United States women's national soccer team

History

Main article: History of the United States women's national soccer team

Origins in the 1980s

The passing of Title IX in 1972, which outlawed gender-based discrimination for federally-funded education programs, spurred the creation of college soccer teams across the United States at a time when women's soccer was rising in popularity internationally. The U.S. Soccer Federation tasked coach Mike Ryan to select a roster of college players to participate in the 1985 Mundialito tournament in Italy, its first foray into women's international soccer. The team played its first match on August 18, 1985, losing 1–0 to Italy, and finished the tournament in fourth place after failing to win its remaining matches against Denmark and England.

University of North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance was hired as the team's first full-time head coach in 1986 with the goal of fielding a competitive women's team at the next Mundialito and at future tournaments. In their first Mundialito under Dorrance, the United States defeated China, Brazil, and Japan before finishing as runners-up to Italy. Dorrance gave national team appearances to teenage players, including future stars Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Kristine Lilly, instead of the college players preferred by the federation, and called into camp the first African-American player on the team, Kim Crabbe. The United States played in the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament in China, a FIFA-sanctioned competition to test the feasibility of a regular women's championship, and lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Norway.

1990s: first World Cup and Olympic wins

Following the 1988 tournament, FIFA announced plans for a new women's tournament, named the 1st FIFA World Championship for Women's Football for the M&M's Cup until it was retroactively named the "World Cup". The United States qualified for the tournament by winning the inaugural CONCACAF Women's Championship, hosted by Haiti in April 1991, outscoring their opponents 49–0 for the sole CONCACAF berth in the tournament. The team played several exhibition matches abroad against European opponents to prepare for the world championship, while its players quit their regular jobs to train full-time with meager compensation. Dorrance utilized a 4–3–3 formation that was spearheaded by the "Triple-Edged Sword" of forward Michelle Akers and wingers Carin Jennings and April Heinrichs.

At the Women's World Cup, the United States won all three of its group stage matches and outscored its opponents 11–2. In the opening match against Sweden, the U.S. took a 3–0 lead early in the second half, but conceded two goals to end the match with a narrower 3–2 victory. The U.S. proceeded to win 5–0 in its second match against Brazil and 3–0 in its third match against Japan, clinching first place in the group and a quarterfinal berth. The United States proceeded with a 7–0 victory in the quarterfinals over Chinese Taipei, fueled by a five-goal performance by Akers in the first fifty minutes of the match.

In the semi-finals against Germany, Jennings scored a hattrick in the first half as the team clinched a place in the final with a 5–2 victory. The team's lopsided victories in the earlier rounds had brought attention from American media outlets, but the final match was not televised live in the U.S. The United States won the inaugural Women's World Cup title by defeating Norway 2–1 in the final, played in front of 65,000 spectators at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, as Akers scored twice to create and restore a lead for the Americans. Akers finished as the top goalscorer at the tournament, with ten goals, and Jennings was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

Despite their Women's World Cup victory, the U.S. team remained in relative obscurity and received a small welcome from several U.S. Soccer Federation officials upon arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The team were given fewer resources and little attention from the federation as they focused on improving the men's national team in preparation for the 1994 men's World Cup that would be hosted in the United States. The women's team was placed on hiatus after the tournament, only playing twice in 1992, but returned the following year to play in several tournaments hosted in Cyprus, Canada, and the United States, including a second CONCACAF Championship title. The program was still supported better than those of the former Soviet Union, where soccer was considered a "men's game".

The United States played in several friendly tournaments to prepare for the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup and its qualification campaign. The first was the inaugural staging of the Algarve Cup in Portugal, which saw the team win its two group stage matches but lose 1–0 to Norway in the final. It was followed by a victory in the Chiquita Cup, an exhibition tournament hosted in August on the U.S. East Coast against Germany, China, and Norway. Dorrance resigned from his position as head coach in early August and was replaced by his assistant, Tony DiCicco, a former professional goalkeeper who played in the American Soccer League. DiCicco led the United States to a berth in the Women's World Cup by winning the 1994 CONCACAF Championship, where the team scored 36 goals and conceded only one.

In February 1995, the U.S. women's program opened a permanent training and treatment facility in Sanford, Florida, and began a series of warm-up friendlies that were paid for by American company Nike. The team topped their group in the Women's World Cup, despite a 3–3 tie with China in the opening match and losing goalkeeper Briana Scurry to a red card in their second match. The United States proceeded to beat Japan 4–0 in the quarterfinals, but lost 1–0 to eventual champions Norway in the semifinals. The team finished in third place, winning 2–0 in its consolation match against China.

The team won the gold medal in the inaugural Olympic women's soccer tournament in the 1996 Summer Olympics, defeating China 2–1 in the final before a crowd of 76,481 fans. An influential victory came in the 1999 World Cup, when the team defeated China 5–4 in a penalty shootout following a 0–0 draw after extended time. Foudy, Lilly, and the rest of the 1999 team started a revolution towards women's team sports in America. With this win they emerged onto the world stage and brought significant media attention to women's soccer and athletics. On July 10, 1999, over 90,000 people (the largest ever for a women's sporting event and one of the largest attendances in the world for a tournament game final) filled the Rose Bowl to watch the United States play China in the Final. After a back and forth game, the score was tied 0–0 at full-time, and remained so after extra time, leading to a penalty kick shootout. With Scurry's save of China's third kick, the score was 4–4 with only Brandi Chastain left to shoot. She scored and won the game for the United States. Chastain dropped to her knees and whipped off her shirt, celebrating in her sports bra, which later made the cover of Sports Illustrated and the front pages of newspapers around the country and world. This win influenced many girls to want to play on a soccer team. In the 2000 Summer Olympics, the USWNT were close to defending their gold medal but were controversially defeated by Norway in the final with a golden goal in extra time, which involved an alleged handball in the lead-up.

