The Canadian men’s national soccer team takes to the pitch in Montreal Friday night for a friendly against Australia as Jesse Marsch’s side continue their preparations for the 2026 World Cup next summer.
Watch Canada take on Australia in their international friendly LIVE Friday, with pre-game coverage getting underway at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on TSN5, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.
Canada enjoyed a perfect start to the autumn friendly slate with a pair of impressive wins overseas against Romania and Wales, and will now look to keep things rolling on home soil against the Socceroos.
“Out focus is always on trying to get the maximum out of our potential every time we’re together,” Marsch said Thursday ahead of the match. “I credit, always, the character of our men and the way that they train, the way that they come into the national team, the pride they have in wearing the jersey.
“We’re just really excited that there’s big energy right now behind the team,” he added. “We want to put on a show. We want to play out football but we want to score goals, we want to be entertaining, we want to get this country excited about next summer.”
Both Canada and Australia have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup next June, and will square off for the first time since 2013, when the Aussies overpowered Les Rouges on their way to a 3-0 victory.
The two appear to be evenly matched this time around, with Canada holding the 26th spot in the FIFA world rankings, just one spot lower than the 25th-ranked Australians.
Liam Millar, Jonathan Osorio, and Cyle Larin return to the squad after missing September’s friendlies, and are set for extended looks this international break as Marsch begins to sort out his starting X1 ahead of the World Cup.
Moise Bombito, one of Marsch’s top defensive options on the team, will be unavailable for both this window and the upcoming friendlies scheduled for November after sustaining a non-displaced fractured tibia while playing for French side OGC Nice last weekend.
Bombito also missed the entirety of Canada’s quarterfinal run at the Gold Cup last summer after recovering from wrist surgery.
The Australians come into Friday having won each of their past six matches, including victories over 19th-ranked Japan and their Trans-Tasman rival New Zealand.
Headlined by Jordan Bos, Mohamed Toure, and keeper Mathew Ryan, the Australian squad boasts an impressive combination of size and talent that poses a real challenge for Canada to begin October’s friendlies schedule.
“I think it’s a very stingy team,” Marsch said on Tony Popovic’s side. “[They are] very organised defensively, very aggressive. Good on set pieces, doesn’t give much away. Committed as a group to be organized…this will not be an easy match for us.”
Marsch confirmed that Quebec native Maxime Crepeau will draw the start in Montreal Friday, while Dayne St. Clair will get Tuesday’s game against Colombia in New Jersey.
To this point, neither goalie has been able to separate themselves as the team’s starter for next summer, but Marsch said that form and team needs will ultimately decide the battle for the starting spot.
“Performance is our key,” the manager said on choosing the World Cup starter. “The good part is that they’ve both performed at such a high level every time that they’ve been called upon.
“A lot of it is probably going to come down to what’s the balance in the team and what does the team need. Where are we from a maturity perspective, where are we from a development perspective, and then how does each goalkeeper and their qualities fit into what that is, both from a mental and a tactical playing perspective.
“I lose sleep at night about telling one of them that they’re not going to be the goalkeeper for the World Cup because I really like both of them. They’ve really both committed to everything I’ve asked from them at the highest level, and they both deserve it.”
