HARRISON, N.J. — Canada defeated Argentina in a penalty shootout on the third and final matchday of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup. Before the shootout, the teams had played to a scoreless draw. With the result, the United States is guaranteed the tournament title should they beat Colombia, tie Colombia in regulation, or lose by less than five goals.
Folks trickled into Sports Illustrated Stadium throughout the match, the first of a doubleheader. But those that braved the chilly grey from the starting whistle were treated to immediate excitement in the form of a great Annabelle Chukwu through ball in Argentina’s box, which led to a close-range shot from Janine Sonis and a save from keeper Solana Pereyra. About 10 minutes later, Evelyn Dominguez forced a similar save from Kailen Sheridan on the other side of the pitch.
Canada, whose starting lineup was heavily rotated, was generally more threatening up the right wing than the left; 18-year-old Kaylee Hunter was especially dangerous, making moves aplenty down the sideline in her first cap.
Sloppy defending from Canada all over the pitch led to turnovers, but they ultimately went unpunished by a mellow Argentina side. In general, both teams looked disconnected and tired.
Still, the half held a couple other moments with potential. An impressive string of Argentine passes down the left flank ended when Simi Awujo gave up a free kick just outside Canada’s box, right by the goal line. Sheridan punched away the ensuing cross. And in the 39th minute, patient work from Canada resulted in Jordyn Huitema with the ball near Argentina’s net and a brief moment to shoot. Her attempt, taken on the half-turn, was tipped by Pereyra and deflected off the near post.
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To start the second half, Canada manager Casey Stoney subbed out two of her three defenders, Jade Rose and Marie Levasseur. Her replacements in Vanessa Gilles and Sydney Collins, as well as Julia Grosso who took over for Awujo, were effective defensively, but no Canadian shots had enough juice to make it past the keeper. In general, the second half was more stagnant for Canada. But Sheridan stood strong, fending off Argentina’s few attempts.
One sequence exemplified the frustrating half for both teams. Grosso took an arcing corner and Pereyra failed to get on the end of it, but no Canadians were around to get a shot off. A counterattack from Argentina ensued that could have had potential, but it was taken at such a slow pace that Canadian defenders had plenty of time to recover. Canada regained possession and slogged it back up the pitch. Hunter made a dangerous move, but it was illegal. The free kick that resulted led to nothing.
Ultimately, the biggest roar of regulation was at the final whistle, when the announcer told the crowd, which itself was considerably larger than the start of the match, would be heading to a shootout.
The lack of scoring continued well into the penalty shootout; the first three attempts were saved. It wasn’t until Canadian captain Jessie Fleming stepped up that a ball found the back of the net. Argentina’s first successful attempt was made by Agostina Holheizer, but her contribution was cancelled out when Janine Sonis sank hers as well. The teams traded off successful attempts until the last round, when substitute Vanina Preininger’s shot flew over the crossbar, securing the win for Canada.
Canada had started off the tournament with a strong 4-1 defeat of Colombia, a welcome shift after a disappointing 2025; before the game on March 1, Canada hadn’t scored a goal since June. But Canada was held scoreless yet again in its second match, against the U.S., losing 1-0. That it couldn’t manage to score yet again against Argentina is discouraging for the squad.
Argentina lost its first two matchups in regulation in its second SheBelieves run. The first was a 2-0 loss to the USWNT, and the second was a 1-0 loss to Colombia.
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Canada and Argentina last played each other in April 2025; they won one game apiece. That occasion was the first time Argentina beat Canada in their eight-match history.
Each team is looking to hit the gas as the 2027 World Cup looms closer. Argentina currently sits in third place in the CONMEBOL Women’s Nations League, South America’s months-long World Cup qualifying tournament. Canada will play in the 2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers in November to try to book their tickets to Brazil.
Canada’s last major tournament, the 2024 Olympics, was rocked by scandal, as multiple coaches were accused of using drones to spy on New Zealand’s team practices. The team was docked six points in the group stage. Thus, the appointment of Stoney as head coach was the start of a necessary new chapter for a team with a proud history. During her tenure, Stoney has offered stability, yet sometimes a lack of vision. This camp, then, was a bit of a change of pace, as she opted not to bring in veterans Adriana Leon and Ashley Lawrence in favor of offering experience to younger players.
Argentina has slowly but surely been developing a strong women’s national team program, with a notable run in the 2025 Copa America. In the semifinals of that tournament, they held Colombia to a scoreless draw before falling in a penalty shootout. They went onto secure third place with a shootout win over Uruguay. Captain Aldana Cometti will play in the NWSL for Bay FC this year; her transfer from FC Fleury was announced on Wednesday.