2000s: two Olympic gold medals

In the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the U.S. defeated Norway 1–0 in the quarterfinals but lost 3–0 to Germany in the semifinals. The team then defeated Canada 3–1 to claim third place. Abby Wambach was the team's top scorer with three goals, while Joy Fawcett and Shannon Boxx made the tournament's all-star team. In the 2004 Olympics, the last major international tournament for Hamm and Foudy, the U.S. earned the gold medal, winning 2–1 over Brazil in the final on an extra time goal by Wambach.

At the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, the U.S. defeated England 3–0 in the quarterfinals but then suffered its most lopsided loss in team history when it lost to Brazil 4–0 in the semifinals. The U.S. recovered to defeat Norway to take third place. Wambach was the team's leading scorer with 6 goals, and Lilly was the only American named to the tournament's all-star team.

The team won another gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, but interest in the Women's National Team had diminished since their performance in the 1999 World Cup. However, the second women's professional league was created in March 2009, Women's Professional Soccer.

2010s: Olympic and then World Cup triumphs

In the quarterfinal of the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany, the U.S. defeated Brazil 5–3 on penalty kicks. Wambach's goal in the 122nd minute to tie the game 2–2 has been voted the greatest goal in U.S. soccer history and the greatest goal in Women's World Cup history. The U.S. then beat France 3–1 in the semifinal, but lost to Japan 3–1 on penalty kicks in the Final after drawing 1–1 in regulation and 2–2 in overtime. Hope Solo was named the tournament's best goalkeeper and Wambach won the silver ball as the tournament's second-best player.

In the 2012 Summer Olympics, the U.S. won the gold medal for the fourth time in five Olympics by defeating Japan 2–1 in front of 80,203 fans at Wembley Stadium, a record for a women's soccer game at the Olympics. The United States advanced to face Japan for the gold medal by winning the semifinal against Canada, a 4–3 victory at the end of extra time. The 2012 London Olympics marked the first time the USWNT won every game en route to the gold medal and set an Olympic women's team record of 16 goals scored.

The National Women's Soccer League started in 2013, and provided competitive games as well as opportunities to players on the fringes of the squad. The U.S. had a 43-game unbeaten streak that spanned two yearsthe streak began with a 4–0 win over Sweden in the 2012 Algarve Cup, and came to an end after a 1–0 loss against Sweden in the 2014 Algarve Cup.

The U.S. defeated Japan 5–2 in the final of the 2015 World Cup, becoming the first team in history to win three Women's World Cup titles. In the 16th minute, Carli Lloyd achieved the fastest hat-trick from kick-off in World Cup history, and Wambach was greeted with a standing ovation for her last World Cup match. Following their 2015 World Cup win, the team was honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City, the first for a women's sports team, and honored by President Barack Obama at the White House. On December 16, 2015, however, a 1–0 loss to China in Wambach's last game meant the team's first home loss since 2004, ending their 104-game home unbeaten streak.

In the 2016 Summer Olympics, the U.S. drew against Sweden in the quarterfinal; in the following penalty kick phase, Sweden won the game 4–3. The loss marked the first time that the USWNT did not advance to the gold medal game of the Olympics, and the first time that the USWNT failed to advance to the semifinal round of a major tournament.

After the defeat in the 2016 Olympics, the USWNT underwent a year of experimentation which saw them losing three home games. If not for a comeback win against Brazil, the USWNT was on the brink of losing four home games in one year, a low never before seen by the USWNT. 2017 saw the USWNT play 12 games against teams ranked in the top-15 in the world.

Throughout 2018, the U.S. would pick up two major tournament wins, winning both the SheBelieves Cup and the Tournament of Nations. The team would enter qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup on a 21-game unbeaten streak and dominated the competition, winning all five of its games and the tournament whilst qualifying for the World Cup as well as scoring 18 goals and conceding none. On March 7, 2018, Alyssa Alhadeff, the captain of the Parkland Soccer Club, who was killed by gunman Nikolas Cruz in the Parkland High School shooting nearly three weeks earlier, was honored by the U.S. prior to a game against England in Orlando during the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. Alhadeff's teammates and family were invited to the game and presented with official jerseys that featured her name. The U.S. won the game 1–0, winning its second SheBelieves Cup title in three years. On November 8, 2018, the U.S. earned their 500th victory in team history after a 1–0 victory over Portugal. The start of 2019 saw the U.S. lose an away game to France, 3–1, marking the end of a 28-game unbeaten streak and their first loss since a 1–0 defeat to Australia in July 2017.

The USWNT started off their 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup campaign with a 13–0 victory against Thailand, setting a new Women's World Cup goal record. Alex Morgan equaled Akers' record of scoring five goals in a single World Cup match, while four of her teammates scored their first World Cup goals in their debut at the tournament. The U.S. would win its next match against Chile 3–0 before concluding the group stage with a win of 2–0 over Sweden. The team emerged as the winners of Group F and would go on to face Spain in the Round of 16, whom they would defeat 2–1 thanks to a pair of Megan Rapinoe penalties. The team would achieve identical results in their next two games. With 2–1 victories over France and then England seeing them advance to a record third straight World Cup final, they played against the Netherlands for the title. They beat the Netherlands 2–0 in the final on July 7, 2019, becoming the first team in history to win four Women's World Cup titles.

