The USA and Japan will kick off the quarterfinals at 9 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. local time at Parc des Princes in Paris. Following that, Spain will face Colombia at 11 a.m. ET / 5 p.m. local time in Lyon. Canada and Germany will clash at 1 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. local time in Marseille, with the winner advancing to play the winner of the USA-Japan match in the semifinals. The quarterfinals will conclude with hosts France taking on Brazil at 3 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. local time in Nantes.
Among the eight teams in the knockout rounds, five have previously medaled at the Olympics. The U.S. leads with four golds, one silver, and one bronze, while Germany, the 2016 gold medalists, have also earned three bronze medals. Canada, the 2020 champions, have two bronze medals in addition to their recent gold. Brazil has two silver medals, and Japan took silver in 2012, finishing as runners-up to the USA.
MARQUEE MATCHUP
Saturday’s match at Parc des Princes will be the seventh all-time meeting between the USA and Japan in the knockout rounds of a World Cup or Olympics, surpassing USA vs. Brazil as the most-played knockout-round matchup in women’s world championships.
It will be the fifth meeting between the USWNT and Japan at the Olympics, tying Brazil vs. Germany for the most-played match in women’s Olympic history.
In their Olympic history, the USA and Japan have faced each other in various pivotal matches. At London 2012, they played in the gold medal match. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, they met twice: a 1-0 win for the U.S. in the group stage and a 4-2 victory for the U.S. in the semifinals. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, the U.S. won 2-1 in the quarterfinals on their way to their second gold medal.
The USA and Japan also took on each other in back-to-back FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in 2011 and 2015. Japan won its first World Cup title in 2011 by triumphing 3-1 on penalty kicks after drawing 2-2 through regulation and overtime. In the 2015 final in Canada, the USA claimed their third star, winning 5-2, thanks to a hat-trick from Lloyd in the first 16 minutes. The teams also met in the quarterfinals of the 1995 World Cup, a 4-0 victory for the U.S., and in the group stage of the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991, where the USA won 3-0.
The U.S. has an overall record of 7 wins, no losses, and one draw against Japan in world championship events, including a 4-0-0 record against Japan at the Olympics, tied for the most wins against any opponent at the Olympics.
INSIDE THE SERIES: USA vs. JAPAN
The 41st all-time meeting between the USA and Japan will take place in the quarterfinal clash in Paris. This will be the second meeting between the teams this year.
The teams faced off in the 2024 SheBelieves Cup semifinals in Atlanta on April 6, where the U.S. came back from an early deficit to win 2-1 in front of a crowd of 50,644 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Japan took an early lead through Kiko Seike’s goal, but the Americans equalized with Jaedyn Shaw’s strike in the 21st minute, followed by Lindsey Horan’s game-winning penalty in the 77th minute.
The teams have previously met four times at the SheBelieves Cup, resulting in a 2-2 draw in 2019 and three consecutive American wins (3-1 in 2020, 1-0 in 2023, and 2-1 in 2024). Overall, the USA leads the series with 31 wins, one loss, and eight draws, with the only loss coming during the 2012 Algarve Cup. Since then, the USA has remained unbeaten in the last 13 meetings, securing nine wins and four draws, including the 2012 Olympic Final and the 2015 World Cup Final. The USA has scored multiple goals in eight of the last nine matches against Japan.
RETURN TO PARC DES PRINCES
The USWNT will head into Saturday’s match in Paris riding a streak of 11 consecutive wins in France, dating back to the start of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Two of those victories during their 2019 title run came at Parc des Princes, including a 3-0 win over Chile in the group stage and a 2-1 win against France in the quarterfinals.
Seven players from the current Olympic squad – Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Alyssa Naeher, Emily Sonnett, and Swanson – were part of the 2019 Women’s World Cup roster. Davidson provided two assists in the win over Chile, while Naeher, Dunn, Lavelle, and Horan also featured in the memorable quarterfinal victory against France, thanks to a brace from the now-retired Megan Rapinoe.
Parc des Princes is the home ground of Paris Saint-Germain, where Albert, who joined PSG in January 2023, plays. Albert has made significant contributions, helping PSG win the French Cup and finish second in the league. She made history in the USA’s win over Australia on July 31, scoring her first international goal and becoming the first USWNT player to score her first career goal at an Olympics.
