5 Things to Know About the 2026 SheBelieves Cup Roster
Emily Sonnett named to her 11th SheBelieves Cup roster; Alyssa, Gisele Thompson selected for fourth USWNT roster together
On Tuesday, head coach Emma Hayes named the 26-player roster for the 2026 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, as the U.S. Women’s National Team aims to capture its eighth title in the tournament’s 11-year history.
The roster sports a mix of players within the USWNT pool, from teenagers to 30-year-olds, NWSL talent to UEFA Women’s Champions League stars, with U.S. National Team caps ranging from single-digits to nearing 200.
Here are five things to know about the 2026 SheBelieves Cup roster:
1. Three SheBelieves Veterans
No players know more about the SheBelieves Cup than defender Emily Sonnett and midfielders Lindsey Heaps and Rose Lavelle. The trio are the only players on the roster with more than 100 caps each, many of which have been earned during SBC matches.
Sonnett is the only USWNT player to have appeared in all 11 editions of the tournament, dating back to the inaugural tournament in 2016, meaning she is the owner of seven SBC titles. She played the entire 90 minutes in the team’s first SBC match, a 1-0 win against England on March 3, 2016.
Heaps was also a part of the inaugural roster and starting XI, and she has competed in the tournament every year except 2019 due to injury. She scored the final goal in the 3-1 win against Japan in the 2020 SBC Final, and she scored the game-winner from the penalty spot in the team’s second match of the 2024 SBC, also against Japan.
Lavelle’s USWNT debut came at the 2017 SheBelieves Cup in a 1-0 loss to England. She scored the game-winner in the team’s opening match of the 2021 SBC and was named the Visa SheBelieves Cup MVP that same year. This year will be her seventh time competing in the tournament.
🌹 to the occasion once again! @roselavelle opens the scoring with her 14th career goal! pic.twitter.com/EekNTwuk6D
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 19, 2021
2. No Uncapped Players
For the first time in over a year, and for the first time under Emma Hayes, a USWNT roster does not include an uncapped player. The January roster featured six uncapped players and five of them made their debuts against either Paraguay or Chile, bringing Hayes’ total of debutants to 32 in 32 matches in charge of the USA. Two of those five players were named to the SheBelieves Cup roster: forward Maddie Dahlien and midfielder Riley Jackson.
The 2025 SheBelieves Cup roster featured four uncapped players – Tara Rudd, Gisele Thompson, Claire Hutton and Michelle Cooper. Three of those four return for 2026 with Cooper as the exception as she’s working her way back to being fully fit following injury.
3. Familiar Ground for Emma Sears
Forward Emma Sears, who scored in both the matches at the end of January camp, will have the chance to play for the USA for the first time in her hometown. Sears hails from Dublin, Ohio, a suburb roughly 30 minutes outside of Columbus, Ohio, which will host the second doubleheader of the SheBelieves Cup on March 4. She played five seasons for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Before the U.S. plays in Ohio, the team faces Argentina in Nashville, Tenn., where Sears made her USWNT debut. She became the fourth player in program history to score a goal and earn an assist in her first USWNT appearance, a 3-1 win against Iceland in October of 2024.
The 23rd player in USWNT history to score in her first cap: Emma Sears!!!#USWNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/OTfoM3xWv9
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 27, 2024
4. Thompson Sisters Reunite
This roster marks the fourth time Gisele and Alyssa Thompson have been called up to the same USWNT camp. The three previous times were all in 2025, with the first being in last year's SheBelieves Cup. Both sisters started in the 2-1 win over Australia in the USWNT’s second match of the tournament. It was the fourth time a sister duo appeared in the starting lineup for the U.S. All three other instances belong to the Mewis sisters, Kristie and Samantha.
Gisele made her fifth USWNT appearance last month and earned her first international assist in the 6-0 win against Paraguay. The sisters previously played together at Angel City FC in the NWSL before Alyssa joined English club Chelsea FC in September of 2025.
5. SheBelieves Cup Rookies
Nine players have been named to their first SheBelieves Cup roster: Dahlien, Jackson, Jordyn Bugg, Lilly Reale, Kennedy Wesley, Kate Wiesner, Jameese Joseph, Claudia Dickey and Phallon Tullis-Joyce. All of them were a part of the January camp except for Reale, who was competing with Gotham FC in the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, and Tullis-Joyce, who was returning from injury.
All nine players made their USWNT debuts in 2025 or 2026, and many were a part of the 2025 Futures Camp and competed with U.S. U-23 WNT last year.
Nashville, Columbus, and NJ, we will see you soon 👀
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 18, 2026
🎟️ https://t.co/u7SDVvwwVI pic.twitter.com/zJ06wo09xW