Canada ends England Red Roses’ four-year unbeaten run in WXV; rematch set for this weekend
Canada defeated England’s Red Roses away in WXV on 20 October 2026, ending England’s four-year unbeaten run and handing the squad their first loss after 40 wins and one draw; the two sides meet again this weekend.
England’s defeat was the national side’s first in four years following a sequence of 40 victories and one draw that stretched to 41 games, and came away from home in front of a hostile crowd; the Red Roses have lost only twice in 73 matches and had not been beaten since the 2022 World Cup final. John Mitchell, who lost his first game as Red Roses head coach, faced the media after the result. Several squad members had never experienced a defeat for England — Abi Burton and Maddie Feaunati among them — while Jess Breach’s record stands at 59 wins and one loss.
The loss prompted discussion about potential benefits for England’s development, with the team’s long unbeaten run creating a new set of pressures and prompting opponents to devise ways to beat them. The article noted opponents including Canada, New Zealand and France had pushed England in recent years, and Mitchell said post-defeat when his side “gets a setback, it generally learns quicker”.
Mitchell addressed the emotional and practical consequences directly, saying: “The important thing is winning after winning is harder than before,” and adding, “I guess what it does to everyone is it frees us up, which is cool. It allows us all to find more. I know this group has definitely got more in it but sometimes it requires the context that we have just received to dig deeper and push for something more.” The piece suggested the defeat could prompt tactical, physical and mental adjustments within the squad.
England captain Meg Jones described the squad’s immediate reaction and insisted on unity, saying: “For us the biggest thing is that we stick together. Games are built on moments, it is not one individual moment, it is multiple. That is the beauty of it and we get to review it, we get to go again next weekend, we get to stick together.” Jones added: “I think it is good for us to reassess this and see where we are at. I think togetherness is the main message to come out of that because it’s how you respond when you have had a loss, I think that is the biggest test of character.”
The fixture was framed within the WXV context and England’s longer-term preparations, with the tournament providing more away fixtures that the article described as “perfect preparation for the 2029 World Cup in Australia.” Mitchell had previously described the away portion of WXV as an “audition for 2029,” and after the defeat he said: “Definitely [it is],” before adding, “I think even before that message we said: ‘Come and get us.’ We have been asking for someone to come and get us and they have done that. Not that we designed that to happen, far from it. We have to respond.”
The result was presented as significant for the sport as well as for England, with the suggestion that increased competitiveness could attract or retain fans by restoring matchday jeopardy; the article noted England’s unbeaten ticker “may now stand at zero but no one will forget the run of 41 games.” England will have the immediate chance to respond in a rematch against Canada this weekend.