On July 30, 2019, Jill Ellis announced that she would step down as head coach following the conclusion of the team's post-World Cup victory tour on October 6, 2019.

Vlatko Andonovski was hired as head coach of the USWNT in October 2019, replacing Ellis.

2020s: fifth Olympic gold

The USWNT began the new decade by winning both the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament (which qualified the team for the 2020 Summer Olympics) and the 2020 SheBelieves Cup titles.

In early March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the USSF canceled previously scheduled USWNT friendlies against Australia and Brazil. Later that same month, it was announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government that the 2020 Summer Olympics were to be postponed until July 2021. The USWNT played their first game in eight months on November 27, 2020, when they took on the Netherlands in a friendly match. Rose Lavelle and Kristie Mewis scored, the team winning the game 2–0.

On July 21, 2021, the USWNT lost 3–0 against Sweden in the opening round of group stage at the 2020 Summer Olympics, thus ending a 44-match unbeaten streak. The U.S. rebounded by winning their 2nd match against New Zealand, before concluding the group stage by drawing 0–0 with Australia. The team finished second in the group stage and qualified for the knockout stage. They first faced World Cup runners-up Netherlands, with whom they drew 2–2 after extra-time before winning the match in a penalty shootout. The USWNT advanced to the semifinals, where they faced Canada. However, the team lost to Canada 1–0 by a penalty scored by Jessie Fleming. They later faced Australia again in the bronze medal match in a rematch of their final group stage game. The U.S. won 4–3, making it the first time the team had won the bronze medal.

In July 2022, the team competed in the CONCACAF W Championship. The USWNT won its group, outscoring opponents 9–0 in the group stage, and then won the semifinal 3–0 against Costa Rica and the final 1–0 against Canada. It was their ninth CONCACAF championship title and earned automatic berths for the 2023 World Cup, the 2024 Summer Olympics in France, and the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup.

In November 2022, the USWNT's 71-game home unbeaten streak ended, after a 2–1 defeat in an exhibition game against Germany.

At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the USWNT were in Group E along with Netherlands, Portugal and Vietnam. They had gone in hoping to be the first men's or women's team to pull off a three-peat at the World Cup. The USWNT opened with a 3–0 win over Vietnam, followed this up with a 1–1 draw against Netherlands and finished up with a 0–0 draw against Portugal, to finish second in the group, avoiding elimination after a shot from Portugal struck the goalpost in injury time. This marked the fewest points the team has ever gained in a group stage (they won at least two group games in every other tournament including 1991 when only two points were awarded for a win) and set them up for a round of 16 match against Sweden, where they played out a goalless draw and lost 5–4 after a penalty shootout. This marked the first time since the 2016 Summer Olympics that the United States did not reach the semifinals of a major tournament. It also marked the first Women's World Cup the United States would not finish in the Top 3, and their earliest elimination in either the Women's World Cup or the Olympics. On August 17, 2023, Andonovski resigned as head coach and Twila Kilgore became the interim head coach. That August the team dropped to third in the FIFA Women's World Ranking, their worst ever position.

The USWNT qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics by winning the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. They were placed in Group B with Zambia, Germany, and Australia. They won all three group-stage games by scores of 3–0, 4–1, and 2–1, respectively. In the knockout rounds, they defeated Japan 1–0 in extra time and then Germany in the semifinal, also 1–0 in extra time. Commentators expressed concern that because of the two extra-time games in a tournament with a compressed schedule, the USWNT would be more fatigued than their opponent in the final, Brazil, who had beaten both of their knockout-round opponents in regulation time. However, they prevailed 1–0 in the final to win the gold medal, their first since 2012 and fifth overall. Ten of their twelve goals in the tournament were scored by the self-named "Triple Espresso" attackers Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Smith.

Team image

Media coverage

U.S. television coverage for the five Women's World Cups from 1995 to 2011 was provided by ESPN/ABC and Univision, while coverage rights for the three Women's World Cups from 2015 to 2023 were awarded to Fox Sports and Telemundo. In December 2021, a deal was signed to broadcast TV coverage of other USWNT games between TNT and TBS and streaming on HBO Max through the end of 2030. The USWNT games in the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship and the 2015 Algarve Cup were broadcast by Fox Sports. NBC will broadcast the Olympic tournament through 2032.

The 1999 World Cup final set the original record for largest U.S. television audience for a women's soccer match, averaging 18 million viewers. It was the most viewed English-language U.S. broadcast of any soccer match until the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup final between the United States and Japan.

The 2015 Women's World Cup Final between the United States and Japan was the most watched soccer match, men's or women's, in American broadcast history. It averaged 23 million viewers and higher ratings than the NBA finals and the Stanley Cup finals. The final was also the most watched US-Spanish language broadcast of a FIFA Women's World Cup match in history.

Overall, there were over 750 million viewers for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, making it the most watched Women's World Cup in history. The FIFA Women's World Cup is now the second-most watched FIFA tournament, with only the men's FIFA World Cup attracting more viewership.

In popular culture

A narrative nonfiction book covering the entire history of the team from 1985 to 2019 called The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer was named one of *Vanity Fair'''s best books of 2019 and made NPR's 2019 year-end books list. A book about the team's 1999 Women's World Cup campaign, Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World was released in 2001 and in 2020 Netflix announced a film based on the book. In 2023, Netflix released a four-episode documentary series titled *Under Pressure: The U.S. Women's World Cup Team'' which followed the team's progress at the 2023 Women's World Cup.

In 2005, HBO released a documentary called Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team. In 2013, a documentary about the 1999 World Cup-winning team called The 99ers was produced by former player Julie Foudy and ESPN Films.

