Canada lands another old foe for FIFA World Cup tune-up
Less than a year out from the FIFA World Cup, Canada doesn’t appear to be slowing down on news about their men’s national soccer team any time soon.
Fresh off wins over Romania and Wales on European soil, Canada announced another friendly against a familiar opponent in Venezuela.
The pair most recently faced off at last year’s Copa America, where Canada made a run all the way to the semifinal before falling to Argentina.
The match will be played at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday, Nov. 18 and broadcast on OneSoccer.
“The quarterfinal win over Venezuela at the 2024 Copa América was a landmark moment for our program and something our players, staff, and supporters will never forget. Venezuela is a quality team and will be eager for the rematch. This friendly gives us another chance to measure ourselves against a challenging opponent,” said Jesse Marsch, men’s national head team coach.
Despite being a top-50 side in the world, Venezuelan fans have actually had fewer chances than Canada to watch their team on the world stage.
They are the only one of 10 CONMEBOL teams to have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, having finished eighth in this cycle’s dual qualifying round robin, with six teams making it to the tournament.
Canada also has a pair of other big matches lined up for the October window, their last of 2025.
They’ll host Australia in Montreal on Friday, Oct. 10, before heading down to New Jersey’s Sports Illustrated Stadium to take on Colombia on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
When does the FIFA World Cup start?
Canada is scheduled to play three group-stage matches in next year’s World Cup, in Toronto on June 12 and in Vancouver on June 18 and 24. The Canadian national team could also play up to an additional two knockout-round matches on Canadian soil, in the Round of 32 and the Round of 16, both in Vancouver.
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