Horan began her professional career with PSG, joining the club straight out of high school at 18, becoming the first American woman to skip college soccer to turn pro. She played for PSG from 2012 to 2016, scoring nearly 60 goals across all competitions before returning to play for the Portland Thorns.
EMMA ERA STARTING STRONG
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes, previously the head coach at Chelsea FC, has begun her tenure unbeaten (6W-0L-1D) in her first seven matches. Hayes is the eighth head coach to lead the USWNT in a major tournament and the first to win her first major tournament match by a margin of three or more goals. She joins Anson Dorrance as the only head coaches in USWNT history to win their first three matches in a major tournament.
Hayes aims to become the fourth USWNT head coach to win their first major tournament, following Dorrance in the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Pia Sundhage in the 2008 Olympics, and Jill Ellis in the 2015 World Cup.
2024 MEDIA GUIDE
The 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Media Guide and USWNT Media Guide are now available for download. The guides feature history, statistics, player bios, information on the USA’s Youth Women’s National Teams, and general information on U.S. Soccer.
USA TEAM & OLYMPIC ROSTER NOTES
Four players on this roster have over 100 caps: Lindsey Horan (153), Crystal Dunn (152), Alyssa Naeher (109), and Rose Lavelle (104). Jenna Nighswonger is the least experienced with 13 international appearances. Fourteen players were born after the 1996 Olympics, the first to feature women’s soccer.
Mallory Swanson leads with 37 international goals, followed by Horan (35), Dunn (25), Lavelle (24), and Smith (22). Swanson is tied for third in scoring with three goals at Paris 2024.
Horan and Smith have two assists each, leading both the team and tournament. Five different players have scored for the U.S. at these Olympics: Swanson (3), Smith (2), Rodman (2), Williams (1), and Albert (1).
Rodman and Smith either scored or assisted in all group stage games, a first since Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach in 2012. Horan leads with 1,182 minutes played in 2024, followed by Naeher (1,110), Sam Coffey (1,083), and Emily Fox (1,034).
Naeher, Coffey, and Naomi Girma have played every minute in these Olympics. Thirteen players have scored for the USWNT in 2024, with Smith leading (7), followed by Swanson and Shaw (5 each). Seven players have one assist each. Overall, 19 different players have contributed to goals in 2024.
IN FOCUS: JAPAN | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
Current FIFA World Ranking: 7
AFC Ranking: 1
Olympic Appearances: 6th (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2020, 2024)
Best Olympic Finish: 2012 (Silver Medal)
Record vs. USA: 1W-31L-8D
Coach: Futoshi Ikeda (JPN)
JAPAN WOMEN’S OLYMPIC SOCCER TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB)
GOALKEEPERS: 1-Ayaka Yamashita (Unattached), 18-Chika Hirao (Albirex Niigata Ladies)
DEFENDERS: 2-Risa Shimizu (Manchester City FC, ENG), 3-Moeka Minami (AS Roma, ITA), 4-Saki Kumagai (AS Roma, ITA), 5-Hana Takahashi (Urawa Reds Ladies), 6-Toko Koga (Feyenoord Rotterdam, NED), 13-Hikaru Kitagawa (INAC Kobe Leonessa)
MIDFIELDERS: 7-Hinata Miyazawa (Manchester United WFC, ENG), 8-Kiko Seike (Urawa Reds Ladies), 10-Fuka Nagano (Liverpool FC, ENG), 12-Momoko Tanikawa (FC Rosengård, SWE), 14-Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City FC, ENG), 15-Aoba Fujino (NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza), 16-Honoka Hayashi (Unattached)
FORWARDS: 9-Riko Ueki (West Ham United FC, ENG), 11-Mina Tanaka (Utah Royals FC, USA), 17-Maika Hamano (Chelsea FC, ENG)
ALTERNATES: 19-Remina Chiba (Eintracht Frankfurt, GER), 20-Miyabi Moryia (INAC Kobe Leonessa), 21-Rion Ishikawa (Urawa Reds Ladies), 22-Shu Ohba (Ole Miss, USA)