Kadeisha Buchanan back in the fold for Canada this month

After a long time away, a familiar face will be back in action for the Canadian women’s team this month.  

Coach Casey Stoney on Thursday released her 24-player roster for the inaugural FIFA Series, and included in her squad is veteran centre back Kadeisha Buchanan.  

Buchanan, a 30-year-old from Toronto, tore her anterior cruciate ligament in November 2024 in a match vs. Liverpool and only recently started playing again with her pro club, English side Chelsea. Her last appearance for Canada came in a 1-1 draw vs. Spain on Oct. 25, 2024

After being sidelined for 469 days with her ACL injury, Buchanan played in her first game in February when she came off the bench in extra time of Chelsea’s FA Cup win over Manchester United. In the club’s very next game, also against Manchester United, she started in Chelsea’s win in the League Cup final in Bristol.  

"It feels good to be back," Buchanan told Chelsea's official website. "But it's funny, when I say back, I feel like my body is still trying to catch up to my mind. In my mind, I feel good, but my body is like, ‘Maybe you need to slow down a bit!’

"I do feel really happy just to be available for the team, and I’m happy to be back out there with my teammates. It's been a long time, and after that long period of being away, you're very grateful when you step back out on the field each and every day. Before that injury, I was doing pretty well, and it was a setback. But now, while I don't feel like I'm back to where I was before, I am getting back to it. And I think the coach has that belief in me to know where my potential is."

Buchanan has six goals and four assists in 154 appearances for Canada since making her national team debut in 2013. She has the most caps amongst active players and ranks sixth all-time. She’s also one of Canada’s most decorated players, having won an Olympic gold and bronze medal, as well as five UEFA Champions League titles and five French league championships, three English Super League crowns and an FA Cup.  

But more than that, Buchanan provides Canada with a steely and calming presence in the middle of the defence and is considered one of the team’s top leaders as its most experienced campaigner. 

Canada opens the 2026 FIFA Series against Zambia on April 11, before taking on South Korea on April 14 and Brazil on April 18. All of Canada’s games will be played at Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá, Brazil.  

Also coming back from injury after missing the February window due to injury are goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo, defender Jayde Riviere, and forward Olivia Smith. The return of Smith is a big boost for a Canadian side that has been shut out seven times in its last eight games since last July. Smith, 21, is considered one of the team’s brightest young attackers, and has three goals and three assists in 18 appearances (eight starts). 

The other most recognizable names on Canada’s latest roster are captain Jessie Fleming and fellow midfielder Julia Grossi, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, defenders Vanessa Gilles and Janine Sonis, and forward Nichelle Prince. Three Northern Super League players made the cut: midfielder Kaylee Hunter (last season's rookie of the year), forward Delaney Baie Pridham (last season's league MVP) and goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais. 

In total, 19 players have returned from the SheBelieves Cup roster in February.  

Unavailable for this camp due to injury are defender Gabrielle Carle, forwards Jordyn Huitema, Adriana Leon and Holly Ward, goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx, and defender Shelina Zadorsky.   

The most notable omissions from this latest roster are goalkeeper Emily Burns, and defenders Marie Levasseur and Megan Reid who were part of the squad in February when Canada competed at the SheBelieves Cup.  

Stoney’s team has been idle since February when it beat Colombia in its opening match of the SheBelieves Cup, was shut out by the United States, and defeated Argentina.   

Canada is currently ninth in the FIFA world rankings, ahead of Zambia (No. 66), and South Korea (No. 19), but behind Brazil (No. 8).  

Canada and Brazil have met 32 times with 11 wins, 10 draws and 11 losses apiece. Their most recent encounter saw Canada earn a penalty shootout win at the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. Canada has an 8-1-1 record against South Korea since their first meeting in 2000. The two sides last met in December 2024 when Canada earned a 5-1 victory in Murcia, Spain. The match against Zambia will mark the first meeting between the two nations.   

The FIFA Series brings together national teams from across the six confederations. This first edition features 50 nations competing in 13 groups across 12 host countries.  

CANADA'S SQUAD 

• Goalkeepers: Melissa Dagenais (Ottawa Rapid FC), Sabrina D’Angelo (Aston Villa) and Kailen Sheridan (North Carolina Courage).
• Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan (Chelsea FC), Sydney Collins (Bay FC), Brooklyn Courtnall (Bay FC), Vanessa Gilles (Bayern Munich), Ashley Lawrence (OL Lyonnes), Jayde Riviere (Manchester United), Jade Rose (Manchester City) and Janine Sonis (Denver Summit). 
• Midfielders: Marie-Yasmine Alidou (Portland Thorns), Jessie Fleming (Portland Thorns), Simi Awujo (Manchester United), Julia Grosso (Chicago Red Stars), Kaylee Hunter (AFC Toronto), Emma Regan (Denver Summit) and Carly Wickenheiser (North Carolina Courage). 
• Forwards: Annabelle Chukwu (University of Notre Dame), Cloé Lacasse (Utah Royals FC), Delaney Baie Pridham (Ottawa Rapid FC), Nichelle Prince (Boston Legacy FC), Olivia Smith (Arsenal) and Evelyne Viens (AS Roma). 

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