Attendance

The 1999 World Cup final, in which the United States defeated China, set a world attendance record for a women's soccer event of 90,185 in a sellout at the Rose Bowl in Southern California (until it was broken on March 30, 2022, with 91,553 people at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain in the second-leg of a UEFA Women's Champions League match). The record for Olympic women's soccer attendance was set by the 2012 Olympic final between the USWNT and Japan, with 80,023 spectators at Wembley Stadium.

Legal issues

Pay discrimination

Since 2016, the players of the U.S. team had waged an escalating legal fight with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) over gender discrimination. Central to their demands was equal pay. The players pointed to their lower paychecks as compared to their male counterparts despite their higher record of success in recent years.

In April 2016, five U.S. team players filed a wage-discrimination action against the USSF with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The group consisted of Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrunn.

One year later, in April 2017, the U.S. team agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the USSF. The agreement stated that the U.S. team players would have an increased base pay and improved match bonuses. These changes could increase their previous pay from $200,000 to $300,000. However, the CBA did not guarantee equal pay compared to the men's team. The CBA's five-year term through 2021 ensured that the next negotiation would not become an issue for the team for the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics. On top of this CBA, the USSF had agreed to pay the players for two years' worth of unequal per-diem payments.

On March 8, 2019, 28 members of the U.S. team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the USSF. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, accused the USSF of "institutional gender discrimination." The lawsuit claimed that the discrimination affected not only the amount the players were paid but also their playing, training, and travel conditions. In May 2020, several key parts of the case were dismissed, with federal judge R. Gary Klausner noting that the team had agreed to take higher base compensation and other benefits in their most recent CBA instead of the bonuses received by the men's team.

On March 8, 2021, the second anniversary of the team's pay discrimination lawsuit, Congresswomen Doris Matsui and Rosa DeLauro introduced the Give Our Athletes Level Salaries (GOALS) Act to ensure the team members "are paid fair and equitable wages compared to the U.S. Men's team." The GOALS Act threatened to cut federal funding for the 2026 World Cup if the USSF did not comply.

On February 22, 2022, the USSF agreed to settle the lawsuit for $24 million, contingent upon the U.S. team agreeing to a new CBA. $22 million would go to the players named in the case, and $2 million would contribute toward players' post-playing career and other women's soccer charitable efforts. On May 18, 2022, the U.S. team agreed to a new CBA that would run through 2028 and would equalize compensation, bonuses, and other work conditions between the women's and the men's national teams friendlies, therefore finalizing the legal settlement. The new agreement mandates that men and women split prize money from international competitions equally, making it the first such instance in the world.

Artificial turf

Along with their lawsuit for pay-equity, the US Women's Soccer players have fought FIFA on policies regarding artificial turf. This battle to eliminate its use in major women's games heightened around the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada; during this tournament, the US played eight of their ten games on artificial turf. Prior to the 2015 World Cup, Abby Wambach headed a discrimination lawsuit with other global soccer stars including Marta of Brazil and Homare Sawa of Japan. Due to the tournament's quick approach, the suit was dropped as players were denied an expedited hearing.

Staff

Coaching staff

Technical staff

Head coach history

|1985 |4||0||1||3|| |N/A

| |[[File:Gold medal icon (G initial).svg|link=Football at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament]] |- class=sortbottom style="font-weight:bold;" !colspan=2|Totals !772||607||91||75||||colspan=2| |} Notes

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were named to the squad for the friendlies against Paraguay and Chile on January 24 and 27, respectively.

Caps and goals are current as of January 27, 2026, after match against Chile.

Recent call-ups

The following players were also named to a squad within the last 12 months.

Notes:

• PRE: Preliminary squad

Results and fixtures

Main article: United States women's national soccer team results

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

;Legend

2025

• Macario
• Sentnor
• Biyendolo
• Cooper
• Heyman
• Sentnor
• Momiki
• Koga
• Rodman
• Heaps
• Macario
• Kerolin
• Gutierres
• Macario
• Coffey
• Heaps
• Sentnor
• Biyendolo
• Patterson
• Coffey
• Lavelle
• A. Thompson
• Biyendolo
• Rodriguez
• Ryan
• A. Thompson
• Coffey
• Hutton
• Ryan
• Lavelle
• Gomes
• Pinto
• Moultrie
• Coffey
• Silva
• Sears
• Macario
• Lavelle
• Moultrie
• Macario
• Macario
• Shaw

2026

• Turner
• Sentnor
• Martínez
• Rodman
• Sears
• Bethune
• Joseph
• Sams
• Sears
• Rodman
• USWNT Schedule
• USWNT Results
• USA: Fixtures and Results – FIFA.com

All-time results

:Sources

Individual records

Player records

Notes

All-Time Best XI

The following players were chosen as the USWNT All-Time Best XI in December 2013 by the United States Soccer Federation:

• Goalkeeper: Briana Scurry
• Defenders: Brandi Chastain, Carla Overbeck, Christie Rampone, Joy Fawcett
• Midfielders: Kristine Lilly, Michelle Akers, Julie Foudy
• Forwards: Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan

Head coach records

• Most appearances: Jill Ellis: 132
• Most wins: Jill Ellis: 106

Team records

;Biggest victory

• 14–0 vs. Dominican Republic, January 20, 2012 ;Biggest defeat
• 0–4 vs. Brazil, September 27, 2007

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

Main article: United States at the FIFA Women's World Cup

The team has participated in every World Cup through 2023 and won a medal in each of the first eight editions until 2023, when they lost to Sweden on penalties in the round of 16.

