In Canada and the World: 138 Women Athletes Competing Professionally

Issue 2025-17 | Week: April 19 - 25, 2025

Photo: Designed by Canadian Women in Pro Sports | Yvonne Ejim (Canada Basketball), Brooke Henderson (Shutterstock), Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team (Hockey Canada)

Hello subscribers and welcome to this publication that covers the Canadian women who play professional sports around the world and how to watch them.

If you are a new reader, you may not know that each year over 250 exceptional Canadian women lace up, suit up, and hit the rink, field, links or court to play hockey, soccer, rugby, golf, tennis and basketball in over 1,600 matches across 20 countries!

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✅ Key highlights about Canadian women in professional sports
📅 Game dates and times for every Canadian athlete we’re following
📺 How to watch when coverage is available
🍁 Head-to-head matchups featuring Canadians going toe-to-toe

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Keep the big picture in mind through the highlights and follow your favourite players in the detail!

Highlights

This Week: 138 Canadian Women Competing on the Global Stage

• From stadiums across Canada to fields and courts in Turkey, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Sweden, and the USA — 77 Canadian women are making their mark in professional basketball, soccer, tennis, and golf. (Scroll down to “Follow Your Favourite Canadian Women Athletes” for match schedules and details.)

• Another 25 are in the semifinals at the Women’s World Hockey Championship, while 36 rugby players are in training with Team Canada as they ready themselves for upcoming international competitions.

⚽ Soccer

The Northern Super League has officially kicked off!

Vancouver Rise and Calgary FC faced off Wednesday night in the league’s inaugural match, with Vancouver taking a 1–0 win. Quinn sealed the victory with a penalty kick, and Vancouver largely controlled the play, though Calgary created some dangerous moments of their own.

The evening was filled with celebration and symbolism. Representatives from the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations offered an Indigenous land acknowledgement, and both teams entered the field through lines of honour formed by the RCMP — each player hand-in-hand with a young girl from their local soccer communities.

I’m especially excited for the upcoming Toronto vs. Montreal match on Saturday, April 19 at 4 PM ET — I’ll be there at BMO Field with my season tickets! The NSL has already announced a sold-out stadium for this game — an incredible sign of support.

🏀 Basketball

We’re thrilled for Yvonne Ejim, selected 33rd overall by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft — the same team that drafted Caitlin Clark just last year!

Being drafted is a huge milestone, but the next challenge is even tougher: earning a roster spot in a league with just 156 spots — 12 per team — with most spots already filled. According to a 2022 WNBA Report, third-round picks have less than a 4% chance of making a roster to start the season. The odds are steep for Ejim — the Fever already have a full 12-player roster, and two other players were drafted ahead of her this year. Our first look at Ejim’s progress comes on May 3, when the Fever face the Washington Mystics in their first preseason game at 1 PM ET.

But this is Yvonne Ejim — a Canadian National Team standout who shattered records at Gonzaga for career points, rebounds, and field goals made. She’s ready to compete.

And, roster opportunities are expanding in 2026, with Toronto and Portland set to join the league. In the meantime, we’re rooting hard for Ejim as she aims to join the four Canadians currently in the WNBA: Bridget Carleton, Kia Nurse, Laeticia Amihere, and Aaliyah Edwards.

🏒 Hockey

The PWHL is on pause this week as attention shifts to the Women’s World Hockey Championship. In their Quarterfinal match, Canada cruised past Japan with a dominant 9–1 win, setting up a Semifinal clash with Finland on Saturday, April 19 at 1:00 PM ET. The other Semifinal sees the USA take on Czechia — potentially setting the stage for another classic Canada–USA final.

The medal games take place on Sunday, April 20, with the Bronze Medal match at 8:00 AM ET and the Gold Medal game at 12:00 PM ET.

To see who is playing for Canada click on the team’s full 25-player roster.

