Canadian men’s soccer team to host Australia in Montreal for October friendly

Canada forward Jonathan David (10) celebrates with defender Luc De Fougerolles (15) after scoring during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against El Salvador in Houston, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

MONTREAL — The Canadian men’s national soccer team will host Australia in its first match in Montreal since 2017 on Oct. 10 at Stade Saputo.

Canada Soccer announced the opponent Thursday for the international friendly in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup.

No. 30 Canada finished fourth at last summer’s Copa America but dropped out of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a quarterfinal loss to Guatemala last Sunday.

The men’s national team holds a 3-1-5 record against Australia, which currently stands 26th in the FIFA rankings.

The Socceroos qualified for the 2026 World Cup — co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States — with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in June.

The Canadian men will also face No. 14 Colombia in an Oct. 14 friendly at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J.

Last time out in Montreal, Canada defeated Curaçao 2-1 in June 2017. Current captain Alphonso Davies made his international debut in the match.

“We’re excited to be playing another high-quality match on home soil with our first game in Montreal since 2017,” Canada 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.”

Montreal will also serve as the host city for the Canadian men’s final preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a final sendoff match against an opponent to be determined by qualifying results and the tournament draw.

Canada will host 13 games at the 2026 tournament, seven in Vancouver and six in Toronto.

Canada will also travel to Europe for friendlies against No. 45 Romania and No. 29 Wales on Sept. 5 and Sept. 9, respectively.

The World Cup is scheduled for June 11 to July 19, 2026, with 48 teams competing in 16 cities across the three host countries. The tournament draw is scheduled for January.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025.