:*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Olympic Games

The team has participated in every Olympic tournament through 2024 and reached the gold medal game in each until 2016, when they were eliminated in the quarter-finals in a penalty shoot-out loss to Sweden. The team won a record-extending fifth Olympic gold medal in 2024, their first since 2012.

:*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

CONCACAF W Championship

The U.S. team directly qualified for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup as hosts of the event. Because of this, they did not participate in the 1998 CONCACAF Championship, which was the qualification tournament for the World Cup. :*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

CONCACAF W Gold Cup

:*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Minor tournaments

SheBelieves Cup

The SheBelieves Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer hosted in the United States.

Tournament of Nations

The Tournament of Nations was a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer hosted in the United States in non-World Cup and non-Olympic years.

Algarve Cup

The Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it has been one of the more prestigious women's soccer events other than the Women's World Cup and Olympic tournament, and it has been nicknamed the "Mini FIFA Women's World Cup." Since 2016, the SheBelieves Cup replaced it on the U.S. team's schedule.

Honors

Major competitions

• World Cup :Champions (4): 1991, 1999, 2015, 2019 :Runners-up: 2011 :Third place (3): 1995, 2003, 2007

• Olympic Games :Gold medalists (5): 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2024 :Silver medalists: 2000 :Bronze medalists: 2020

• CONCACAF W Championship :Champions (9): 1991, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 :Third place: 2010

• CONCACAF W Gold Cup :Champions: 2024

Continental

• CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament :Champions (5): 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020

Friendly

• Algarve Cup :Champions (10): 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015

• U.S. Cup :Champions (7): 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002

• Four Nations Tournament :Champions (7): 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011

• Peace Queen Cup :Champions (2): 2006, 2008

• Albena Cup :Champions: 1991

• SheBelieves Cup :Champions (7): 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

