall tournament seeding, ultimately reaching a semi-final matchup with the United States. Tied 2–2 after extra time, they lost 1–3 on penalties.