USWNT to face rivals Japan in trio of April friendlies

The United States women’s national team will play Japan in a trio of friendly matches during the April FIFA international window, the U.S. Soccer Federation confirmed on Saturday.

The opener will take place April 11 at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, with the second match to be played three days later at Lumen Field in Seattle. The final match of the window is scheduled for April 17 at Dick’s Sporting Good Park in Commerce City, Colorado.

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“Japan is one of the best teams in the world,” said U.S. head coach Emma Hayes in a statement. “I’m a big admirer of how they play and I have tremendous respect for their team and identity.

“They are a highly experienced group and are fully committed to their style of football. Playing the same opponent three times is unusual but it presents a great challenge and a chance to test ourselves against a top-quality opponent.”

The U.S. and Japan have squared off in some epic matches over the years, including three straight major finals.

Japan prevailed via a penalty shootout in the 2011 Women’s World Cup final, while the U.S. won the 2012 Olympic final and the 2015 Women’s World Cup final.

The third of those matches featured an unforgettable hat trick from U.S. forward Carli Lloyd. The two teams also faced off in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics, with the U.S. winning 1-0 on an extra time goal from Trinity Rodman.

The most recent meeting between the U.S. and Japan came at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, with Japan winning the match 2-1, a result that clinched a first-ever SheBelieves Cup title for the Nadeshiko. Overall, the U.S. holds a 32W-2L-8D all-time record against Japan.