• Tournament of Nations :Champions: 2018

• DFB Centenary Tournament :Champions: 2000

• Pacific Cup :Champions: 2000

• Brazil Cup :Champions: 1996

• North America Cup :Champions: 1990

• Canada Cup :Champions: 1990

• Australia Cup :Champions: 2000

• Tournoi International :Champions: 1995

• Chiquita Cup :Champions: 1994

• Tri-Nations Tournament :Champions: 1994

• Goodwill Games :Champions: 1998

• Columbus Cup :Champions: 1993

FIFA World Ranking

Last update was on December 31, 2024

Best Ranking Worst Ranking Best Mover Worst Mover

References

References

1. "FIFA World Ranking for USA Women". FIFA.
2. Payne, Marissa. (December 19, 2014). "U.S. women's soccer team drops to No. 2 in FIFA rankings for first time since 2008". [[The Washington Post]].
3. "USOC Olympic Athlete and Team Awards". U.S. Olympic Committee.
4. (December 13, 1999). "U.S Women Finish 1999 on Top of the Sporting World as Sports Illustrated Names Women's World Cup Champs 1999". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
5. Futterman, Matthew. (April 5, 2017). "Women's National Team Reaches Deal With U.S. Soccer". The Wall Street Journal.
6. "Sources: U.S. Men's Olympic soccer team won't be paid at Paris Games".
7. Chuck, Elizabeth. (July 5, 2015). "A Level Playing Field: Why the USA Is So Strong in Women's Soccer". [[NBC News]].
8. Murray, Caitlin. (2019). "The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer". [[Abrams Books.
9. (August 18, 2005). "U.S. WNT Flashback – 20th Anniversary of First-Ever Match: Player Reflections". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
10. Wahl, Grant. (June 6, 2019). "How the Women's World Cup and USWNT Were Built From Scratch".
11. Lisi, Clemente A.. (2010). "The U.S. Women's Soccer Team: An American Success Story". [[Scarecrow Press]].
12. {{harvp. Lisi. 2010
13. Wine II, Donald. (February 20, 2020). "Black History Month: Kim Crabbe becomes first black woman called into USWNT".
14. {{harvp. Murray. 2019
15. Bondy, Filip. (June 9, 1991). "U.S. Women's Team May Be World's Best". [[The New York Times]].
16. Davidson, Gary. (November 16, 1991). "U.S. women's team takes shot at first goal Play for world crown starts in China today". [[The Baltimore Sun]].
17. Jones, Grahame L.. (August 27, 2000). "There's Just No Replacing Akers". [[Los Angeles Times]].
18. {{harvp. Lisi. 2010
19. Basler, Barbara. (November 28, 1991). "American Women In Final In Soccer". The New York Times.
20. Basler, Barbara. (December 1, 1991). "U.S. Women Beat Norway To Capture World Cup". The New York Times.
21. (March 22, 2007). "USA triumph as history made in China PR". FIFA.
22. {{harvp. Lisi. 2010
23. {{harvp. Lisi. 2010
24. (May 24, 2012). "Homophobia Olympics in the Former Soviet Union".
25. Litterer, David. (May 30, 2008). "The Year in American Soccer, 1993". American Soccer History Archives.
26. Litterer, David. (May 30, 2008). "The Year in American Soccer, 1994". American Soccer History Archives.
27. Trecker, Jerry. (August 8, 1994). "U.S. women win in a crowd". [[Hartford Courant]].
28. (August 4, 1994). "Coach's resignation a big blow to U.S. women's team". [[Tallahassee Democrat]].
29. Ward, Bill. (February 26, 1995). "U.S. Women's Team settles in at facility". [[The Tampa Tribune]].
30. Roberson, Doug. (July 24, 2016). "U.S. women blazed trail with inaugural soccer gold". [[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]].
31. (May 20, 1999). "Soccer: 1999 Women's World Cup: Beautiful Game Takes Flight". The New York Times.
32. (May 4, 2012). "Brandi Chastain « Inside Sports Illustrated". Insidesportsillustrated.com.
33. ''Dare to Dream''. Ouisie Shapiro. HBO Productions, September 19, 2007. Video
34. (September 28, 2020). "Julie Foudy remembers USWNT's Sydney 2000 Gold Medal match: 'I can't even watch that game again'". ESPN.
35. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150607210909/http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/archive/usa2003/index.html FIFA Women's World Cup USA 2003], FIFA.
36. (August 26, 2004). "U.S. Defeats Brazil in Extra Time to Win the Gold". The New York Times.
37. [http://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/2015worldcup/article/12966173/ending-drought-uswnt-learned-2007-world-cup-loss "Ending The Drought: What did the USWNT Learn From 2007 World Cup Loss?"] {{Webarchive. link. (October 5, 2016 , ESPN, Julie Foudy, June 3, 2015.)
38. Wade, Stephen. (September 29, 2007). "Americans deliver with 4–1 win over Norway for 3rd place at World Cup". Lincoln Journal Star.
39. Homewood, Brian. (August 21, 2008). "U.S. retain soccer gold against Brazil". Reuters.
40. (June 15, 2015). "The Header Heard Round The World".
41. (June 5, 2015). "Wambach's header voted greatest goal".
42. (August 9, 2012). "U.S. tops Japan for soccer gold". ESPN.
43. "U.S. Women's National Team Squares Off Against Australia on Wednesday in Fan Tribute Tour".
44. Lauletta, Dan. (November 21, 2012). "Eight teams to start new women's pro soccer league in 2013". The Equalizer.
45. Bell, Jack. (April 13, 2013). "Another Attempt at Women's Circuit, but With a Twist". [[The New York Times]].
46. (March 7, 2014). "Streak's snapped, but US must regroup in Algarve". Equalizer soccer.
47. (March 8, 2014). "Newspaper reminder of magnitude of Sweden's win". Equalizer soccer.
48. Andrews, Adena. (July 8, 2015). "U.S Women's World Cup team – Memorable moments outside field of play, including Abby Wambach's kiss". ESPN.
49. "Obama welcomes women's US World Cup team to White House". Channel NewsAsia.
50. Varney, Jim. (December 17, 2015). "China ends USA's 104-game home unbeaten streak in Abby Wambach's finale". USA Today.
51. [http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-88092933/ "U.S. bounced from women's soccer tournament by Sweden on penalty kicks"] {{Webarchive. link. (October 25, 2015 , ''Los Angeles Times'', August 12, 2016.)
52. (September 11, 2017). "Fall Games Conclude Competitive 2017 as Road to 2019 World Cup Continues". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
53. "WNT Wins 2018 SheBelieves Cup with 1–0 Victory vs. England".
54. "USA Beats Brazil, 4–1, to Claim First Tournament of Nations Title".
55. (October 18, 2018). "USA vs. Canada final score, recap: USWNT wins CONCACAF Women's Championship". CBS Sports.
56. (March 8, 2018). "For grieving family and friends of Alyssa Alhadeff, U.S. women's soccer provides joyous interlude". [[ESPN]].
57. "WNT Earns 500th Win in Team History".
58. "USA Drops 3–1 Result Away to World Cup Hosts France in First Game of 2019".
59. "USA Surges to World Cup Record 13–0 Win in Opening Match Against Thailand".
60. (June 21, 2019). "United States defeats Sweden 2–0, clinching Group F in Women's World Cup". CBS News.
61. (June 20, 2019). "U.S. defeat of Sweden ends group stage but feels more like start of its World Cup". The Washington Post.
