ANALYSIS: CanWNT reveal roster for October friendlies against Denmark
With some crucial matches looming at the end of 2026, the CanWNT are first getting set to take the field for a pair of friendlies over the next few weeks.
At the beginning of October, they’ll take on Denmark in Montréal and Toronto, in what will be their final set of friendlies in a long line of them this year.
After playing seven friendlies between March and June, this will be a nice way to end off that run of exhibition games, too, especially with these games coming at home - for context, this will be the first time Canada plays at home since June of 2025, having played 12 consecutive games on the road.
You add in that Denmark is ranked 12th in the world in the FIFA Rankings, and that shows why these games will be so valuable to this Canadian side, one who has struggled in tests against top opponents in recent years.
Just in the last 12 months, Canada has lost to top 15 sides Netherlands, Brazil Japan (x2) and the US (x2), as their last win against a top 15 side came against France back at the 2024 Olympics.
For a team that wants to make some noise at next summer’s World Cup, they’ll know that they need to find a way to beat teams of that calibre more regularly going forward, or else it’ll be tough for them to dream of being able to make a deep run at that tournament (and others like it going forward).
Of course, their bigger focus now is qualifying for that World Cup in the first place, which they’ll get the chance to do at the Concacaf W Championship in November. That’s the other big reason why these friendlies are so crucial for this team - this is their last chance to prepare for their big Concacaf Championship quarter-final match against Panama in November, where they can secure their qualification to the World Cup automatically with a victory (if they lose, they still get another chance to qualify, but they’d have to go through a play-in round and then the intercontinental playoff to do so).
Yet, that shows why it was so interesting to see Canada’s squad for this window, which came out on Tuesday. With the importance of those games, many were curious to see whether head coach Casey Stoney would bring more of a settled group to this camp, or if she’d use it as one last opportunity to look at some new faces.
ROSTER DROP 🚨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 22, 2026
Here's Casey Stoney's latest CanWNT 🇨🇦 squad for a pair of home friendlies vs. Denmark 🇩🇰 in October, available to watch on OneSoccer 📺 pic.twitter.com/RQ1rcamY6x
In the end, Stoney went for more of a familiar group, which is not a bad thing, as several key players in this squad are entering this camp in great form, something that hasn’t always happened while she’s been in charge.
With that in mind, here’s what stood out from that squad reveal.
Familiarity triumphs in squad selection process:
At first glance, the big trend from Stoney’s squad was the experience in the group, as most players in this squad are pretty familiar with this Canadian side.
Other than goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais, all 24 other players called up have already earned a cap with this Canadian team, and even in Dagenais’s case, she has been called up to this team before.
In fact, other than Dagenais, Kaylee Hunter (two caps), Lysianne Proulx (three caps), Carly Wickenheiser (seven caps) and Delaney Baie Pridham (seven caps), everyone else on this team has hit double digits caps for Canada, just showing how experienced this side truly is.
To be fair, that’s not all that surprising to see. As mentioned earlier, with what’s at stake over the next few months, it makes sense that Stoney is preferring to work with a group of players who are more familiar with this Canadian set-up.
Given that Stoney has spent a decent chunk of her time in charge of this Canadian team looking at new players to try and widen the player pool, perhaps this is a sign of the work she’s done on that front is paying off.
Plus, it helps that some of Canada’s most experienced players are entering this camp in good form - it’s not as if Stoney has chosen to go with a more familiar group for the sake of it.
Just look at Canada’s four most capped players in this squad - among that group, Kadeisha Buchanan is playing regularly for Chelsea to start the new season, Jessie Fleming has been a fixture in the Portland Thorns midfield all year, Ashley Lawrence has also been a starter for OL Lyonnes to start the new season, and Janine Sonis is putting together one of the best individual NWSL seasons by a Canadian on expansion side Denver Summit.
While some might’ve wondered if Stoney’s arrival might usher in a generational shift, the reality is that Canada’s most experienced players still look capable of pushing this team forward, which is good news.
It can’t be forgotten that while many are expecting this team to soon become one led by young stars such as Olivia Smith, Kaylee Hunter and others, it’s unfair to ask those players to do too much, too soon. That someone like Smith hasn’t been fully able to translate her elite club performances over to Canada quite yet shows a glimpse of how hard it can be for younger players to carry that sort of responsibility in the international game, no matter how good they are.
Now, though, with the form that Canada’s more experienced players are in, perhaps that can take some of the pressure off Smith and other young players, which in turn, might push them to hit new heights for Canada.
That would be a big win for this team, which just shows why it’s been such a positive revelation to see the form some of Canada’s most experienced players have been in at the club level as of late, as it can only have a trickle down effect on what the rest of this team can achieve.
The importance of in-form NWSL stars:
Among the Canadian players who enter this camp in excellent form, a few of them find themselves in the NWSL, which remains an important league for this National Team team - 10 players in this latest squad find themselves currently in the league (and several others have spent time at clubs in the circuit).
Among those currently in the NWSL, however, a few have really stood out this season, with two leading the way, in particular.
Firstly, there’s Sonis, who as mentioned earlier, has been fantastic for the Denver Summit. Despite playing as a left back, she’s playing a huge role on a Summit side that’s been on the hunt for a playoff spot in their first season, scoring a whopping 11 goals and adding five assists.
