Quarter-Final Weekend Matches

Friday, June 26:

• 3:30 p.m. ET – Germany vs. France (Montréal) on TSN/TSN GO
• 7 p.m. ET – China PR vs. USA (Ottawa) on CTV/TSN2/CTV GO/TSN GO
• 11:00 p.m. ET – Canada 2015 Recap Show on TSN2/TSN GO

Friday match previews: Both of today’s huge clashes could easily pass for the final: one of them – China PR-USA – is actually a repeat of the 1999 showpiece match, while the other – Germany-France – pits a two-time world champion against a rising force looking to win the tournament for the first time (Source: FIFA.com).

Saturday, June 27:

• 3:30 p.m. ET – Australia vs. Japan (Edmonton) on CTV/CTV GO
• 7 p.m. ET – England vs. Canada (Vancouver) on CTV/CTV GO
• 12 midnight ET – Canada 2015 Recap Show on TSN5/TSN GO

Saturday match previews: On the final day of the quarter-finals, Canada heads to BC Place Stadium sporting a 5-6 all-time record against England, while defending champion Japan looks to avoid an upset from their familiar foes, the Matildas of Australia.

Quarter-Final Weekend Highlights: England vs. Canada

This weekend’s coverage is highlighted by Canada’s highly-anticipated quarter-final match vs. England on Saturday (June 27) at 7 p.m. ET on CTV. The match also airs on CTV GO and across the TSN Radio Network.

Match Preview:  While undoubtedly relying heavily on 19-year-old Kadeisha Buchanan, whose impressive play has helped her team concede only one goal in the tournament, Canada will have to take advantage of England's vulnerable defence to score goals. In what promises to be a very physical matchup, this is a much different English squad than Canada defeated in a friendly a month ago (Source: FIFA.com).

Semifinal Opponent: The winner of this match will play the winner of Australia vs. Japan in the semifinals in Edmonton on Wednesday, July 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET on CTV/TSN/CTV GO/TSN GO.

Canada

• Won Round of 16 game 1-0 over Switzerland in Vancouver
• Finished first in Group A with five points – tied Netherlands 1-1, tied New Zealand 0-0, beat China PR 1-0
• Canada carried five yellow cards into the quarter-finals
• Goals scored so far: Josée Bélanger (one), Christine Sinclair (one), and Ashley Lawrence (one)
• Keeper Erin McLeod has recorded three clean sheets in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup – tied for best in the tournament with USA keeper Hope Solo
• Canada has conceded only one goal during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. They are tied with USA for least goals conceded among the remaining eight teams.
• Finishing first in their group with five points is the best group phase result in FIFA Women's World Cup history for Canada
• Christine Sinclair’s injury time penalty kick goal in the 1-0 win over China PR was her 154th career goal. She trails Mia Hamm (USA) by four goals for second-most all-time in women’s football.
• Prior to beating Switzerland, Canada had never beaten a European opponent in the FIFA Women's World Cup
• The 1-1 draw in group play against Netherlands was the first time Canada did not lose to a European opponent in the FIFA Women's World Cup
• Canada has played in all FIFA Women’s World Cups other than the inaugural tournament in 1991
• This is Canada’s sixth consecutive appearance in the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament
• This is the second time Canada has advanced from the group stage at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The first time was in 2003.
• Canada's best finish at a FIFA Women’s World Cup was in 2003 when they placed fourth
• Canada previously hosted the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cup in 2002 and FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2014

England

• Won Round of 16 game 2-1 over Norway in Ottawa
• Finished second in Group F with six points – beat Colombia 2-1, beat Mexico 2-1, and lost to France 1-0
• Carried three yellow cards into the quarter-finals
• Goals scored so far: Karen Carney (two), Fara Williams (one), Steph Houghton (one), Lucy Bronze (one), Fran Kirby (one)
• England has conceded four goals in the tournament so far. They are tied with Australia for most goals conceded among teams remaining.
• England is the only remaining team yet to play a game without conceding a goal.
• This is England’s fourth appearance in the FIFA Women’s World Cup (participants in 1995, 2007, and 2011)
• Their win over Norway in this year's Round of 16 game was England's first-ever win in a knockout stage game
• Before beating Norway, England had never won against a European team at the FIFA Women's World Cup
• At the 2011 tournament in Germany, England was the only team to beat tournament winners Japan
• England won all 10 of their group matches while qualifying for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup

See below for remaining game day notes for weekend matches.

Friday Game Day Notes

Germany vs. France (Montréal) – 3:30 p.m. ET on TSN/TSN GO

Match Preview: Top-ranked Germany and France, who sit third, would probably have preferred to meet in the final, but as both sides finished in first place in their groups and then eased through their Round of 16 encounters against Sweden and Korea Republic respectively, they must now face off in the quarter-finals. The Germans, with two world crowns under their belt and star players, are the favourites. The French are unbeaten in the teams’ last three matches together, but the gap between the two nations is not what it once was (Source: FIFA.com).

