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Women's World Cup: Canada vs. Nigeria preview, how to watch, predictions and more

Will the reigning Olympic champions find success over an aggressive Nigerian side?

Julia Ranney
·Lifestyle Editor
·5 min read

The highly-anticipated 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup has finally kicked off, with host countries Australia and New Zealand each securing wins in their respective tournament openers.

On Thursday night, the Canadian women's national team begins its campaign against Nigeria. Les Rouges take to the pitch at 10:30pm ET at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Here's everything you need to know about the match, including players to watch, predicted lineups and more.

Quick hits

  • This is Canada's eighth consecutive appearance at a FIFA Women’s World Cup. Historically, they haven't done well at the tournament, so they'll be looking to make a deep run this time around.

  • While Nigeria has qualified for every Women's World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1991, the team has only reached the knockout stage twice.

  • 40-year-old Christine Sinclair has scored in each of the last five editions of the Women’s World Cup — a joint-record held with Brazilian legend Marta.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 03: Christine Sinclair of Canada in action during the International Women's World Cup Friendly match between the Australia Matildas and Canada at Suncorp Stadium on September 03, 2022 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
This will be Christine Sinclair's sixth Women's World Cup. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images) (Albert Perez via Getty Images)

Canada's defence is essential

Canada is currently ranked No. 7 in the world, and is hoping to build off their 2022 Olympic gold medal win in Tokyo.

As the reigning Olympic champions, Canada enters this World Cup as one of the favourites. They have an exciting roster of experienced veterans — including Sinclair and 35-year-old Sophie Schmidt — and fiery youngsters like Julia Grosso and Jordyn Huitema, both 22.

But where Canada really shines is on defence. Versatile fullback Ashley Lawrence pairs with aggressive centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan to create a compact backline. Allysha Chapman and Vanessa Gilles, who are both known for their speed and reliability, complete the back four.

Canada's defence may be problematic for Nigeria, who aren't used to attacking against such a strong backline.

Moving up the pitch, one of Canada's players to watch is Jessie Fleming. The midfielder, who plays for Chelsea in the WSL, is the playmaker of the squad. She's known for her awareness and ability to set up goal-scoring opportunities. As Canada will want to start their World Cup campaign strong, Fleming will have to be at her best.

LE MANS, FRANCE - APRIL 11: Lawrence Ashley of Canada in action during an International Women's Friendly soccer match between France and Canada at Stade Marie-Marvingt stadium in Le Mans, France on April 11, 2023. (Photo by Christian Liewig - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Ashley Lawrence is a defensive mainstay for Canada. (Photo by Christian Liewig - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) (Christian Liewig - Corbis via Getty Images)

Nigeria is the underdog

Nigeria is one of the strongest African teams. They've won nine Women's Africa Cup of Nations titles, and have secured eight World Cup appearances.

At the 2019 World Cup, Nigeria advanced to the Round of 16 but lost to Germany. They'll be hoping to at least match that success this year, knowing they aren't expected to win.

That said, the Super Falcons are enduring their fair share of chaos. They're currently on a low after failing to medal in the Continental Championship a year ago. Additionally, the players previously threatened to boycott their first match of the World Cup in response to the Nigerian FA not paying them their match bonuses.

Nonetheless, while the 40th-ranked team is projected to finish bottom of the group, they have talent that shouldn't be underestimated.

One Nigerian player to watch is Barcelona forward Asisat Oshoala. She's a scoring machine, with 83 goals in 89 appearances for the Spanish side since 2019. Oshoala has also won the African Women’s Player of the Year award, and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or last year.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 16: Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria poses for a portrait during the official FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 portrait session on July 16, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Asisat Oshoala is a prolific goal-scorer for Nigeria. (Photo by Chris Hyde - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) (Chris Hyde - FIFA via Getty Images)

Predictions

Starting lineups

Canada (4-3-3 formation):

Nigeria (4-2-3-1 formation):

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Outcome

Canada and Nigeria have met five times before, with two of those meetings happening in previous World Cups. The teams are essentially tied, with two losses, two wins and one draw.

The draw came in a friendly last April, finishing 2-2, albeit Canada was missing a couple of key players. Nonetheless, Canada knows they can't hold back on Thursday evening.

However, while Nigeria is aggressive, quick and prepared, Canada is the favourite to win this match.

How to watch

Across Canada, all of the matches will be broadcasted live on CTV, TSN and RDS, with extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels from CanadaSoccer.com to Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Twitter and Youtube featuring the hashtags #CANWNT and #WECAN.

Thursday's pre-game show will begin at 9pm ET, with main coverage starting at 10:15pm ET.

Looking ahead, Canada will face No. 22 Ireland on July 26 (kick-off 8:00am ET), and No. 10 Australia on July 31 (kick-off 6:00am ET).