Press Release from LSU Athletics
BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU Soccer sophomore forward Sariyah Bailey has earned another opportunity to represent her home country on the international stage, as she has been selected to Canada’s 21-player roster for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, announced by the Canada Women’s National Team on Thursday.
Bailey, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, will join the Canadian Women’s U-20 National Team for their upcoming tournament, which is set for Sept. 5-27 across
four cities in Poland. Canada will open Group B play against England on Sept. 5 before facing Brazil on Sept. 8 and Tanzania on Sept. 11. All three of Canada’s group-stage matches will take place at Stadion Miejski in Bielsko-Biała.
The selection marks another milestone in Bailey’s international career. She previously received call-ups to Canada’s U-20 program for camps in Costa Rica in April and Spain in June as the squad prepared for the World Cup.
Bailey recently began her sophomore season at LSU following a standout freshman campaign that saw her emerge as one of the top young players in the Southeastern Conference. In 2025, she appeared in all 25 matches for the Tigers, earning 19 starts while recording nine goals and seven assists for 25 points. Her seven assists tied for the team lead, while her nine goals ranked third on the squad.
The forward logged 1,458 minutes and recorded 47 shots, including 24 shots on goal, while helping LSU advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
Her performance earned Bailey All-SEC Third Team and SEC All-Freshman Team honors, while she was also recognized by Top Drawer Soccer as one of the nation’s top freshmen.
Bailey has continued to make her presence felt early in the 2026 season. Through LSU’s first three matches, she has started in all three contests and recorded an assist, including a corner-kick assist on Ava Galligan’s goal in LSU’s 5-0 victory over Northwestern State on Aug. 16.
Canada earned its place in the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after winning the 2025 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. The title marked Canada’s third Concacaf U-20 championship and its first since 2008. Poland 2026 will mark Canada’s 10th appearance at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, with the nation’s best finish coming in 2002 when it reached the championship match and earned a silver medal.
The Canadian squad will gather in Poland beginning Aug. 23 before moving to its tournament base camp in Bielsko-Biała on Aug. 30. Canada is scheduled to play a closed-door preparation match against Spain on Aug. 31 ahead of the tournament.
Bailey becomes the latest LSU Soccer player to earn an opportunity to compete on the international stage, continuing the program’s tradition of developing players who represent their countries at the highest levels.
