The Canada women’s national team has gone on strike over budget cuts, equal pay issues and lack of support from Canada Soccer and will boycott the SheBelieves Cup if the issues are not resolved.

The SheBelieves Cup is set to kick off next Thursday. Canada stars Janine Beckie and Christine Sinclair told TSN’s Rick Westhead that the team will not take part in any activities until the issue is resolved.

In a statement on Friday, the players said that they are “outraged and deeply concerned” about the “significant” cuts to both national team programs in 2023. Pointing to the popularity of both teams, they called out Canada Soccer for failing to provide adequate funding for preparation ahead of the World Cup, which begins in six months.

“Now that our World Cup is approaching, the Women’s National Team players are being told to prepare to perform at a world-class level without the same level of support that was received by the Men’s National Team in 2022,” the statement reads. “This is an unacceptable burden to put on the shoulders of our players.”

The players said that they’ve had to cut training camp days, players and staff allotments and limit youth teams’ activities “all while we continue to face immense uncertainty about compensation.”

Additionally, the players said they were told by Canada Soccer that there will not be a send-off game for the team ahead of the World Cup.

“We have been told, quite literally, that Canada Soccer cannot adequately fund the Women’s National Team,” they write, “and they have waited to tell us this until now, when we are less than six months from the World Cup.”

The players association said that if the problems are not fixed, they believe Canada Soccer should consider new leadership.

“If Canada Soccer is not willing or able to support our team, new leadership should be found.,” the statement said. “Despite our strong track record of success and history-making achievements for more than a decade, we continue to be told there is not enough money to adequately fund our program and our youth teams.”

Canada’s men’s national team issued a statement on Friday in support of the women.

“The Canadian Men’s National Soccer Team players are, once again, deeply disappointed by the actions of Canada Soccer, and wholeheartedly support the Women’s National Team players’ statement made this afternoon about completely unsatisfactory preparation conditions for this summer’s World Cup,” they wrote.

In a statement, Canada Soccer said that they will be meeting with the women’s national team in Orlando alongside legal counsel, as had been previously agreed upon.

“Pay equity for our Women’s National Team is at the core of our ongoing player negotiations. Canada Soccer will not agree to any deal without it,” the statement read.

The reigning Olympic gold medalists, Canada is currently ranked sixth in the world and is one of the favorites to win the World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.

Alex Morgan is one of three finalists for 2023 Best FIFA Women’s Player.

She joins England’s Beth Mead and Spain’s Alexia Putellas on the shortlist, with the winner set to be announced on Feb. 27.

Morgan was the lone U.S. women’s national team player to be nominated for the award, despite teammate Sophia Smith being named 2022 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. The 22-year-old Smith had a team-high 11 goals for the USWNT last year, becoming the youngest player to lead the team in scoring since Mia Hamm did so at 21 years old in 1993.

Morgan won the 2022 NWSL Golden Boot, scoring 15 goals for the San Diego Wave during the regular season. She also scored the game-winning goal for the USWNT in the Concacaf W Championship final and was awarded the Golden Ball for the tournament.

The Best FIFA Women’s Player award has been presented annually by soccer’s international governing body since w016, when it replaced FIFA’s previous Player of the Year award. USWNT players have won the award twice in the six years of its existence: Carli Lloyd in 2016 and Megan Rapinoe in 2019. Morgan finished second to Rapinoe in 2019.

Mead, meanwhile, is a finalist for the award for the first time after helping England to the Euros title last summer. Putellas is a finalist for the second consecutive year and could become the first player to win Best Women’s Player in back-to-back years.

The U.S. women’s national team announced its 23-player roster Wednesday for the 2023 SheBelieves Cup, which kicks off on Feb. 16 in Orlando.

Star forward Megan Rapinoe (ankle) and Sophia Smith (foot) missed the January camp with nagging injuries. Rapinoe will return for the February camp, but Smith remains out of the lineup.

The round-robin tournament features four of the top 11 teams in the FIFA women’s world ranking. Canada (No. 6), Brazil (No. 9) and Japan (No. 11) join the USWNT, which maintained its hold on the No. 1 spot in the final ranking of 2022 despite losing three straight games for the first time since 1993.

Canada features in the tournament for the second time after first appearing in 2021. Both Brazil and Japan have played in the tournament twice, with Japan’s last appearance coming in 2020 and Brazil’s in 2021.

In last year’s SheBelieves Cup, the USWNT won for the third straight time, beating out the Czech Republic, Iceland and New Zealand.

The 2023 round-robin tournament will be held in Orlando, Nashville and Frisco, Texas, as the USWNT prepares to make a run at a third consecutive World Cup title starting in July.

USWNT February roster

Goalkeepers

  • Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
  • Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage)
  • A.D. Franch (Kansas City Current)

Defenders

  • Alana Cook (OL Reign)
  • Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC)
  • Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage)
  • Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC)
  • Sofia Huerta (OL Reign)
  • Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC)
  • Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

Midfielders

  • Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais)
  • Taylor Kornieck (San Diego Wave FC)
  • Rose Lavelle (OL Reign)
  • Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
  • Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit)
  • Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Forwards

  • Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit)
  • Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave)
  • Midge Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC)
  • Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)
  • Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)
  • Mallory Pugh Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)
  • Lynn Williams (Kansas City Current)

SheBelieves Cup schedule

Thursday, Feb. 16, in Orlando

  • Japan vs. Brazil @ 4 p.m. 
  • USWNT vs. Canada @ 7 p.m. 

Sunday, Feb. 19, in Nashville

  • USWNT vs. Japan @ 3:30 p.m. 
  • Brazil vs. Canada @ 6:30 p.m. 

Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Frisco, Texas

  • Canada vs. Japan @ 4 p.m.
  • USWNT vs. Brazil @ 7 p.m.

All times listed in ET.