Semifinal Opponent: The winner of this match will play the winner of China PR vs. USA in the semifinals in Montréal on Tuesday, June 30 at 6:30 p.m. ET on CTV/TSN/CTV GO/TSN GO.

Germany

• Won Round of 16 game 4-1 over Sweden in Ottawa
• Finished first in Group B with seven points – beat Thailand 4-0, tied Norway 1-1, and beat Côte d’Ivoire 10-0
• Carried zero yellow cards into the quarter-finals. Saskia Batusiak received her second yellow card in the game against Sweden and will miss the match.
• Germany has scored the most goals of any team in the tournament so far with 19. The record for most goals in one FIFA Women's World Cup is 25, held by Germany (2003) and USA (1991).
• Mittag and Sasic co-lead the Golden Boot standings for most goals scored in the tournament
• Germany scored the most goals in the group stage: 15
• Germany had the most shots on goal in the group stage: 41
• Celia Sasic and Anja Mittag scored hat tricks against Côte d’Ivoire – the third time teammates have recorded hat tricks in the same game
• Germany keeper Nadine Angerer has nine clean sheets, tied for second all-time. If she records another clean sheet, she will tie Briana Scurry (USA) for most all-time.
• Only team to have won FIFA Women's World Cup twice in a row, in 2003 and 2007. On both occasions they led the group stage in goals scored, as they do in 2015.
• Played in every FIFA Women's World Cup
• Germany has reached the semifinals in four of the previous six tournaments
• Germany hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011 and were eliminated in the first knockout stage game by eventual champions Japan
• Germany's biggest win at a FIFA Women's World Cup is 11-0 against Argentina in 2007. It was the opening game of the tournament that year.
• Won all 10 games in 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying, scoring 62 goals and conceding only four
• Nadine Kessler was named 2014 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year. However, she didn't make the roster due to injury.
• Nadine Angerer was nominated for 2014 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year. She won the award in 2013.
• Head coach Silvia Neid finished second with Germany as a player in the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup
• FIFA world ranking: 1

France

• Won Round of 16 game 3-0 over Korea Republic in Montréal
• Finished in first place in Group F with six points – beat Mexico 5-0, lost to Colombia 2-0, and beat England 1-0
• Carried one yellow card into the quarter-finals
• Goals scored so far: Marie-Laure Delie (three), Eugenie Le Sommer (three), Elodie Thomis (one), Amandine Henry (one)
• Colombia (FIFA world ranking #28) became the lowest-ranked team to beat a Top 10 nation (France, FIFA world ranking #3) at the FIFA Women’s World Cup since FIFA rankings began in 2003
• Marie-Laure Delie's goal in the 35th second against Mexico was the second-fastest goal in FIFA Women’s World Cup history
• Best finish was fourth in 2011
• Won all 10 qualifying games for 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, including a 14-0 win over Bulgaria
• Won U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2012
• Finished third in 2014 U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada
• Louisa Necib was nominated for 2014 FIFA World Player of the year
• FIFA world ranking: 3

China PR vs. USA (Ottawa) – 7 p.m. ET on CTV/ TSN2/CTV GO/TSN GO

Match Preview: It has taken 16 years, but finally USA and China PR will meet again on the FIFA Women’s World Cup stage. Although it may seem a little lop-sided at first glance, with USA, a powerhouse of the women’s game, currently ranked 14 places ahead of their opponents, the Chinese have an old score to settle from the 1999 Women’s World Cup final – a milestone moment for women’s football, with two well-matched teams battling in front of a crowd of 90,185, the all-time audience world record for a women’s football match (Source: FIFA.com).

Semifinal Opponent: The winner of this long-awaited rematch will play the winner of Germany-France in the semifinals in Montréal on Tuesday, June 30 at 6:30 p.m. on CTV/TSN/CTV GO/TSN GO.

China PR

• Won Round of 16 game 1-0 over Cameroon in Edmonton
• Finished second in Group A with four points – tied New Zealand 2-2, beat Netherlands 1-0, and lost 1-0 to Canada
• Carried two yellow cards into quarter-finals
• Goals scored so far: Wang Shanshan (two),  Wang Lisi (two)
• With four goals, China PR has scored the second-least number of goals of the remaining eight teams. Only Canada has scored less, with three.
• China PR was without head coach Hao Wei in their Round of 16 game against Cameroon. Hao Wei was ejected in their final group match against New Zealand. He will return to the bench in this game.
• Recorded just one shot on target against Canada in their opening game
• Recorded 17 shots on target in group stage, including 10 in win over the Netherlands
• Wang Lisi led China PR in scoring with two goals in the group stage
• China PR did not qualify for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup
• China has advanced to the knockout stage in each of their appearances at the FIFA Women’s World Cup
• Hosted FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991 and 2007
• China PR beat Norway 4-0 in opening game of the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991
• China PR's best result in a FIFA Women's World Cup is second place in 1999, losing by penalties to USA in the final
• China PR played in the opening game of the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup, which they hosted in 1991, beating Norway 4-0 in front of 65,000 spectators
• Ma Li of China PR scored first-ever goal in FIFA Women’s World Cup history in the opening game in 1991
• FIFA world ranking: 16

