The Canadian women's national team is set to square off against Sweden in the gold medal match at the 2020 Olympics on Thursday at Tokyo Stadium in Japan. The match is the second consecutive Olympic final for Sweden after winning Silver in the 2016 Rio Games, and the first Olympic final for Canada after winning bronze medals in 2012 and 2016.
Here's how you can watch the match and what to know:
Storylines
Canada: The Canadians ended a 20-year winless streak against the United States to punch their ticket the gold medal match, and will now face possibly the best team of the tournament in Sweden. The team has gone through extra time, penalty kicks, and their longest standing rival to get to this point and the challenge is likely a bigger one than they've faced thus far. Christine Sinclair, the team captain and all-time leading international goal scorer, has had a quieter Olympics this year. After missing a penalty kick in the quarterfinal and one goal over four appearances, the veteran has a big stage to have a big game. Head coach Bev Priestman has her team playing with momentum and belief ahead of the final and will need all the pieces to come together if Canada want to upset the gold medal favorites.
Sweden: The team has been on a remarkable run during these Games and are on a five-game winning streak heading into their gold medal match. The team was runner-up in the 2016 Rio Games, and are familiar with big games against Canada having faced the North American side back in the 2019 World Cup. Forward Stina Blackstenius scored the lone goal in that match, eliminating the Canadians during the World Cup round of 16, and currently leads the team in the Olympics with four goals. If Blackstenius can remain active alongside Fridolina Rolfo, Sweden will have their sights on the gold medal.
Viewing information
- Date: Friday, Aug. 5 | Time: 8 a.m. ET
- Location: International Stadium -- Yokohama, Japan
- TV: NBC | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Canada vs. Sweden prediction
Sweden have dominated throughout the tournament and will continue to do so in the Olympic final. Pick: Sweden 2, Canada 0.
