USWNT Embraces Rare Road Trip to Brazil

This time next year, teams from around the globe will be heading to Brazil to begin their quests to lift the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy. While the U.S. Women's National Team must first secure one of those 32 spots through qualification later this year at the Concacaf W Championship, the June FIFA window gives a glimpse of what the tournament next summer could look like.

The USWNT has arrived in Brazil for two friendlies against AsCanarinhas – June 6 in São Paulo and June 9 in Fortaleza – in a rare road trip to South America where the Americans will get the chance to play at two venues which will host matches in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“Our main target right now is qualification, but what better experience than to come here and play against Brazil in their home country and where the World Cup is going to be,” said USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps. "We will take all the experience that we can from the travel, the bus rides, the training environments and everything that this country has to offer. The atmosphere is going to be incredible. This is a football-loving country, and the way that the people here treat the game is so special, and I'm so excited for all of our players to get to experience that.”

Road games are few and far between for the USWNT, which has played just two international matches outside of the United States since claiming gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The last time the squad competed in Brazil was in 2014, though those matches in Brasília did not feature any of the players on the current June roster. In fact, Heaps is the only player who had made her senior debut by 2014.

The opportunity to gain experience at a future World Cup venue is heightened by the opponent. Brazil, nine-time South American champions, are one of the USWNT’s most familiar challengers. The teams have faced off 43 times since 1986 with the Americans holding a 34W-4L-5D record. The sides met most recently in two matches in April of 2025, a 2-0 U.S. win in Inglewood, Calif., followed by a 2-1 U.S. loss in San Jose, Calif.

“It's just another reminder that teams are getting better and better, and every matchup is difficult,” Heaps said about those matches. "Especially against such a good opponent like this, tactical adjustments can be made, and there are things that we need to nail down in our game. It's not easy, and we have to continue doing that. This is why we're here and why we're facing this team again.”

Familiarity between the sides extends beyond international competition. Nine of the 26 players on the Brazilian roster compete in the NWSL with a handful more recently playing in the UEFA Women's Champions League.

Midfielder Rose Lavelle said those club experiences have reinforced how difficult Brazil can be to face.

“They're players you're always so happy to have on your team and you're so annoyed to play against,” Lavelle said about the Brazilian National Team players. "They're just so technical and creative in the way that they play, so they're very, very hard to defend. That being said, they've elevated so many teams that they've been on. I've gotten to play with a couple Brazilians on my club team, and they're all such good vibes and good teammates that you want in the locker room. When you get to play with them, I think it brings out the best for everyone.”

One player on everyone’s mind was six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta. The 40-year-old Brazilian forward was not a part of the April 2025 friendlies, meaning she last faced the U.S. in the 2024 Olympic gold medal match, but she returned to the roster this month and is trying to earn a spot on her seventh World Cup Team.

"Anytime you get to step foot on the field with [Marta], it feels so surreal because she's a player that so many of us looked up to,” Lavelle said. "Getting to play against her in the league again... she's just still so good.She's such an inspiration, the way that she's been able to push this game, not just in this country, but in our own league, in the world. For her to be still at this level at this age in her career is incredible.”

For U.S. head coach Emma Hayes, the significance of the trip goes beyond facing one of the sport’s biggest icons. She views these matches as another important step towards preparing for the challenges that await later this year – and potentially next summer.

“Brazil is a world-class team,” Hayes said. “They have a world-class coach, and they have a team that plays with big responsibility. They make it extremely difficult for you to have control of the game. It doesn'tmatter what team plays, they all are at this level, and I think there's a real credit to the players, to the coaching.”

For Hayes, the focus is always how the present will impact the future, but this much is true: fans in São Paulo and Fortaleza, as well as in the USA and around the world, will get treated to two highly entertaining matches this month between two of the world powers in the women’s game.