For context, Sonis is tied for fourth in the NWSL in goals, eighth in assists and sixth in total goals and assists, which is quite absurd for a player in her position - let alone without considering that she’s also playing on an expansion team.
With 11 goals and 4 assists to move into the top 5 in the Golden Boot race, Denver defender Janine Sonis is unstoppable!
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 17, 2026
Sound off in the comments about Sonis and her career-best '26 season! pic.twitter.com/VjgVbYQrCP
As it stands, she seems a shoo-in to be included in the NWSL’s Best XI, something that Canadians haven’t always been able to do. In the league’s history, just two Canadians have cracked the Best XI, and that’s Diana Matheson (2013) and Kailen Sheridan (2021, 2022). Heck, even cracking the league’s second Best XI has been a challenge for Canadians, with only Lauren Sesselmann (2013) Desiree Scott (2013) Christine Sinclair (2013, 2018) and Sheridan (2023) doing that.
Considering some of the Canadians that have played in this league, that’s surprising, but that helps show why Sonis’s season has been so impressive to watch unfold.
Yet, she’s not the only Canadian with a shout at making the Best XI.
The other name? Cloé Lacasse, who has played a huge role for a Utah Royals side who has surprised many with their performances this season.
Not done running down the Utah Royals wing 🙂↔️
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) September 16, 2026
Cloé Lacasse is staying for more
📰: https://t.co/yT1raJeShV pic.twitter.com/CxuMoHzrOG
Lacasse has scored seven goals and added 10 assists for her side this season, with her assists leading the league, and her combined goals and assists having her tied for fourth in the league.
Given some of the attacking talent in the league, that’s incredibly impressive to see from Lacasse, who has been able to channel the form she had in past stints with Benfica and Arsenal into one of her best-ever campaigns as a professional.
Because of that, expect Sonis and Lacasse to play a key role for Canada this camp, with Lacasse starting on the left wing, and Sonis at left back. They’ve already been two of Canada’s best players from the friendlies this year, so they were always strong candidates to start in those roles, but their club form has only cemented that we’ll be likely to see a lot more of them for Canada over the next few windows.
Otherwise, in terms of the Canadians in the NWSL, Kailen Sheridan will likely remain Canada’s starting goalkeeper, as she’s had a good first season with the North Carolina Courage - she’s kept seven clean sheets and prevented 2.5 goals above expected in 25 NWSL games, which isn’t bad at all.
Meanwhile, Jessie Fleming has played every minute of every game this year for the Portland Thorns, Gabrielle Carle has retained a regular starting role for a dangerous Washington Spirit side, and Emma Regan has started to earn more of a starting role for the Denver Summit in recent weeks after beginning the season in more of a rotational role after her big move from AFC Toronto.
Because of that, don’t be surprised if those players play key minutes for Canada this camp, as they try and translate that form over.
It can’t be forgotten that a year ago Stoney pushed her players to be playing more regularly at the club level, as a lot of them were struggling for minutes at their clubs - since then, it feels like some key players have taken that message to heart. Especially those playing in the NWSL.
Questions aplenty for the starting lineup:
So based on what we’ve seen here, Stoney should have most of her strongest starting eleven pretty figured out heading into these games.
Assuming Stoney sticks with the 4-2-3-1 she’s mostly employed this year, Kailen Sheridan is likely to start in goal, while Janine Sonis and Ashley Lawrence appear to have the edge at full back (even if Gabrielle Carle is also an option there). Then, in midfield, it looks like Jessie Fleming and Emma Regan will play together in a double-pivot, while at left wing, Cloé Lacasse is a shoo-in to start, with Olivia Smith set to play at right wing.
Therefore, the big battles to watch?
Firstly, who plays at centre back, as Jade Rose, Vanessa Gilles and Kadeisha Buchanan all can say they deserve to start, but Stoney can only play two of them unless she switches her formation.
Among that group, Gilles feels like the lock, with her aerial ability at both ends so crucial to what Canada does, but how does Stoney then pick between Buchanan and Rose? Truth be told, her answer might come down more to tactical fit and how they mesh with Gilles more than anything, as it’s hard to pick between both right now, and for good reason.
Then, higher up the field, it’ll be fascinating to see who starts at the #10. Will it be Marie-Yasmine Alidou, especially after her move to leave the Portland Thorns to join Northern Super League side Montréal Roses in search of more minutes? Or will it be Julia Grosso, who recently had a run of goals for the Chicago Stars? Or could someone like Simi Awujo slot into the midfield double-pivot to push Fleming higher up the pitch?
Lastly, there’s the question of what to do up front. As it stands, Evelyne Viens seems to have the edge, and deserves to start, but Stoney will have to be tempted by Kaylee Hunter after her performances with Canada’s U20 team at the U20 Women’s World Cup this month, while Delaney Baie Pridham is also an option to watch. And perhaps there’s even a world where Stoney, who has used two-striker formations in the past, could just end up playing multiple strikers together.
Yet, that shows why it’ll be so fascinating to see what Stoney does with her lineup across these two games.
Then, from there, it’ll be just as interesting to see if she uses a more settled group across both games, helping them build chemistry ahead of the big Concacaf Championship games later in the year, or if she’ll continue to experiment with player combinations and tactics to find a new mix.
With just 180 minutes worth of friendlies to work with before the big competitive games, Stoney will have to make the most of this team’s time together, knowing what will be at stake when they take the field again later this year.