62. (June 24, 2019). "USWNT vs. Spain score: USA soccer survives Women's World Cup scare behind Megan Rapinoe's two penalty kick goals". CBS Sports.
63. (June 28, 2019). "Women's World Cup: U.S. defeats France, 2–1". CBS News.
64. (July 3, 2019). "USWNT vs. England score: Alex Morgan scores winner, Alyssa Naeher saves penalty as USA advances to World Cup final". CBS Sports.
65. Kassouf, Jeff. (July 30, 2019). "Jill Ellis is stepping down as USWNT coach – Equalizer Soccer".
66. (October 28, 2019). "Vlatko Andonovski Named Head Coach of U.S. Women's National Team". U.S. Soccer.
67. (February 9, 2020). "U.S. Women's National Team Wins 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament with 3–0 Victory Over Canada". U.S. Soccer.
68. (February 7, 2020). "U.S. Women's National Team Qualifies For 2020 Olympic Games With 4–0 Victory Over Mexico".
69. (March 11, 2020). "USA Wins 2020 SheBelieves Cup With 3–1 Victory vs. Japan". U.S. Soccer.
70. Clark, Gill. (March 12, 2020). "US Soccer Cancels All Men's, Women's Games in March, April Amid Coronavirus". Bleacher Report.
71. (March 30, 2020). "IOC, IPC, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Announce New Dates for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020".
72. (July 21, 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Sweden crush USWNT to end 44-match unbeaten streak as Summer Games kick off".
73. The Athletic Staff. (August 6, 2021). "2021 Olympics: USWNT wins bronze medal with 4–3 win over Australia".
74. Herrera, Sandra. (2022-07-08). "USWNT qualify for 2023 World Cup after win over Jamaica, Mexico's loss to Haiti".
75. "U.S. Women's National Team Defeats Mexico 1-0 To Claim First In Group A At Concacaf W Championship".
76. "U.S. Women's National Team Advances To Concacaf W Championship Final With 3-0 Win Against Costa Rica".
77. "U.S. Women's National Team Wins Concacaf W Championship 1-0 Over Canada; USA Earns Berth To 2024 Paris Summer Olympics".
78. Das, Andrew. (2022-07-19). "U.S. Women Beat Canada to Claim Spot in Paris Olympics". The New York Times.
79. Armour, Nancy. "U.S. women's national soccer team on way to 2024 Paris Olympics after beating Canada for Concacaf championship title".
80. "USWNT Battles To 2-1 Loss Against Germany In First Of Two Friendly Meetings On Home Soil".
81. (August 1, 2023). "FIFA Women's World Cup 2023: All fixtures, results, goalscorers, and group standings".
82. (August 6, 2023). "USWNT ousted from World Cup: Team USA reels from historic loss to Sweden". USA Today.
83. "Vlatko Andonovski Departs U.S. Women's National Team | U.S. Soccer Official Website".
84. "Women's Ranking".
85. (2024-07-25). "USA vs. Zambia".
86. (2024-07-28). "USA vs. Germany".
87. (2024-07-31). "Australia vs. USA".
88. (2024-08-03). "USA vs. Japan".
89. (2024-08-06). "USA vs. Germany".
90. (2024-08-10). "What's behind the incredible turnaround of the U.S. women's soccer team".
91. (2024-08-10). "Brazil vs. USA".
92. (2024-08-08). "Sophia Smith, USWNT Star Trio Finally Announce Their Olympic Nickname, and Fans Loved It".
93. Wagman, Robert. (November 2, 2005). "ABC/ESPN, Univision pay record $425 million for men's, women's Cups through 2014".
94. Deitsch, Richard. (December 16, 2014). "Fox's Women's World Cup TV schedule includes games on main network".
95. Longman, Jere. (October 21, 2011). "Fox and Telemundo Win U.S. Rights to World Cups". The New York Times.
96. Parker, Ryan. (February 13, 2013). "2026 World Cup TV rights awarded without bids; ESPN 'surprised'". [[Los Angeles Times]].
97. Le Miere, Jason. (October 15, 2014). "USA Women's Soccer World Cup Qualifying: Schedule, TV Channel And Preview For Concacaf Championship". [[International Business Times]].
98. (March 3, 2015). "WNT Opens its 20th Algarve Cup against Norway". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
99. (August 9, 2017). "IOC awards Olympic Games broadcast rights to NBCUniversal through to 2032 – Olympic News".
100. Brown, Maury. (June 23, 2014). "U.S.A. Vs. Portugal Highest-Rated Ever World Cup Match for ESPN". Forbes.
101. (July 12, 1999). "Women's World Cup; And Strong TV Ratings, Too". The New York Times.
102. Sandomir, Richard. (July 6, 2015). "Women's World Cup Final Was Most-Watched Soccer Game in United States History". The New York Times.
103. Chappell, Bill. (July 6, 2015). "U.S. Women Shatter TV Ratings Record For Soccer With World Cup Win : The Two-Way". NPR.
104. (July 6, 2015). "More Americans watched the Women's World Cup final than the NBA Finals or the Stanley Cup".
105. (March 9, 2016). "Record-breaking FIFA Women's World Cup tops 750 million TV viewers". FIFA.
106. (July 8, 2019). "The Best Books of 2019". Vanity Fair.
107. "NPR's Book Concierge". NPR.
108. "Netflix Plots Movie About 1999 U.S. Women's Soccer Team". Hollywood Reporter.
109. Brennan, Clare. (2023-12-12). "The Story Behind 'Under Pressure,' Netflix's USWNT Women's World Cup Documentary".
110. "Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team".
111. (February 14, 2013). "Nine for IX: 'The 99ers'". ESPN.
112. "FIFA Women's World Cup – USA 1999 Overview". FIFA.
113. Fletcher, Paul. (August 9, 2012). "Olympics football: USA beat Japan to secure gold in Wembley thriller". BBC Sport.
114. Spies-Gans, Juliet. (March 31, 2016). "USWNT Files Lawsuit Against U.S. Soccer In Fight For Equal Pay". HuffPost.
115. (March 31, 2016). "Women's national team files wage-discrimination action vs. US Soccer Federation". ESPN.
116. Das, Andrew. (April 5, 2017). "Long Days, Google Docs and Anonymous Surveys: How the U.S. Soccer Team Forged a Deal". The New York Times.
117. Das, Andrew. (March 8, 2019). "U.S. Women's Soccer Team Sues U.S. Soccer for Gender Discrimination". The New York Times.
118. Winston & Strawn LLP. (March 8, 2019). "Case No. 2:19-CV-01717".
119. Cater, Franklyn. (May 2, 2020). "Federal Judge Dismisses U.S. Women's Soccer Team's Equal Pay Claim".
120. (March 8, 2021). "California Rep. Doris Matsui Introduces USWNT Equal Pay Bill".
121. (March 9, 2021). "Bill introduced in Congress hopes to force US Soccer Federation to pay men's and women's national team members equally". Business Insider.
122. Lenthang, Marlene. (February 22, 2022). "U.S. Soccer and women soccer stars settle equal pay lawsuit for $24 million". NBC News.
123. Bachman, Rachael. (February 22, 2022). "U.S. Women's Soccer Players, U.S. Soccer Federation Reach $24 Million Equal Pay Settlement". Wall Street Journal.
124. "U.S. Soccer Federation, Women's And Men's National Team Unions Agree To Historic Collective Bargaining Agreements".
125. (June 1, 2003). "LACUNAE". Injury Prevention.
126. (January 21, 2015). "Soccer Players End Lawsuit Over Artificial Turf At Women's World Cup".
127. "Emma Hayes named new Head Coach of U.S. Women's National Team | U.S. Soccer Official Website".