🎾 Tennis

Bianca Andreescu is back! Fresh off her recovery from a February appendectomy, she returned to the court at the Rouen Open with a wild card entry and battled through a gritty 2.5-hour match, narrowly falling 2–1 to Suzan Lamens. A gutsy performance — and an encouraging sign as she builds momentum for the clay season ahead.

Both Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez are entered in the Madrid Open, running April 21 to May 4. We’re also hoping to see Canadians Rebecca Marino, Marina Stakusic, and Victoria Mboko win in the qualifying rounds. Match times haven’t been posted yet — for the Order of Play and live results, check the official Madrid Open site closer to the start date.

Meanwhile, Team Canada opened their Billie Jean King Cup campaign strong, sweeping Romania 3–0 in the Qualifiers. Unfortunately, they followed with a narrow 2–1 loss to Japan, but there was a standout performance from Victoria Mboko, who earned a hard-fought win over Eva Shibahara: 6–4, 6–7(8), 7–5. Alas, Canada will not be in the Billie Jean Cup finals, but the competition provided an exciting glimpse into what’s ahead for Canada’s rising tennis stars.

🏉 Rugby

As Canada’s Women’s Rugby 15s team prepares for the Rugby World Cup Championship (August 22–September 27), they’ll first defend their title at the Pacific Four Series from April 27 to May 25, facing the USA, New Zealand, and Australia. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks.

⛳ Golf

Four Canadians are teeing it up at the JM Eagle LA Championship, running April 17–20, 2025, in Los Angeles. Brooke Henderson — the 2021 tournament champion — is joined by Savannah Grewal, Alena Sharp, and Maude-Aimée Leblanc. As of the writing of this post, all four are in action in Round 1. For live scores and tee times, check the LPGA Leaderboard.

Next up, Henderson, Grewal, and Sharp are set to compete in the Chevron Championship in Texas from April 24–27 — one of the five major championships on the LPGA Tour. Brooke has an impressive track record there, with three top-10 finishes.

Follow Your Favourite Canadian Women Athletes

🏀Basketball

Reply to this email or comment on this post to suggest other Canadian women professional basketball players you’d like to follow.

Basketball matches (all hours are in Eastern Time)

🍁Basketball Player Match-up Highlights

There are no Canadian basketball player match-ups this week.

⚽ Soccer

29 Canadian women are playing this week in 6 countries. In 7 of those games, 19 Canadians will face off against each other on opposing teams.

Soccer matches (all hours are in Eastern Time)

USA and European Leagues:

🍁 Soccer Player Match-up Highlights

In the NWSL:

• Adrianna Leon and Kailen Sheridan on the San Diego play Janine Sonis on Racing Louisville on Saturday, April 19 at 22:00

• Allysha Chapman and Sophie Schmidt on Houston Dash play Nichelle Prince on KC Current on Saturday, April 19 at 19:30

• Bianca St-Georges and Cloé Lacasse on Utah Royals play Julia Grosso on Chicago Stars on Friday, April 18 at 21:30

• Gabrielle Carle on Washington Spirit plays Zara Chavoshi on Orlando Pride on Saturday, April 19 at 17:00

• Jessie Fleming and Mimi Alidou of the Portland Thorns play Jordyn Huitema on Seattle Reign on Friday, April 18 at 22:00

In Europe:

• Ashley Lawrence on Chelsea plays Clarissa Larisey on Crystal Palace on Wednesday, April 23 at 14:15

• Shelina Zadorsky on West Ham plays Jayde Riviere and Simi Awujo on Manchester United on Saturday, April 19 at 07:00

Northern Super League

• Saturday, April 19, Toronto vs Montreal at 4 PM. Watch on GEM, RDS, TSN, ESPN+

• Thursday, April 24, Vancouver vs Montreal at 10 PM. Watch on RDS2, NSL.ca

Want to follow the Canadian players taking the field? Check out the team rosters in the chart below.

🏉 Rugby

Canadians are gearing up this week with the national team for upcoming international competitions.

🏒PWHL Hockey

The PWHL is paused this week so players can join their national teams for the World Championships. League games will restart April 26.

📣How you can support the cause!

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