The national women's team of Canada will strike over issues with pay equity and a lack of funding, which they believe will affect their performances, according to captain Christine Sinclair.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the players criticized Canada Soccer for its "continued inability to support its national teams.".
On February 17, they are scheduled to compete against the Americans in the SheBelieves Cup.
Sinclair told TSN, "As a team, we've decided to take job action.
"Starting now, whether it be training or games, we won't be taking part in any [Canada Soccer] activities until this is resolved.
It's difficult to say that as a competitor who wants to represent Canada, but enough is enough.
From 20 July to 20 August, Australia and New Zealand will host the next Women's World Cup.
Canada is ranked sixth in the world and won the Olympic gold medal in 2021.
The Canadian Soccer Players' Association (CSPA) released a statement in which the players expressed their "outrage and deep concern" over the national organization's reported funding cuts.
The statement read, "We demand immediate change.".
Nothing less than equal treatment, fairness, and adequate funding for our program and World Cup preparations is what we demand and deserve.
"Canada Soccer has once again deeply disregarded us, leaving us feeling frustrated.
The men's team, which went on strike last year over a disagreement regarding World Cup prize money, has backed the statement.
In a joint interview with Sinclair following the release of the statement, forward Janine Beckie said that if the problems weren't fixed, the team wouldn't participate in the SheBelieves match.
We have been far too kind for far too long, and now the men's and women's teams are uniting to take action against a federation that has mistreated us for far too long, she said.
We won't be doing any training or going to any meetings right now. We will not participate in any upcoming national team-scheduled activities.
Insisting that it has a "proven track record" of supporting the women's game, Canada Soccer said it would meet with the women's team players on Saturday for additional talks.
"We are sick of fighting for justice all the time.".
Canada Soccer reportedly reduced training camp days and full camp windows, which would have an impact on the team's World Cup preparations, according to the joint-player statement.
The team claimed that after more than a year of "patient negotiation," Canada Soccer had instructed them to "make do with less".
The "unacceptable burden" placed on their shoulders, they continued, left them feeling "frustrated and deeply disrespected.".
The statement continued, "We are tired of fighting for fair and equal treatment all the time and for a program that will give us a chance to accomplish what we know this team is capable of for Canada.
The advancement our soccer nation has made could be undone by this lack of support, which would plunge us back into obscurity.
"We can no longer afford to have national teams fight alone for our success. A very long time ago, enough was enough.
After "months of negotiations" with the team, Canada Soccer announced that it had made a "mutually agreed retroactive payment.".
"We presented an equity-based proposal to our national teams and their counsel several months ago, and we are still awaiting a firm response to the terms of that proposal," the governing body continued.
Men in Canada 'wholeheartedly support' the female team.
The men's national team of Canada went on strike due to a disagreement with Canada Soccer eight months prior to the women's team making its statement.
Men's players wrote a letter in June 2022, accusing the organization of "disrespecting" the team during discussions about prize money for the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
On Friday, the men's team expressed their "wholehearted support" for the statement made by the women's team and expressed their "deep disappointment" in Canada Soccer.
They continued that it was "outrageous" that their female counterparts weren't receiving enough support in the run-up to the Women's World Cup.
The men's team stated that the sport of soccer in Canada is at a critical juncture.
"Canada Soccer's current leadership is jeopardizing a once-in-a-generation, if not once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity to grow the sport in the country.
The next men's World Cup will be held in 2026, and Canada, the United States, and Mexico will all serve as hosts.
