The USA will host the fifth annual SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, from March 5-11 as England, Spain and Japan join the USA for an elite four-team women’s intentional tournament that will feature three doubleheaders in three venues over seven days.
Here are Five Things to Know about this year’s SheBelieves Cup:
SHEBELIEVES MOVEMENT CONTINUES WITH FIFTH ANNUAL TOURNAMENT
Inspired by the USWNT players, the #SheBelieves campaign was launched in the run-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 but has since grown into a special bond between the team and its fans, spreading its powerful message of empowerment and believing in oneself. The SheBelieves Cup is the showcase event for the campaign and brings together many of the world’s most talented women soccer players to compete in the U.S., providing a stage to shine the spotlight on role models (athletes and non-athletes alike) and showcase their accomplishments both on the field and in culture at large. The 2020 SheBelieves Cup will feature four of the world’s top-ranked teams in No. 1 USA, No. 6 England, No. 10 Japan and Nov. 13 Spain.
SBC FORMAT
The tournament format for the 2020 SheBelieves Cup will be the same as the first four years. The winner will be determined by total points (three for a win, one for a draw), with the first tiebreaker being overall goal difference, followed by goals scored, then head-to-head result. If teams are still tied, the next tiebreaker will be the Fair Play ranking. Each team is allowed six substitutes per game at the SheBelieves Cup. England has played in each of the four previous SheBelieves Cup tournaments. This will be the second appearance for Japan, after participating last year, and the first for Spain.
2020 SHEBELIEVES CUP, PRESENTED BY VISA, SCHEDULE
Date Matches Stadium City Kickoff (TV)
Mar. 5 Spain vs. Japan Exploria Stadium Orlando, Fla. 4:15 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
Mar. 5 USA vs. England Exploria Stadium Orlando, Fla. 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2, TUDN)
Mar. 8 Japan vs. England Red Bull Arena Harrison, N.J. 2:15 p.m. ET (ESPN3)
Mar. 8 USA vs. Spain Red Bull Arena Harrison, N.J. 5 p.m. ET (ESPN, TUDN)
Mar. 11 England vs. Spain Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas 4:15 p.m. CT (ESPN3)
Mar. 11 USA vs. Japan Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas 7 p.m. CT (ESPNews, TUDN X1)
SHEBELIEVES HERO IS SEMAHJ WARE
Semahj Ware, who hails from Kansas City, has been voted the winner of the 2020 SheBelieves Hero contest. She was selected as a result of her extraordinary story of perseverance, leadership and helping others. She will receive complimentary travel, tickets and an exclusive behind the scenes experience at the U.S. Women's National Team match vs. Spain at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. on March 8.
WATCH SEMAHJ’S STORY
Semahj Ware of Kansas City, MO, embodies what it means to be a #SheBelievesHero. At 14 years old, she volunteers every day at @OB_Inc_KC, an early learning center for children living in poverty. She overcame adversity to lead by example and impact the lives of others. #Contest pic.twitter.com/cZvjDsYsRm
— Elisabeth Schumacher (@lis_schu) January 31, 2020
The SheBelieves Hero™ Selection Committee, comprised of former U.S. Women's National Team players Nicole Barnhart, Cindy Parlow-Cone, Heather O'Reilly, and Lindsay Tarpley Snow, selected the five contest finalists from the largest field of impressive submissions in the history of the SheBelieves Hero™ contest.
The finalists' stories were shared via social media for the general public to vote on who best embodied the SheBelieves spirit, which is defined as a leader in their community, a confident and passionate individual who empowers others around them and works to make a positive difference in the world.
SHEBELIEVES CUP HISTORY
The United States has one the SheBelieves Cup twice, with England and France also winning on one occasion each. Here’s how teams have finished since the inaugural tournament in 2016:
|
Year |
Winner |
Runner-Up |
Third Place |
Fourth Place |
|
2016 |
USA |
Germany |
England |
France |
|
2017 |
France |
Germany |
England |
USA |
|
2018 |
USA |
England |
France |
Germany |
|
2019 |
England |
USA |
Japan |
Brazil |
Of the first 12 SheBelieves Cup matches over 2016 and 2017, 11 were decided by one or less goal, with just nine goals scored over the six games in both 2016 and 2017.
In 2018, the teams combined for 16 goals and two matches saw three-goal margins of victory with England beating France 4-1, and France beating Germany 3-0.
In 2019, the teams combined for 19 goals over the six matches with two ties, two one-goal wins, a two-goal win for Japan over Brazil (3-1) and a three-goal win for England over Japan (3-0).
In the previous four editions of this tournament, no individual player has scored more than two goals in a tournament. Eight players have scored twice: Alex Morgan in 2016, Camille Abily of France in 2017, Ellen White of England and Eugénie Le Sommer of France in 2018, and Beth Mead of England, Yuka Momiki of Japan and Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe in 2019.
DOUBLEHEADERS IN NEW JERSEY AND TEXAS NEARING SELL-OUTS
Limited ticket inventory remains for the 2020 SheBelieves Cup doubleheaders at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. on March 8 that will feature the USA vs. Spain (5 p.m. ET) and England vs. Japan (2:15 p.m. ET) and at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas on March 11 that features the USA vs. Japan (7 p.m. CT) and England vs. Spain (4:15 p.m. CT).
Fans can visit ussoccer.com for the remaining tickets and ussoccer.com/upgrade to see how they can enhance their matchday experience. There are also standing-room-only tickets available at Toyota Stadium for the final doubleheader in Texas.
More than 13,000 tickets have been sold for the opening doubleheader at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida on March 5 that will feature the USA vs. England (7 p.m. ET) and Spain vs. Japan (4:15 p.m. ET).