U.S. Women’s National Team to Play in Cincinnati, Chicago

With the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup starting in a few days, the United States women’s national team has announced its first two matches that will be part of the post-World Cup schedule with games September 21 at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium and September 24 at Chicago’s Soldier Field, both against South Africa.

The USA is making its ninth appearance all-time at the FIFA Women’s World Cup while South Africa is making its second. South Africa is one of two African teams the USWNT has faced in its history with Nigeria being the other and the September meetings will be just the third and fourth matchups all-time between the two countries. The USA most recently played South Africa in May 2019, a 2-0 win in Santa Clara, California.

The match at TQL Stadium marks the USA’s second at the home of FC Cincinnati’s and first since September 2021 when hometown hero Rose Lavelle scored a goal and had three assists against Paraguay. Aubrey Kingsbury, a goalkeeper on this year’s World Cup Team, also hails from Cincinnati. The USA has a long history at Soldier Field, playing there eight times previously; the USA’s first game there was June 28, 1998, against Germany. The USWNT has also played six games in Bridgeview, Illinois, at Toyota Park.

“The focus right now is of course on the World Cup, but to get two great matches in our first games back in the USA in two stadiums that are really fun to play in will be awesome for our players and the fans,” said U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski. “South Africa has talented players so I’m sure these will be two entertaining games.”

Both teams will play all of its group stage games in the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. The USWNT starts July 21 at 9 p.m. ET against Vietnam before playing 9 p.m. ET on July 26 against the Netherlands in a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final. The final group stage game for the USWNT is 3 a.m. ET on August 1 against Portugal. South Africa will play Sweden, Italy and Argentina in Group G.