Saturday, August 29 at 2 p.m. at Stade Saputo: Tickets on sale now at en.rosesmtl.ca/tickets 

Some matches are worth three points. Saturday’s will be worth more than that.

For the first time in their history, the Montréal Roses will leave Stade Boréale for a day and set up at Stade Saputo. A bigger stadium, a bigger crowd, and the opportunity the club has been building toward since it was founded: the chance to show, in front of thousands, what professional women’s soccer in Montreal has become. 

The goal for the day is clear. The largest attendance ever recorded for a Northern Super League match is 14,518, a mark set by the Roses themselves in the very first match in league history, in Toronto. On Saturday, the aim is to beat it, at home this time. 

Make no mistake, though: beneath the celebration, the sporting stakes are real. 

Two points from top spot

The Roses (9-4-4, 31 points) arrive in second place, just two points behind Ottawa Rapid FC. Last Sunday’s draw with Calgary Wild FC, combined with Ottawa’s defeat the day before, has tightened the race at a moment when only eight matches remain on the schedule. 

Montreal have the league’s second-best attack with 32 goals, behind Ottawa, and two players in fine form. Elyse Bennett sits clear at the top of the NSL scoring chart with ten goals, the most recent of them last Sunday. In goal, Anna Karpenko has six clean sheets this season, more than any other goalkeeper in the league. 

Halifax, the awkward opponent

Halifax Tides FC arrive at Stade Saputo intending to spoil the occasion, and they have every reason to believe they can. 

Fifth in the table on 21 points, the Nova Scotia side have the league’s lowest scoring total with 19 goals. But they also have the second-best defence in the competition, with just 18 conceded, a figure only the Roses come close to. They are a difficult team to break down: patient, organized, and generous with nothing. 

The clubs have met twice this season, and both times a single goal settled it. On July 12, at Stade Boréale, Chloe Minas won it for the Roses from the penalty spot in the 78th minute. On August 7, at the same venue, Halifax returned the favour with a 1-0 result of their own.

One win each, then, and a third chapter to be written in rather grander surroundings. 

Tickets & broadcast

Saturday, August 29, 2026 · 2 p.m. ET · Stade Saputo, Montreal

Live on CBC and Radio-Canada.

BE THERE: tickets are on sale starting at $20, thanks to Intact Insurance. Get yours at en.rosesmtl.ca/tickets and be part of the story.