When Canada's winning bid for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was announced as being the winner, it would be the first time that the event would be held in Canada and only the third time it would be held in North America. The event would also be the first time that matches would be held in cities across the host country. The host cities were Vancouver, British Columbia; Edmonton, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Ottawa, Ontario; Montréal, Québec and Moncton, New Brunswick. Of the stadiums hosting the matches, Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium was the largest, able to accommodate 56,302 spectators. Today it remains the largest open air stadium in Canada.
The tournament was, to that time, the largest and most watched Women's World Cup to take place. Canada, the host country, made it to the quarter finals after winning their division, but on June 27, 2015, Team Canada was eliminated from the tournament following a 2–1 loss to England.
Used primarily as the home of the
Edmonton Eskimos of the
Canadian Football League, construction of Commonwealth Stadium began in 1975. It opened in time to be the host venue for the
1978 Commonwealth Games. The stadium was built with a seating capacity of 42,500, twice expanded to 59,912 in 1982 and 60,081 in 1983. After the
2010 Grey Cup, seating was replaced with better, wider seats, resulting in the present capacity of 56, 302.
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
The first FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in Canada, and only the third in North America, the 2015 tournament was the largest and most watched in Women’s World Cup history. Team Canada made it to the quarterfinals,a significant improvement from the 2011 tournament. The popularity of the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada, particularly among young girls, reflects the increasing interest in soccer in a country known primarily for its love of hockey.
Bidding for the Games
On 25 November 2010, the Canadian Soccer Association unveiled its plans to bid for the seventh FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Women’s World Cup of Soccer in 2015. The tournament, which is considered the most significant women’s soccer event in the world, had only been held twice in North America to that point, both times in the United States (1999 and 2003).
The 2015 Women’s World Cup would be the largest ever. In four years, the tournament had expanded from 16 to 24 teams and from 32 to 52 total matches.
Canada originally bid against Zimbabwe for the right to host the tournament; however, Zimbabwe withdrew its application on 1 March 2011. On 3 March 2015, FIFA officially approved the Canadian bid.
It was the first time that a single-sport event would be held in cities across the country: Vancouver, British Columbia; Edmonton, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Ottawa, Ontario; Montréal, Québec and Moncton, New Brunswick.
Opening Day in Edmonton
The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup officially started on 6 June 2015 at
Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Canadian musicians Sarah McLachlan and Tegan and Sara performed during the opening ceremonies, in which Canadian athletes Kara Lang (soccer), Hayley Wickenheiser (hockey) and Chantal Petitclerc (wheelchair racing) also participated.
The ceremonies were followed by a Group A match between Canada and China. Canada beat China 1–0 on a penalty kick by Christine Sinclair in the 92nd minute. The total attendance for the game was 53,058.
From the Canadian Encyclopedia