With the ladies’s World Cup a 12 months away, the top-ranked groups — Spain and the U.S. — have agreed to play a pair of heavyweight friendlies this fall.
Spain — the reigning world champion ranked No. 1 by FIFA — and the U.S. — the defending Olympic gold medalist positioned second — will conflict Oct. 10 at Washington’s Audi Subject and once more three days later at Subaru Park in suburban Philadelphia, the federations introduced Monday.
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Each groups will use the friendlies to proceed preparations for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Spain has already certified, whereas the U.S. will want solely to defeat No. 78 El Salvador on the Concacaf W Championship in November in Higher Dallas to safe passage.
“Two extra incredible matches,” U.S. coach Emma Hayes mentioned in a written assertion. “We’ve desperately wished to get Spain on our schedule, however the difficulties of scheduling the highest groups through the ladies’s worldwide calendar are well-known, so to have the ability to get these two video games on the East Coast would be the excellent assessments earlier than we head into World Cup qualifying on the finish of the 12 months.”
Tickets will go on sale to most of the people Thursday.
The U.S. will prepare on the new nationwide coaching heart outdoors of Atlanta for a number of days earlier than arriving in Washington.
The will face reigning world champion Spain twice this October because the USWNT continues getting ready for the 2027 World Cup. (Robin Alam/ISI Pictures by way of Getty Pictures)
The Spain friendlies will mark the primary U.S. motion since visiting No. 7 Brazil final month: a 2-1 loss and 1-0 victory.
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The U.S. has not clashed with Spain since an October 2022 away pleasant, received by the Spaniards, 2-0, in Pamplona. The one three earlier encounters have been received by the Individuals.
Spain options three of one of the best gamers on this planet: midfielder , the Ballon d’Or winner the previous three years; ahead ; and London Metropolis Lionesses midfielder , a two-time Ballon d’Or recipient who this summer season ended her 14-year Barcelona tenure.
Spain’s solely three setbacks since ending fourth on the 2024 Olympics have been to fourth-ranked England, together with the European Championship closing in a shootout final summer season.
4-time world champions, the Individuals have retained elite standing, whilst Hayes has experimented with lineups, applied younger gamers and been with out her vaunted “Triple Espresso” assault for 2 years.
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The frontline of , and is on target to play collectively this fall for the primary time because the Olympics. Wilson and Swanson missed prolonged time whereas on maternity go away.
The Spain matches are the newest in a collection of assessments in opposition to world powers following two victories and a defeat at dwelling in opposition to No. 5 Japan within the spring and the Brazil video games in June.
In accordance with the U.S. Soccer Federation, the Spain video games are additionally the 18th and nineteenth in U.S. historical past that includes video games involving the world’s top-ranked groups. (Fifteen have been in opposition to Germany and one apiece in opposition to Norway and England.) The Individuals are 11-0-6 in such encounters.
Earlier than the match in Washington, the U.S. will honor retired star , the 2015 Nationwide Girls’s Soccer League MVP as a member of the Washington Spirit. The primary 2,000 followers to reach will obtain a Dunn bobblehead.
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Hayes’ crew performed at Audi Subject final summer season, defeating Canada in a pleasant, 3-0. The choice to play there once more shouldn’t come as a shock: Spirit proprietor Michele Kang is a serious U.S. ladies’s soccer benefactor.
The second match in opposition to Spain is the Individuals’ tenth go to to Chester, Pennsylvania. They have been unbeaten there till dropping to Portugal, 2-1, final October.