The U.S. women’s national team is in London, where a crowd of over 80,000 is expected to see the Olympic gold medalists — including goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who this week announced plans to retire from the national team — face England on Saturday at Wembley.
The massive crowd would make this one of the most highly-attended women’s soccer games ever. The record, at least for documented attendances in the modern era, is 91,648 fans for a UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) semifinal between Barcelona and Wolfsburg played on April 22, 2022. The 1971 Women’s World Cup, an event staged outside of FIFA’s purview, retains claims of a crowd of 110,000 at Estadio Azteca for the final between Mexico and Denmark, though clear record-keeping is hard to come by.
The largest crowd to watch the USWNT was on hand for a pivotal event in women’s sports history, as 90,185 attended the 1999 World Cup final between the U.S. and China at the Rose Bowl, famously decided by Brandi Chastain’s game-winning penalty kick. England has a similar experience, with the Lionesses drawing 87,192 to Wembley to see the hosts defeat Germany in the epic final of Euro 2022.
The match will also be one of the last opportunities for fans to watch Naeher with the U.S. national team. On Monday, the 36-year-old goalkeeper announced her retirement from the USWNT. Though Naeher will continue to play in the NWSL with the rebranded Chicago Stars FC for at least one more season, Saturday’s friendly against England and Tuesday’s meeting with the Netherlands will mark the end of Naeher’s iconic run with the USWNT.
Alyssa Naeher on USWNT retirement: ‘It takes a lot out of you’
Naeher’s retirement marks the end of an era for the USWNT. Since making her senior national team debut in December 2014, Naeher has been an essential part of an incredible run. The Connecticut native is a two-time World Cup winner and played every minute of the USWNT’s run to a gold medal during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Naeher progressed to a starting role in the aftermath of the 2016 Olympics, which was Hope Solo’s final tournament before her dramatic falling-out with U.S. Soccer. In the eight years since, Naeher has amassed the kind of stats that will see her walk away as a USWNT legend: 113 caps, 88 wins, and 68 shutouts — totals that trail only Solo and Briana Scurry.
Per Naeher, that success was not easy, with the goalkeeper admitting to reporters on Wednesday that the high standards required with the USWNT can be draining, regardless of how proud players are to represent their country at the highest level.
‘I feel very fulfilled with what we’ve been able to do, and it takes a lot out of you, honestly,’ said Naeher. ‘I’ve given everything I’ve had to this team, and I don’t do anything halfway. … Coming off of the Olympics, having the year that we had, entering into a new cycle, a new stage for this team, it just felt like I’ve kind of given everything I have to give to this team, and it just felt like the right time.’
Naeher said that the fact that she will be 39 when the next World Cup rolls around in 2027 weighed on her mind, and that the team’s ‘three-four year cycles with World Cups and Olympics specifically’ were factors in her decision-making.
‘You get to the end of any year, any season, and you just reevaluate where you’re at, mentally, physically, emotionally,’ Naeher said. ‘I feel very, very proud of the career that I’ve had, and what we’ve been able to accomplish as a team in these last 10-to-15 years.’
Naeher said that she was ‘nervous’ to tell USWNT coach Emma Hayes of her decision, but said the manager was ‘very supportive…very thankful’ for what the longtime starter had done for the team.
‘It’s the right time, and I feel good about, and I feel at peace with it. It’s still the end of something, and change is scary,’ said Naeher. ‘I’m gonna miss being a part of these camps and this team, and I think to have that conversation made it very real.’