ATLANTA (Sept. 24, 2026) – U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team head coach Ciara Crinion has named the 21 players who will represent the United States at the 2026 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup held in Morocco from Oct. 17-Nov. 7.
The USA will open the tournament against Samoa (1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. local time) on Monday, Oct. 19. The Americans will then face Kenya on Thursday, Oct. 22 (1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. local) and finish Group C play against Kenya on Sunday, Oct. 25 (1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. local). All three of the USA’s Group E games will be played at the Women’s Football Complex (Pitch 3) in Sale, which is just outside of the capital of Rabat.
Goalkeepers (3): Alexis Fischer (Eclipse Select SC; Chicago, Ill.; 3), Kathy Long Capell (Crossfire Premier SC; Woodinville, Wash.; 1), Avellina Saunders (Utah Royals FC Arizona; Phoenix, Ariz.; 6)
Defenders (7): Meila Brewer (Dallas Trinity FC; Overland Park, Kan.; 15/1), Kendra Hansen (Pateadores SC; Tustin, Calif.; 9/0), Maddie Maeves (Crossfire Premier SC; Seattle, Wash.; 9/0), Venina Moodie (De Anza Force SC; Oakland, Calif.; 8/0), Cassie Travers (Gotham FC U-18; Santa Cruz, Calif.; 1/0), Anaiah Williams (Eclipse Select SC; Glendale Heights, Ill.; 10/0), Gigi Zuniga (Mountain View Los Altos SC; Watsonville, Calif.; 9/0)
Midfielders (5): Mia Corona (UCLA; Cypress, Calif.; 9/2), Jordyn Heathcock (FC Dallas; Edmond, Okla.; 8/1), Grace Murray (Beach FC; Redondo Beach, Calif.; 8/1), Isa Ortiz (Florida United SC; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; 3/0), Loradana Paletta (New York City FC; Syosset, N.Y.; 16/5)
Forwards (6): Maddie DiMaria (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri; Fenton, Mo.; 18/12), Gianna Hanf (Match Fit Surf; Chesterfield, N.J.; 9/2), Amari Manning (UNC; Flemington, N.J.; 12/6), Carolina Reyna (FC Westlake; Austin, Texas; 5/0), Deus Stanislaus (UNC; Fort Washington, Pa.; 12/9), Jordyn Sullivan (Match Fit Surf; Rumson, N.J.; 5/0)
“The players have earned this opportunity to compete and enjoy this tournament on the world stage and we’re very excited to see the team play in Morocco,” said Crinion. “We know how important World Cups are in developing our young players for the future. These experiences are so impactful for players’ growth and development in our National Team pathway. We appreciate the collaboration with the clubs and colleges to support the players in having these experiences and I also want to thank our Talent Identification Managers and their scouting teams who have put in an enormous amount of work and energy through our cycle and YNT programming. It is an honor to represent the U.S in a World Cup and the players are ready to go.”
For the third time, the U.S. roster for a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will feature at least one professional player. This year’s squad features just one defender Meila Brewer, who recently left the Kansas City Current of the NWSL to sign with Dallas Trinity FC of the USL Super League. Brewer left UCLA after one season (2025) where she started eight of her nine games. The 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup was the first time professionals played for the USA in this tournament
Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, are age-eligible for this World Cup. Crinion chose 16 players born in 2009, four born in 2010 and one, Loradana Paletta, born in 2011. Fifteen players will be 17 years old at the start of the World Cup tournament, and three will be 16. The three who will be 15 years old are Paletta, goalkeeper Avellina Saunders and defender Gigi Zuniga. Those three, as well as the two other players born in 2010 – Cassie Travers and Isa Ortiz – are age-eligible for next year’s 2027 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Crinion named 14 players who were part of the U.S. team that finished atop the group at the Final Round of the 2026 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Qualifiers to earn a berth to this World Cup. Brewer and forward Maddie DiMaria are the only players on the roster who also played in the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup when the USA went out on penalty kicks in the Round of 16, falling 7-6 in a dramatic shootout to the Netherlands after a 1-1 tie in regulation time.
The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is the second time this tournament features 24 nations, up from 16 before last year. The 24 countries are divided into six groups of four teams each. After round-robin play within the groups, the top two teams in each group plus the four best third-place finishers will advance to the Round of 16, at which time the competition becomes a knockout tournament. The tournament is now an annual competition. Ahead of the 2025 tournament, the first five editions were announced to be held in Morocco. This year’s tournament is the second of those five.
The FIFA Youth World Cups are vital part of the continued focus on the U.S. Way, which emphasizes increased programming for Youth National Teams to create more opportunities for young players to advance through the pathway to the senior National Team with the goal of representing their country at a world championship.
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