USA

• Won Round of 16 game 2-0 against Colombia in Edmonton
• Finished first in Group D with seven points – beat Nigeria 1-0, tied Sweden 0-0, and beat Australia 3-1
• Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe each received their second yellow card of the tournament in the Round of 16 win over Colombia and will miss this game against China PR
• Goals scored so far: Megan Rapinoe (two), Carli Lloyd (one), Alex Morgan (one), Abby Wambach (one), Christen Press (one)
• USA has conceded only one goal in the tournament so far
• USA became the first team to be involved in two 0-0 draws at the FIFA Women’s World Cup
• Set to play their 41^stFIFA Women’s World Cup finals match – an ongoing record
• Hope Solo now holds the USA record for number of caps for a goalkeeper, having surpassed Briana Scurry
• Christie Rampone became the oldest player to play a game in the FIFA Women's World Cup when she came on the field in the 80th minute against Nigeria in her 307^th She is the only remaining player on the team that won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999.
• Abby Wambach needs two goals to become the all-time leading goal-scorer at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. She currently has 14. Marta (Brazil) has 15 goals.
• USA has lost only one FIFA Women’s World Cup group stage game (2-1 loss to Sweden in 2011)
• Reached the semifinals in all six prior FIFA Women's World Cups
• USA has played in every FIFA Women's World Cup and hosted the tournament twice, in 1999 and 2003
• USA won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1991 and 1999
• Only team to host and win the FIFA Women's World Cup in the same year (1999)
• Four-time winners of Olympic gold 1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012
• Abby Wambach was nominated for 2014 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year
• FIFA world ranking: 2

Saturday Game Day Notes

Australia vs. Japan (Edmonton) – 3:30 p.m. ET on CTV/CTV GO

Match Preview: Japan’s progress this far has been steady yet relatively unspectacular, the team winning each of their first four matches by just one goal. Australia is arguably the biggest surprise to make it to the last eight after defeating Brazil and five-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, Marta. The Matildas made history as the first Australian men’s or women’s team to win a knockout match at a World Cup and will look to extend their stay in Canada by beating Japan (Source: FIFA.com).

Semifinal Opponent: The winner of this game will play the winner of England vs. Canada in the semifinals in Edmonton on Wednesday, July 1 at 6:30 p.m. on CTV/TSN/CTV GO/TSN GO.

Australia

• Won Round of 16 game 1-0 over Brazil in Moncton
• Finished second in Group D with four points – tied Sweden 1-1, beat Nigeria 2-0, and lost opening group stage game 3-1 to the USA
• The win over Brazil was the first time Australia has won a game in the knockout stage of the FIFA Women's World Cup
• Yet to receive a yellow card in the tournament
• Goals scored so far: Kyah Simon (three), Lisa De Vanna (two)
• Lisa De Vanna scored her seventh goal in her FIFA Women's World Cup (in the 1-1 tie against Sweden). De Vanna holds the record for most goals in the FIFA Women's World Cup for an Australian player.
• Australia reached the knockout stage for the third straight FIFA Women's World Cup. This is the first time they have advanced beyond the first knockout stage game.
• Have won four of their 18 group stage matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup (4W/4D/10L)
• This is Australia’s sixth consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup
• Nickname: The Matildas
• Australia’s best result in the FIFA Women's World Cup is losing in the quarter-finals against Brazil (2007) and Sweden (2011)
• FIFA world ranking: 10

Japan

• Won Round of 16 game 2-1 over Netherlands in Vancouver
• Finished first place in Group C with nine points – beat Ecuador 1-0, beat Cameroon 2-1, and beat Switzerland 1-0
• Carried two yellow cards into the quarter-finals
• Japan is the only remaining team with a perfect record of four wins
• Japan and Brazil were the only teams to win all three of their group stage matches
• Japan is the only team to have played all 23 players on their roster in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
• Japan have played three of their four games in Vancouver
• Reigning FIFA Women's World Cup champion
• In five of the six FIFA Women's World Cups, the defending champions have advanced to the semifinals
• Japan has only played debutants in this tournament
• On her 200^thsenior international cap, Homare Sawa became the first player to feature at six FIFA Women's World Cup finals (Brazil’s Formiga equaled the feat a day later)
• Forward Kozue Ando fractured her ankle in the opening game
• Beat USA in 2011 final in a penalty kick shootout and then lost to USA in 2012 Olympics final
• Reigning Asian Football Confederation (AFC) champion – only AFC team to have won the FIFA Women's World Cup, and only AFC team to have participated in all seven editions of FIFA Women's World Cup
• Aya Miyama and Nahomi Kawasumi were nominated for 2014 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year
• FIFA world ranking: 4