The U.S. Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team will compete in the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup running from Aug. 31-Sept. 22 in Colombia. This is the 11th FIFA Women’s World Cup for this age group, all of which have featured the USA, but this one is a bit historic, featuring the most teams ever and held in South America for just the second time.
Here are five things to know about the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
For the first time ever, 24 nations will contest the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, up from the 16 that participated in the previous eight tournaments. The first two tournaments in this age group were held in 2002 and 2004 as Under-19 events and featured just 12 countries.
The participating teams are host Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Venezuela from South America; the USA, Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica from Concacaf; Australia, Korea Republic, Korea DPR and Japan from Asia; Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Nigeria from Africa; Spain, Germany, France, Netherlands and Austria from Europe; and New Zealand and Fiji from Oceania. The first-time participants in this tournament are Austria, Cameroon, Fiji and Morocco while 16 teams return from the 2022 edition.
The 24 participating nations were drawn into six groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group along with the four best third-place teams will advance to the first-ever Round of 16 in this tournament, to be played on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and Thursday, Sept. 12. The winners of those matches advance to the Quarterfinals on Sunday, Sept. 15, from which the winners will advance to the Semifinals on Wednesday, Sept. 18. The Third-Place Match will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21 with the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup Final taking place on Sunday, Sept. 22.
All the matches will take place at four stadiums in three cities in soccer-crazed Colombia: Bogotá’s El Campin Stadium and El Techo Stadium, Cali’s Pascual Guerrero Stadium and Medellin’s Atanasio Girardot Stadium.
All matches of the tournament will be broadcast in English on the FOX Sports family of networks and online on FoxSports.com with corresponding authentication and in Spanish on the Telemundo networks.
2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Groups
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | France | Spain | Germany | Japan | Korea DPR |
| Australia | Canada | USA | Venezuela | New Zealand | Argentina |
| Cameroon | Brazil | Paraguay | Nigeria | Ghana | Costa Rica |
| Mexico | Fiji | Morocco | Korea Republic | Austria | Netherlands |
USA SCHEDULE
The USA will open the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on Sunday, Sept. 1 against reigning FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup champions Spain (4 p.m. ET on FS2 & Universo), will face Morocco on Wednesday, Sept. 4 (9 p.m. ET on FS2 & Telemundo Digital) and will finish the group stage vs. on Saturday, Sept. 7 against Paraguay (7 p.m. on FS2 & Universo). The U.S. will play its first two group games at Pascual Guerrero Stadium in Cali and its third at El Techo Stadium in the capital of Bogotá.
| Date | Match | Kickoff (ET) | Venue; City | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 1 | USA vs. Spain | 4 p.m. | Pascual Guerrero Stadium; Cali, Colombia | FS2/Universo |
| Sept. 4 | USA vs. Morocco | 9 p.m. | Pascual Guerrero Stadium; Cali, Colombia | FS2/TLMD Digital |
| Sept. 7 | USA vs. Paraguay | 7 p.m. | El Techo Stadium; Bogotá, Colombia | FS2/Universo |
THE U.S. ROSTER: PROS LEAD THE WAY
U.S. U-20 Women’s Youth National Team head coach Tracey Kevins has assembled a talented 21-player roster for this World Cup. This is her second World Cup at the helm of the USA after she led the young Americans to the 2022 tournament in Costa Rica. After this event she will step down to focus on her new job as the Head of Development for the U.S. Women’s Youth National Teams (Technical & Leadership), and a new U-20 WYNT head coach will be appointed.
Unlike the last U-20 cycle that was impacted by the global pandemic, this group of U-20s has had some time to work together. The team has compiled a 9W-2L-2D record since it began its cycle in May of 2023 at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. Over those games, the USA scored 32 goals and allowed 11 against eight different countries.
Just 10 players on the World Cup roster were also on the roster for the 2023 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship, meaning 11 players who didn’t play in qualifying made runs to earn their World Cup roster spots.
Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2004, are age-eligible for this World Cup, and this roster will set a record for the most professional players on a U.S. FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Team with eight. All are in their rookie years for National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) clubs with midfielder Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current) and Sentnor (the #1 pick in the 2024 NWSL draft for the Utah Royals) seeing the most minutes among their peers so far this year. Defender Gisele Thompson, who joined her older sister Alyssa at Angel City FC this season, defender Savy King (the #2 pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft for Bay FC), midfielder Ally Lemos (the #9 pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft by the Orlando Pride), former U.S. U-17 WYNT captain Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage) and forward Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign) have all seen action for their clubs this season. Seventeen-year-old defender Jordan Bugg recently signed with Seattle.
While Sentnor, Kingand Lemos were all high draft picks, the other five pros – Jackson, Adames, Thompson, Hutton and Bugg -- all signed professional contracts as high schoolers under the NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism, opting out of college soccer.
Six players on this U-20 WWC roster played for the USA in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The USA roster includes players born across three different birth years, 13 born in 2004, four in 2005 and four in 2006. The roster is made up of players from seven different pro clubs, nine different colleges and one youth club. Florida State has four players on the roster.
The World Cup roster features eight professional players, one rising college freshman, three rising college sophomores, one redshirt college sophomore, seven rising college juniors and one player still in high school.
2024 FIFA U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster by Position (College or Club; Hometown; U-20 Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Caroline Birkel (St. Louis Scott Gallagher; St. Louis, Mo.; 0), Mackenzie Gress (Penn State; Lyndhurst, N.J.; 5), Teagan Wy (California; Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; 8)
DEFENDERS (6): Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign; El Cajon, Calif.; 4/1), Elise Evans (Stanford; Redwood City, Calif.; 12/0), Heather Gilchrist (Florida State, Boulder, Colo.; 6/0), Savy King (Bay FC; West Hills, Calif.; 12/0), Leah Klenke (Notre Dame; Houston, Texas; 11/0), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC; Studio City, Calif.; 7/1)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Addison Halpern (PDA; Middlesex, N.J.; 0/0), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; Bethlehem, N.Y.; 5/0), Riley Jackson (North Carolina Courage; Roswell, Ga.; 8/1), Ally Lemos (Orlando Pride; Glendora, Calif.; 13/1), Yuna McCormack (Virginia; Mill Valley, Calif.; 2/0), Taylor Suarez (Florida State; Charlotte, N.C.; 8/1)
FORWARDS (6): Emeri Adames (Seattle Reign; Red Oak, Texas; 6/1), Maddie Dahlien (North Carolina; Edina, Minn.; 8/4), Jordynn Dudley (Florida State; Milton, Ga.; 9/3), Giana Riley (Florida State; Manteca, Calif.; 8/1), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; Hanson, Mass.; 16/9), Pietra Tordin (Princeton; Miami, Fla.; 7/2)
JUST GETTING STARTED
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup has been a launching point for many players who have gone on to represent the full USWNT and many more who have played professionally. In fact, 56 different players who have played in a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the USA have gone on to earn at least one cap for the senior side. From the 2022 U.S. FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup Team, Alyssa Thompson made the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team and Korbin Albert and Jaedyn Shaw made the 2024 Olympic Team, with Albert scoring the game-winning goal vs. Australia in group play and assisting on the game-winning goal in the gold medal match.
From 2002-2022, an average of 6.9 players per U.S. U-20 World Cup Team have gone on to represent the full USWNT.
Following are the players from each of the past U.S. U-20 (and in 2002 and 2004 U-19) World Cup Teams who have gone on to represent the full USWNT:
2022 (4 players): Midfielders Olivia Moultrie, Jaedyn Shaw and Korbin Albert and forward Alyssa Thompson.
2018 (6): Defenders Emily Fox and Naomi Girma, midfielders Jaelin Howell, Savannah DeMelo and Ashley Sanchez and forward Sophia Smith.
2016 (6): Goalkeeper Casey Murphy, Fox, Sanchez, DeMelo and forward Mallory Pugh (now Swanson).
2014 (6): Goalkeeper Jane Campbell, midfielders Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Andi Sullivan and forwards Pugh (now Swanson) and Midge Purce.
2012 (5): Defender Crystal Dunn, midfielders Morgan Brian (now Gautrat), Samantha Mewis and Julie Johnston (now Ertz) and forward Kealia Ohai (now Watt).
