Canada will play on June 5 after all.
After cancelling a scheduled match against Iran, Canada Soccer announced late on Tuesday that a new opponent has been found for the vacant date at BC Place in Vancouver, as Panama will now travel to British Columbia for face the men's national team.
Amid growing criticism from private citizens and politicans alike, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada Soccer cancelled the planned friendly against the Iranians last week despite having already sold over 40,000 tickets. That left the organization scrambling to find a replacement team as John Herdman's side steps up preparation for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Enter Panama, who had an available date on the calendar between CONCACAF Nations League games against Costa Rica and Martinique.
The Canadians are extremely familiar with the Central American side, having faced Panama twice in the recently completed World Cup qualification campaign. The teams split the two matches between them, with Canada winning 4-1 in Toronto last October while Panama earned a 1-0 win on March 30 over the Canadians, who had officially qualified for their first World Cup in 36 years three days earlier.
Following Sunday's friendly, Canada will play CONCACAF Nations League games against Curacao on June 9 (also at BC Place) and Honduras (June 13 in San Pedro Sula).