Canada softball schedule: How to watch every 2021 Olympic team game from Tokyo

Jackie Spiegel

Canada softball schedule: How to watch every 2021 Olympic team game from Tokyo image

It has been a long, long wait for Team Canada softball.

After not being included in the last two Olympics, softball makes its triumphant, welcome return to sport's biggest stage at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

While it has been a bit of time away, Canada — ranked No. 3 in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation — is poised to grab the country's first-ever Olympic medal. The Canadians came close in the 2008 Beijing Games, but lost in the semifinal game to finish fourth. Four players return from that team: Danielle Lawrie, Kaleigh Rafter, Lauren Regula and Jennifer Sailing.

One player to keep an eye on is pitcher Sara Groenewegen, who had a near-death experience in 2018 after she was diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease and placed into a medically induced coma for 10 days. The next year, then fully recovered, Groenewegen pitched Canada's first-ever perfect game at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, where the team earned a silver medal. Now, she's ready for Tokyo.

Here's how you can watch the Canadians go for gold:

How to watch Canada Olympic softball

Olympic coverage in Canada will be offered by CBC, CBC News Network and its partners, TSN and Sportsnet, via a multitude of platforms.

Olympic events will also be streamed for free via the CBC Gem streaming service, CBC’s dedicated Tokyo Games website and the CBC Olympics app. Audiences will also be able to watch CBC’s coverage through Amazon Prime Video, television service providers Bell, Rogers, Shaw and Telus and through connected TV devices Apple TV, FireTV, Google Chromecast and Roku TV (via the CBC TV and CBC Gem apps).

Here's when Team Canada will take the diamond in the 2021 Olympics:

Date Matchup Start time (ET) Final
Wed., July 21 Mexico at Canada 2 a.m. W, 4-0
Wed., July 21 USA at Canada 8 p.m. L, 1-0
Fri., July 23 Australia at Canada 9 p.m. W, 7-1
Sun., July 25 Canada at Japan 1:30 a.m. L, 1-0 (F/8)
Mon., July 26 Canada at Italy 1:30 a.m. W, 8-1
Tues., July 27 Bronze medal game vs. Mexico Midnight W, 3-2

MORE: Explaining the Olympic softball tournament

Canada softball roster

Four Canadians return from the 2008 Olympic squad that finished fourth: Danielle Lawrie, Kaleigh Rafter, Lauren Regula and Jennifer Sailing. Regula is the only player to return from 2004's team that finished fifth.

Here's the squad that will be taking the field in Tokyo.

No. Player Position Hometown
1 Kelsey Harshman Second base Delta, B.C.
2 Natalie Wideman Catcher Mississauga, Ont.
3 Erika Polidori Left field Brantford, Ont.
5 Joey Lye Utility Toronto, Ont.
7 Jennifer Salling Shortstop/Third base Port Coquitlam, B.C.
8 Victoria Hayward Right field Toronto, Ont.
14 Janet Leung Shortstop Mississauga, Ont.
15 Danielle Lawrie Right-handed pitcher Langley, B.C.
17 Sara Groenewegen Pitcher/Utility Surrey, B.C.
19 Emma Entzminger Third base/Infielder Victoria, B.C.
25 Jennifer Gilbert Outfield/First base Saskatoon, Sask.
26 Larissa Franklin Centerfield Maple Ridge, B.C.
29 Jenna Caira Right-handed pitcher Toronto, Ont.
38 Lauren Regula Left-handed pitcher Trail, B.C.
55 Kaleigh Rafter Catcher Guelph, Ont.

How does the Olympic softball tournament work?

Qualifying

In all, six teams qualified for the 2021 Olympics: Japan, the United States, Italy, Mexico, Australia and Canada. Here's how they made it in:

Japan was an automatic qualifier for being the host country.
The United States won the 2018 Women's Softball World Championship, earning a qualifying bid for the Olympics.
Italy won at an Africa/Europe qualifying event in 2019, allowing it a bid.
Canada and Mexico emerged at an Americas qualifying event in 2019, earning them bids.
Australia won in an Asia/Oceania qualifying tournament in 2019, allowing an appearance for the 2021 Olympics.

Tournament

Every team will play each other in a single round-robin tournament, for 15 games total.

The top two teams from the opening 15 games will play in the gold medal game on July 27. The bronze medal game, between the third- and fourth-place teams, precedes it the same day.

Olympic softball schedule 2021

In all, 15 games will determine the standings for the gold- and bronze-medal games at the 2021 Olympics. Here's the complete schedule for the tournament:

Tuesday, July 20

Matchup Time (ET) Result
Australia at Japan 8 p.m. Japan, 8-1
Italy at USA 11 p.m. USA, 2-0

Wednesday, July 21

Matchup Time (ET) Result
Mexico at Canada 2 a.m. Canada, 4-0
USA at Canada 8 p.m. USA, 1-0
Mexico at Japan 11 p.m. Japan, 3-2 (F/8)

Thursday, July 22

Matchup Time (ET) Result
Italy at Australia 2 a.m. Australia, 1-0

Friday, July 23

Matchup Time (ET) Result
Australia at Canada 9 p.m. Canada, 7-1

Saturday, July 24

Matchup Time (ET) Result
USA at Mexico 1:30 a.m. USA, 2-0
Japan at Italy 7 a.m. Japan, 5-0
Australia at USA 9 p.m. USA, 2-1

Sunday, July 25

Matchup Time (ET) Result
Canada at Japan 1:30 a.m. Japan, 1-0 (F/8)
Italy at Mexico 7 a.m. Mexico, 5-0
Japan at USA 9 p.m. USA, 2-1

Monday, July 26

Matchup Time (ET) Result
Canada at Italy 1:30 a.m. Canada, 8-1
Mexico at Australia 7 a.m. Mexico, 4-1

Tuesday, July 27

Matchup Time (ET) Result
Bronze Medal Game: Canada vs. Mexico Midnight Canada, 3-2
Gold Medal Game: USA vs. Japan 7 a.m. TBD

Joe Rivera contributed to this story.

Jackie Spiegel