Canada Soccer and MLSE have announced the creation of a new annual friendly competition called "The Canadian Shield", set to be hosted at Toronto's BMO Field in June.
The Canadian Men's National Team will face Ukraine and Ivory Coast on June 7 and 10, respectively.
New Zealand will also participate in the tournament, facing Canada's rivals.
The tournament will award three points for a win, one point for a draw, and two points for a shootout win. All matches will have a winner and games will go directly to penalties after 90 minutes if tied.
The full schedule:
June 7:
Canada vs. Ukraine – 3:30 pm ET
New Zealand vs. Ivory Coast – 7 pm ET
June 10:
New Zealand vs. Ukraine – 5 pm ET
Canada vs. Ivory Coast – 8:30 pm ET
The tournament will be held every year, with the 2026 edition having six games in Toronto.
"Every competitive match from now until the World Cup will be critical to get our team the preparation it needs ahead of welcoming the world next year." said Jesse Marsch, head coach of the Canadian national team. "This is an extraordinary addition to our annual competitive calendar and to be able to play at home in front of our fans again will be really special for our guys."
What the rest of 2025 looks like for the Canadian Men's National Team
On Thursday, March 20, Canada will face Mexico in the Nations League semi-finals.
Three days later, they'll clash against Panama or the United States in either the grand finale or the 3rd place match.
On Thursday, April 10, Concacaf will hold the draw for the 2025 Gold Cup, set to be played from June 14 to July 6, with Vancouver's BC Place hosting a game and potentially more.
After months of competitive action, Canada returns to the friendlies, where they'll visit Europe to face Romania and Wales on September 5 and 9, respectively.
On October 10, the National Team will return to Montréal for the first time in over eight years, facing a to-be-determined team at Stade Saputo.
