Canadian women's soccer squad to face Australia, New Zealand in September friendlies

The Canadian women's soccer team will head Down Under for a pair of friendlies in September.

Canada, ranked sixth in the world, will take on the Australia and New Zealand, co-hosts of the 2023 Women's World Cup, in Australia on Sept. 3 and 6.

Australia sits 12th in the world rankings and New Zealand is No. 22.

The tournament is a qualifier for both the 2023 Women's World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Canada, the defending Olympic champions, will open play in the CONCACAF W Championship group stage on July 5 against Trinidad and Tobago before facing Panama on July 8 and Costa Rica on July 11.