2010 (8): Goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, defenders Dunn, Casey Short (now Krueger) and Amber Brooks, midfielders S. Mewis, Kristie Mewis and Christine Nairn and forward Sydney Leroux.
2008 (5): Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, defender Meghan Klingenberg, midfielder Christine Nairn and forwards Leroux and Alex Morgan.
2006 (9): Defenders Stephanie Lopez (now Cox) and Kelley O’Hara, midfielders Lauren Cheney (now Holiday), Tina DiMartino and Allie Long and forwards Danesha Adams, Tobin Heath, Casey Noguiera and Amy Rodriguez.
2004 (8): Goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, defenders Rachel Buehler (now Van Hollebeke), Lopez and Becky Sauerbrunn, midfielders Angie Woznuk (now Kerr) and Yael Averbuch, and forwards Megan Rapinoe and Rodriguez.
2002 (12): Goalkeeper Harris, defenders Buehler (now Van Hollebeke), Kendall Fletcher, Amy Steadman and Jill Oakes, and midfielders Woznuk (now Kerr), Lori Chalupny (now Lawson), Leslie Osborne and Sarah Huffman, and forwards Heather O’Reilly, Kelly Wilson (now Schmedes) and Lindsay Tarpley (now Snow).
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
This year marks just the second time the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup has been held in South America with Chile 2008 being the first, a tournament the USA won behind the goal scoring of Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux and the goalkeeping of Alyssa Naeher.
The tournament has been held three times in the Concacaf region, in 2002 (Canada), 2014 (Canada) and 2022 (Costa Rica). Europe has hosted three times: in 2006 (Russia), 2010 (Germany) and 2018 (France). The U-20 WWC has been held twice in Asia (2004 in Thailand and 2012 in Japan), once in Oceania (2016 in Papua New Guinea) and the aforementioned one previous tournament in South America (2008 in Chile).
The USA and Germany have each won the tournament three times. The United States took home the inaugural tournament title at the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship. In the World Cup Final, the USA defeated host Canada 1-0 in overtime on a golden goal from future USWNT star Lindsay Tarpley. Played in front of 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, the 2002 championship match remains the largest crowd ever to watch a FIFA youth women’s game. Tremendous fan support and media attention at the competition’s first edition set the standard for future tournaments.
The United States has qualified for all 11 Youth Women’s World Cups at the U-19/U-20 level. After winning in 2002, the USA took third in Thailand in 2004 and fourth in Russia in 2006. In 2008, the USA triumphantly returned to the top of the podium in Chile. Goals from future Women’s National Team stars Morgan and Leroux in the championship match propelled the USA to a 2-1 victory over Korea DPR. A controversial penalty kick shootout against Nigeria eliminated the USA in the 2010 quarterfinals, but the team rebounded in 2012. Featuring future senior World Cup champions Crystal Dunn, Samantha Mewis, Morgan Brian and Julie Johnston, the USA defeated three group winners in the knockout rounds to win the title over Germany, 1-0, on a goal from Kealia Ohai. In 2014, the USA faced another heartbreaking penalty kick defeat, this time falling to Korea DPR in the quarterfinals.
At the 2016 U-20 WWC in Papua New Guinea, the USA finished fourth. After winning its group by the slimmest of margins, topping France on a FIFA Fair Play points tiebreaker, the U.S. downed regional rival Mexico in the quarterfinals. In the semis, the USA suffered a hard-fought extra time loss to Korea DPR before falling to Japan 1-0 on an 87th-minute goal in the Third-Place match. In 2018, the USA had its worst showing ever, bowing out in group play, albeit in a group that featured both finalists – Spain and Japan. Spain defeated Japan, 3-1, to lift the World Cup trophy. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the global pandemic, and in 2022, the USA once again failed to get out of the group and thus will be looking for a rebound in Colombia.
In 10 previous tournaments and 50 matches, the USA has lost just eight games in regulation, three to Germany, three to Japan, one to the Netherlands and one to China PR. Agonizingly, the U.S. was knocked out of this tournament in penalty kicks in 2006, 2010 and 2014.