Women’s Rugby World Cup final rematch between Canada and England set for Toronto

TORONTO — Canada’s highly ranked women’s rugby team hopes it can build on the growing popularity of women’s sports when it kicks off a domestic tour in Toronto later this year.

The squad will make its BMO Field debut on Oct. 16 as part of a two-leg Rugby Rematch Tour announced on Monday. The first matchup will pit Canada against world No. 1 England in a rematch of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final.

It will be the first time Canada has hosted a women’s rugby match in the Greater Toronto Area since a 2011 Nations Cup game against England in Oakville, Ont.

“To be able to host a match here for the first time in 15 years, for us as a women’s program, is a really big statement,” Canada forward Sophie de Goede said after a press conference at BMO Field announcing the match. “It shows that Canada is making women’s rugby a priority. We’re bringing in the world champion English team and the rematch of the World Cup final — that couldn’t possibly be a better match to bring to this event and to this venue.”

The Rugby Rematch Tour is part of the domestic leg of the WXV Global Series, a new competition format that features 18 national unions competing in more than 100 fixtures in the lead up to the Women’s Rugby World Cup Australia in 2029. The second match of the Rugby Rematch Tour will be announced on Tuesday.

Canada’s other three series matches will be played in September against Scotland, England and France in Europe.

The national women’s rugby team is a powerhouse on the international stage.

Canada is ranked third in the world, and de Goede was named the World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year in 2025. At last September’s World Cup, a record 81,885 fans attended the final, which saw England beat Canada 33-13 at London’s Twickenham Stadium. At home, 3.7 million Canadians tuned in to watch some of Canada’s run to the final.

Yet despite the success on the pitch, the team still receives limited fanfare or resources.

Team captain Alex Tessier hopes the Rugby Rematch Tour will shine a spotlight on the women’s program and allow fans and potential sponsors to witness the exciting sport up close.

“The interest seems like it’s been growing, even more than ever, on the back of that successful World Cup,” Tessier said. “I think we needed a game on home soil, so that’s perfect timing for this game in Toronto now. We need to continue building that (interest). As players, we need this exposure.”

Broadly, professional women’s sports are thriving across Canada. The PWHL surpassed one million fans in attendance for the first time in its history this year. The Toronto Tempo, Canada’s first WNBA team, begin their inaugural season on May 8. The Northern Super League, Canada’s women’s professional soccer league, kicked off its second season last week with sights set on growing in Year 2.

Rugby Canada chief executive officer Nathan Bombrys said they are aiming to set a North American women’s rugby attendance record at BMO Field in October. Olivia Apps, captain of Canada’s women’s sevens team, said she believes Torontonians have “a major appetite for women’s sport right now.”

“So many people want to be able to watch us play at home and have said that since the World Cup final,” Apps said. “It’s just going to be perfect timing to be able to hopefully sell out BMO Field and just really get all those fans that have supported us throughout our whole journey, be able to come and see us in person.”

Along with the opportunity to showcase their team, de Goede said it’s also special to play at home, especially after playing the World Cup final in front of more than 80,000 people cheering for England.

“It’s such a special opportunity for us to be able to reverse that, and have the Canadian crowd behind us singing the national anthem with us,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026.