After a four-year hiatus, two of the world’s best teams will square off in a two-game series in October when the U.S. women’s national team face Spain for a pair of friendlies. The first meeting is set for Oct. 10 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., followed by a game on Oct. 13 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. Both national teams are ranked by FIFA, with the 2023 World Cup champions, Spain, at No. 1 and the 2024 Olympic gold medalist USWNT at No. 2. “Two more fantastic matches,” head coach Emma Hayes mentioned in a statement. “We’ve desperately wanted to get Spain on our schedule, but the difficulties of scheduling the top teams during the women’s international calendar are well known, so to be able to get these two games on the East Coast will be the perfect tests before we head into World Cup qualifying at the end of the year.” Spain’s recent rise to the topThe two programs have faced each other only four times in international play. Spain’s rise as a global player is fairly recent. The team failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup and were ranked outside of the top 15. The team eventually earned a 14th spot in FIFA rankings during 2015 and qualified for their first-ever World Cup, but had a disappointing showing and were grouped in the opening round.
In 2019, Spain’s Golden Generation began to emerge. They suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to the USWNT in a friendly to open the year, and later finally broke through the World Cup group stage with their best-ever rank (13th), and advanced to the round of 16. The USWNT and Spain faced off in the knockout round, with the USWNT defeating Spain 2-1. The high-stakes match led to an invitation to the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, where the USWNT won 1-0. The next meeting between the two teams wouldn’t come till two years later, in 2022, when the USWNT traveled to Pamplona, Spain, and suffered a 2-0 loss. The USWNT look very different almost four years after that match, with several retirements and just a few holdovers from the 2022 team.
Midfielder Sam Coffey made her senior national team debut in 2022 and was a substitute off the bench during that loss. Now she’s a 2024 Olympic gold medalist, and is considered among the starting-caliber players across Emma Hayes extensive player pool.
“I remember the games because we did not win, which, you remember those games, especially when you played with this [U.S.] team,” mentioned Coffey on Spain.
“I just recall talent all over the field. Exceptional technical ability. A very deep understanding of one another, and a cohesion that I don’t think a lot of national teams play with. I think the fact that so many of them play for the same club team as well, I think, is such an advantage that they have. “
Earlier this year, Coffey transferred to the WSL and now competes with Manchester City. The club won the league and will finally return to the UEFA Women’s Champions League competition after a brief absence, and she and the club could potentially face more Liga F sides with Spain national team players when the League Phase starts in September.
In the meantime, the friendlies against Spain in October will offer a unique opportunity for the USWNT, who will be just a month out from World Cup qualifiers, with the Concacaf W Championship set for November.
“I think we’ve evolved and changed so much as a team from when we played them four years ago … But I think it’s just going to be such an electric matchup. I think the fact that now we get to play them at home, we get to play them in two amazing markets in Philly and DC, markets that always show out for us, so I can’t think of a better advantage in us playing them as well and having that and being home,” she mentioned.
“But I fully expect, you know, the challenges that we face in 2022 to be similar, if not even more so than what it was when we played them then. They’re just an exceptional team, but it’s going to be amazing for us.”
Youngest USWNT player has most recent Spain experience
While there’s only a handful of players who remember that 2022 loss to Spain, in a twist of irony, the USWNT’s youngest player is the athlete with the most recent experience going up against some of Spain’s elite.
Lily Yohannes, the 19-year-old midfielder, earned her first senior cap with the USWNT in 2024. She plays her club soccer with France side, OL Lyonnes, and Yohannes recently played in the 2025-26 UEFA Women’s Champions League final against FC Barcelona. The Catalonian side features a slew of Spain national team players, plenty of whom could be called up for the October friendlies.
“Having played against a lot of these players in Europe and Champions League, having had that experience, has been really great. We know it’s some of the best players in the world, and I’m grateful to have had that experience. But I think bringing that over to the national team setting and being able to experience that, I feel like it’s it’s quite different playing club versus country,” Yohannes mentioned.
“So playing Spain with the U.S., with this group, I think will be a great test for us, a great challenge. We know Spain is an amazing team, and I think we’re just really looking forward to having this prep. Especially before qualifying. And yeah, I think it will be a really great opportunity for us. Playing these players, I played against them in the Champions League, and I know how great they are. So yeah, just looking forward to having this opportunity again.”
Dueling for bragging rights
While official rankings can be the end-all or be-all for some, the margins between top-ten teams in the world are narrower on the pitch than ever. A No. 1 versus No. 2 match will ultimately be some bragging rights for either side just a year out from the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Two top teams with different styles, from two separate World Championships, will now compete in a pair of friendlies that could be a glimpse of what’s to come in the 2027 World Cup.
“We know that Spain is an amazing team,” Yohannes mentioned. But I think going into these matches, I think we don’t approach it really any differently. We go into every game wanting to win. That’s our mentality.
“We want to show that we’re the best. We want to win every game and give a fight against every opponent. So I think heading into these matches, that doesn’t really change. We will prepare. Like we have been. Continuing to make steps, continuing to progress, and continuing to show that our mentality is to be the best. To show that every match.”
Look ahead
The USWNT and Spain will face off in a pair of friendlies in October at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., and Chester, Pa., beginning on October 10. Fans can watch the WSL season, the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and select NWSL matches on Paramount+.