128. "Denise Reddy Joins USWNT Staff as Assistant Coach While Stuart Searle Comes Aboard as Goalkeeper Coach; Bart Caubergh Fills New Position as USWNT Program Director".
129. "US soccer federation appoints Matt Crocker to role of sporting director".
130. "U.S. Soccer Federation Names Oguchi Onyewu As Vice President Of Sporting | U.S. Soccer Official Website".
131. Bonesteel, Matt. (June 20, 2017). "Tony DiCicco, who coached the USWNT to 1999 World Cup title, dies at 68". The Washington Post.
132. (November 8, 2018). "WNT Earns 500th Win in Team History". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
133. (July 30, 2019). "Jill Ellis To Step Down As U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach". US Soccer.
134. "2023 U.S. Women's National Team Media Guide". US Soccer.
135. Harris, Tom. (June 18, 1993). "Soccer: National Women". [[The News & Observer]].
136. Yannis, Alex. (May 6, 1997). "Soccer Report". [[The New York Times]].
137. "USWNT training camp roster January California matches vs Paraguay and Chile".
138. "Defender Ayo Oke replaces Avery Patterson".
139. (December 13, 2019). "Julie Ertz Named 2019 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year". U.S. Soccer.
140. (January 6, 2023). "Sophia Smith Voted 2022 BioSteel U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year". U.S. Soccer.
141. (January 11, 2024). "Naomi Girma Voted 2023 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year; Olivia Moultrie Voted 2023 Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year". U.S. Soccer.
142. (January 1, 2015). "U.S. Soccor Federation 2015 Women's National Team Media Guide". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
143. "U.S. Women's National Team Stats page". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
144. [https://www.worldfootball.net/teams/te28569/usa/ All Time Results] from Worldfootball.net
145. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160629162558/http://www.fifa.com/live-scores/teams/country=usa/women/matches/index.html All Time Results] from FIFA.com
146. [[https://www.flipsnack.com/ussoccer/2025_wnt_web-3/full-view.html USWNT Media Guide]]
147. Martin, Chad. (June 30, 2021). "The Top 6 U.S. Women Soccer Players of the 200-Cap Club".
148. Hruby, Emma. (November 13, 2022). "Alex Morgan Becomes 13th USWNT Player to Reach 200 Caps". Just Women's Sports.
149. (March 26, 2010). "US Women Set To Face Mexico in San Diego". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
150. (August 2, 2011). "Pat Grecco's Wall of Fame: Emily Pickering". Long Island Junior Soccer.
151. "Head Coach U.S. Women's National Team".
152. "Carla Overbeck". North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame.
153. "Hamm, Foudy enshrined into Hall of Fame". Espnfc.com.
154. (January 9, 2016). "Carli Lloyd and Beckey Sauerbrunn Named New Captains of U.S. WNT". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
155. (January 17, 2021). "Becky Sauerbrunn named USWNT captain, again". The Equalizer.
156. (October 3, 2018). "USWNT notebook: Scheduling, captains and other updates from World Cup qualifying camp". The Equalizer.
157. (July 7, 2023). "Lindsey Horan and Alex Morgan named USWNT captains ahead of 2023 FIFA Womens World Cup". USSoccer.
158. "WNT Records". United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
159. (September 16, 2021). "Carli Lloyd Nets Record-tying Five Goals as U.S. Women's National Team Tops Paraguay 9–0". U.S. Soccer.
160. (December 19, 2013). "U.S. Soccer Announces All-Time WNT Best XI".
161. "The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team won the inaugural CONCACAF Gold Cup".
162. (September 16, 2024). "Concacaf announces 2025 to 2029 women's national team competitions".
163. Reynolds, Mike. (March 8, 2013). "In Demand Serves Up Algarve Cup Action". [[NewBay Media.
164. (March 9, 2011). "Women's game thriving in the Algarve". [[FIFA]].
165. "Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
166. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wom-uscup.html US Cup (Women)] {{webarchive. link. (November 1, 2012 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
167. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wom-china-4nat.html Four Nations Tournament (Women – Held in China)] {{Webarchive. link. (January 28, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
168. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wom-peacecup06.html 2006 Peace Queen Cup] {{webarchive. link. (May 23, 2008 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
169. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wom-peacecup08.html 2008 Peace Queen Cup] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
170. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesd/dfb100-women.html DFB Centenary Tournament 2000] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
171. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wom-pacific00.html Pacific Cup (Women) 2000] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
172. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wom-brazilcup96.html Brazil Cup 1996] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
173. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/northamcup-wom87.html North America Cup 1987] {{Webarchive. link. (January 30, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
174. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/northamcup-wom90.html North America Cup 1990] {{Webarchive. link. (August 28, 2019 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
175. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/canadacup-wom90.html Canada Cup 1990] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
176. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/australiacup-wom.html Australia Cup 1999–2004] {{Webarchive. link. (January 31, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
177. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wom-feminin95.html Tournoi International Feminin 1995] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
178. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/chiquita-wom94.html Chiquita Cup 1994] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
179. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablest/trinidad-wom94.html Tri-Nations Tournament 1994 (Trinidad)] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
180. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wom-goodwill98.html Goodwill Games 1998] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
181. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/columbus-wom93.html Columbus Cup 1993] {{Webarchive. link. (February 3, 2023 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.)
182. (March 15, 2024). "Women's Ranking". FIFA.