Less than a month after hoisting a trophy at the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, the U.S. Women’s National Team returns to competition as the SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, kicks off on April 6 in Atlanta. The ninth annual SheBelieves Cup features an impressive four-team field with all four teams ranked in the top-10 in the world. The tournament with the USA (#4), Japan (#7), Canada (#9) and Brazil (#10) will run from April 6-9 with matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.
Get ready for this year’s SheBelieves Cup with Five Things to Know.
SHEBELIEVES CUP FORMAT AND SCHEDULE
Due to the change in FIFA competition windows and the staging of the Concacaf W Gold Cup in February and March – at which the USA faced Canada in the semifinal and then defeated Brazil in the final - the format of the SheBelieves Cup also changes for 2024. While there will still be four participants, there will be four matches instead of the usual six and the teams will play Semifinals (April 6), a Third-Place Match and the Championship (April 9). The format will return to three doubleheaders in 2025.
| Date | Matches | Stadium | City | Kickoff (ET) |
| April 6 | USA vs. Japan | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Ga. | 12:30 p.m. |
| April 6 | Brazil vs. Canada | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Ga. | 3:30 p.m. |
| April 9 | Japan vs. TBD | Lower.com Field | Columbus, Ohio | 4 p.m. |
| April 9 | USA vs. TBD | Lower.com Field | Columbus, Ohio | 7 p.m. |
In the Semifinals on April 6 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the USA will face Japan at 12:30 p.m. ET (TNT, Telemundo, Universo, truTV, Max & Peacock) and Brazil will take on Canada at 3:30 p.m. ET (Universo, Max & Peacock). This will be the USWNT’s first ever match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the first U.S. Soccer match in Atlanta since nearby Fayette County was announced as the future site for U.S. Soccer’s forthcoming National Training Center.
The four nations will then travel to Columbus, Ohio with Lower.com Field hosting the final two games of the tournament at 4 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET on April 9 as the Semifinal winners play in the Championship and the losers play in the Third-Place Match. The USA will play in the 7 p.m. ET time slot (TBS, Universo, Max & Peacock) whether it is playing in Championship or Third-Place Match, and the other game featuring Japan will be at 4 p.m. ET (TBS, Universo, Max & Peacock).
OLYMPIC PREPARATIONS
All four teams participating in this year’s SheBelieves Cup will be competing in the Paris Olympics later this summer and recently learned their groups and pathways through the tournament at the Final Draw on March 20.
The USA, which has won four Olympic Gold Medals (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012) was drawn into Group B along with Germany, Australia and the winner of the CAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying matchup between Zambia and Morocco, which will conclude on April 9.
Canada, the 2021 Olympic gold medal winners, was placed in Group A along with hosts France, New Zealand and Colombia. Japan, the 2012 silver medalists, and Brazil, two-time silver medalists (2004, 2008), are in Group C and will meet in the second Olympic Group stage match on July 28 at Parc des Princes in Paris. Spain and the other qualifier out of Africa – Nigeria or South Africa – round out Group C.
SHEBELIEVES CUP HISTORY
The United States has won the SheBelieves Cup six times and is looking to win its fifth consecutive tournament title. In 2021, the USWNT became the first team to lift the trophy in back-to-back years and followed that performance with victories again in 2022 and 2023. England and France have won the tournament once 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 |
| 2020 | USA | Spain | England | Japan |
| 2021 | USA | Brazil | Canada | Argentina |
| 2022 | USA | Iceland | Czech Republic | New Zealand |
| 2023 | USA | Japan | Brazil | Canada |
For the first time since 2018, the field for the SheBelieves Cup will feature the same four teams as the year prior. Japan, which finished runner-up to the U.S. in 2023, will be making its fourth appearance all-time in the SheBelieves Cup, having also participated in 2019, 2020 and 2023. Brazil will also be making its fourth appearance all-time in the SheBelieves Cup and took third in last year’s tournament. Canada, which finished fourth, will be making its third appearance all-time in the SheBelieves Cup.
The USA’s Mallory Swanson is the all-time leading scorer in SheBelieves Cup history with eight goals in 19 games at the tournament. In 2023, Swanson became the first player to score in every game of a single SheBelieves Cup, netting four goals in three matches during the USA’s title run. Lindsey Horan is the tournament’s all-time leader with five assists while Alyssa Naeher has kept a tournament-record nine clean sheets.
VISA SHEBELIEVES CUP MVP
For the fifth year in a row, Visa, the presenting sponsor of the SheBelieves Cup, will award the MVP trophy to the most outstanding player of the tournament. The award will be announced following the conclusion of the final match on April 9 and with the input of a selection committee comprised of representatives from all four competing nations.
For the fourth year in a row, fans will also get the opportunity to vote for the Visa SheBelieves Cup MVP award using an online ballot to select among a list of finalists chosen by the committee. The fan vote will be incorporated into the overall determination of the 2024 Visa SheBelieves Cup MVP.
In an exciting new enhancement this year, U.S. Soccer will award $25,000 to women-owned small businesses from the same country as the National Team represented by the Visa SheBelieves Cup MVP, thanks to Visa’s continuing commitment to supporting women on and off the field.
Spain attacker Alexia Putellas won the inaugural award in 2020 while the USA’s Rose Lavelle collected the honors in 2021. USWNT forward Catarina Macario took home top honors in 2022 followed by Mallory Swanson in 2023.
SHEBELIEVES MOVEMENT CONTINUES TO GROW
Inspired by the U.S. WNT players, SheBelieves is an initiative led by U.S. Soccer to inspire and encourage women and girls. The campaign launched in the run-up to the 2015 Women’s World Cup and has since grown into a powerful message of empowerment and believing in oneself. The SheBelieves Cup represents a showcase event for the campaign, which also features efforts such as the SheBelieves Summit Presented by Deloitte.
The 2024 SheBelieves Summit, presented by Deloitte, will take place on April 27 and 28 at Venue SIX10 in Chicago, Illinois. With the goal of inspiring the next generation, U.S. Soccer and Deloitte will provide college students and young professionals with the opportunity to learn from and network with industry professionals. Participants will hear from a diverse range of women in leadership who are driving progress in sports, business, and entertainment, headlined by two-time Olympic gold medalist gymnast and advocate Aly Raisman.
The theme of the Summit this year is HER Future, which seeks to equip attendees with the skills to confidently define and pave their unique paths forward. In addition to panels, breakout sessions led by Deloitte and other U.S. Soccer partners will focus on professional skills, financial literacy, and mental health and wellbeing. Registration for the event is now open.