SheBelieves Cup Coming Back to Orlando

U.S. Soccer will host the eighth annual SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa®, from Feb. 16-22 as Brazil, Canada and Japan join the USA for the four-team international tournament. All four nations will be participating in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup next summer and all four are ranked in the top 11 in the world with the USA at No. 1, Canada at No. 6, Brazil at No. 9 and Japan at No. 11.

With a new broadcast partner coming on board with U.S. Soccer in 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports will exclusively present the USWNT matches, with specific distribution plans to be announced at a later date.

The SheBelieves Cup is part of U.S. Soccer’s SheBelieves initiative to inspire and empower women and girls to achieve their goals in sport and beyond.

The USA, perennial South American and Asian powers Brazil and Japan, and the reigning Olympic gold medalists in Canada, will use this tournament as important World Cup preparation just five months before the competition kicks off in Australia and New Zealand.

Due to COVID-19 protocols, the entirety of 2021 SheBelieves Cup was held at one stadium in Orlando, Fla. and the 2022 tournament was staged in two cities and two stadiums. For its 2023 edition, the tournament will return to its traditional three-venue format with matches played at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Fla., GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tenn. and Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski will name a 23-player roster for the tournament.

The matches of the 2023 SheBelieves Cup will be the first domestic games of the World Cup year for the USWNT, which will play two games in and against New Zealand in January.

The six-game tournament was first played in 2016. The USA won the inaugural edition and France took top honors in 2017. The USA won again in 2018, and England finished first in 2019, but the USA returned to the top of the podium in 2020, the first title for Andonovski, and took top honors in both 2021 and 2022.

SAID ANDONOVSKI:

“The first five games of the 2023 schedule will all be against teams playing in the World Cup and we expect to confirm a few more matches against top opponents before we go to New Zealand during the summer. We love the SheBelieves Cup for the world class competition it brings, the format that helps replicate group play at a World Cup and the overall meaning that it has for our team and women’s sports. Obviously, you get more rest days in a World Cup, but managing a roster with three games over seven days against teams with three very different styles of play is really good preparation for us as we continue to grow as a team towards next summer.”

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The competition format will be the same as for the previous seven years with the teams participating in three doubleheader events. The winner of the tournament will be determined by total points (three for a win, one for a tie), with the first tiebreaker being overall goal difference, followed by most total goals scored, then head-to-head result and lastly, Fair Play ranking if necessary.

SIX GAMES, THREE STADIUMS

The 2023 SheBelieves Cup kicks off on Thursday, Feb. 16 at Exploria Stadium as Japan takes on Brazil (4 p.m. ET) and the USA faces Canada (7 p.m. ET). The tournament resumes on Sunday, Feb. 19, as the competition moves to Nashville’s GEODIS Park with the USA playing the first match of the day against Japan (2:30 p.m. CT / 3:30 p.m. ET) and Brazil facing Canada (5:30 p.m. CT / 6:30 p.m. ET) in the nightcap. The tournament concludes on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, with Canada taking on Japan (3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET) and the USA facing Brazil in the tournament finale (6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET). Broadcast information for all the matches will be available at a later date.

QUALIFIED FOR ’23

The USA earned its berth to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship last July in Mexico. The USA qualified for the semifinals, and directly to the 2023 World Cup as a result, due to a combination of results after the first two group games, and then went on to win the tournament to also earn the berth to the 2024 Paris Olympics that came along with the tournament title.

Canada finished second at the Concacaf W Championship, losing 1-0 to the USA in the championship game, but had already clinched its berth to the World Cup by making the semifinals of the tournament.

Brazil qualified for the World Cup by winning its semifinal 2-0 over Paraguay at the Copa American Femenina in Colombia last July. Brazil then defeated Colombia, 1-0, in the championship game.

Japan qualified for the World Cup by making the semifinals of the 2022 AFC Women’s Cup in India but fell to China PR in penalty kicks.

TICKETS

Presales for the 2023 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa will begin on Monday, Dec. 12 with the public sale beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Tickets purchased will be valid for both matches that matchday. Groups of 20 or more can order at ussoccer.com starting Wednesday, Dec. 21.

In accordance with guidance from the local health authorities, and in cooperation with each stadium, as well as the U.S. Soccer medical team, tickets for these matches will be available at near full capacity. Coaches Circle and Presidents Circle members supporting the U.S. Soccer Development Fund can receive individual customer support and concierge services for their ticketing needs. Click here or contact circles@ussoccer.org for more information.