FORTALEZA, BRAZIL – JUNE 09: Emma Hayes head coach of United States looks on during the international friendly match between Brazil and United States at Arena Castelão on June 09, 2026 in Fortaleza, Brazil. (Photo by Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images)
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The sky is the limit for Emma Hayes.
The U.S. Women’s National Team head coach refuses to limit herself and the team to anything less than excellence.
This is a big reason why the Americans are playing the top soccer team in the world for Concacaf qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in November.
They will play defending world champion Spain, the No. 1 team in the FIFA world ranking, twice in October. The U.S., which captured the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, is No. 2.
“We’re not choosing easy,” Hayes said during a Zoom press conference call on Tuesday afternoon. “That’s the first thing. I’ve said it many times. We want the hard pass. We want these games, this preparation. We welcome it. It brings the best out of us, and I know our group well enough to know that they are looking forward to the Spain games to test ourselves against the very best.”
Regardless of the outcome, playing the best should further toughen up the U.S. team.
The USWNT plays Spain at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 10, and at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. on Oct. 13.
“Qualifying for the World Cup is essential for us,” Hayes said. “It’s our number one priority, and we’ve been working hard over these weeks, months in the last couple of years to get closer to that. As much as you call it a pressure, most of us that are in this position don’t view it like that.”
A year after the World Cup is the Los Angeles Summer Olympics, of which the U.S. has qualified as hosts. So, Hayes wants to get it right. Heck, she even mentioned the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The USA has placed a multiple bid with Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica. FIFA is expected to announce the hosts on Nov. 23.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 11: Emma Hayes, head coach of the USWNT, attends a panel at the U.S. Soccer House on June 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luiza Moraes/USSF/Getty Images)
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Concacaf qualifying is set for Texas Nov. 27-Dec. 5
Concacaf qualifying is scheduled for Mansfield and Houston, Texas, from Nov. 27-Dec. 5. Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, and Panama are vying to qualify.
The U.S. will meet El Salvador in the quarterfinals in Mansfield on Nov. 27. The four winners will advance to the semifinals and qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The Americans have never failed to qualify for a Women’s World Cup, and Hayes certainly doesn’t want to be the first USWNT coach to fail in that department
Hayes wants the team to peak come late November.
“We want this; this is what makes us feel alive and want to be in a position where we’re tested, whatever extreme that is,” she said about the Spain matches. “I know our squad. They will be chomping at the bit coming into camp. I know how much they love being here. I know how much it means for them to work hard for the crest, and it’s time to ramp it up a level. We’re getting to the business end of what we need to do and the demands and the expectations.
“Look, they’re no different from me. I expect a lot, but I am expecting that whoever is with us, this camp, that they continue to show the levels that are required.”
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 10: Mallory Swanson #9 of Team United States celebrates scoring her team’s first goal during the Women’s Gold Medal match between Brazil and United States of America during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Parc des Princes on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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Mallory Swanson is back with the squad
Hayes called in several veteran players on the 26-player roster, including two 2024 Olympic champions who missed the team’s trip to Brazil in June. They are defender Naomi Girma, midfielder Sam Coffey, and forward Mallory Swanson. Swanson was on the roster for the June games but did not see action. Swanson last played for the team in the 2024 Olympic gold medal match. She is returning to full fitness after the birth of her daughter late last year.
“Mallory Swanson can play anywhere across the front line and a 10,” Hayes said. “We all know she hasn’t had a lot of minutes. When you come back from having a baby, and you participate at an elite level, it takes a while for your body to adapt. Nobody is denying that Mal is still recovering from that, but she needs support to do that, too. It’s important for a very important player in this team to be within this environment … around her teammates, and develop the things we are looking for and keep building her towards the best version of herself. My job is to get Mallory Swanson to the best available level by the time we reach the biggest games.”
Spain’s midfielder #11 Alexia Putellas celebrates scoring her team’s third goal during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Europe Zone Qualifiers, group C, football match between Spain and England at Mallorca Son Moix Stadium in Palma de Mallorca, on June 5, 2026. (Photo by JAIME REINA / AFP via Getty Images)
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USA, Spain will be a battle of different styles
The two October games will pit two different styles.
Like their world championship men’s side, Spain’s women prefer a slow build-up, using their technical ability and skills to thwart opposing defenses. The Americans can do that, but they like to move the ball quickly and counterattack when they can.
“We’re not Spain, and we’re not trying to be Spain,” Hayes said. “They are an exceptional team. They’re deserving world champions and they have their own identity, their own methodology, as do we. I think the importance for us is building off both the Japan camp and the Brazil camp.
“It’s working on ourselves. It’s about imposing our game in our house against the team, which, of course, we respect. We know they have all the qualities to beat any team. But I’m very confident in our abilities, and I think this has come at the right time for us to test ourselves against what I would consider the best team in the world. So, we’re really looking forward to it.”
KATOWICE, POLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Brendha of Brazil runs with the ball under pressure from Kennedy Fuller of the USA during the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Round of 16 match between Brazil and United States at Arena Katowice on September 16, 2026 in Katowice, Poland. (Photo by Mateusz Slodkowski – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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Some tough times for USA at U-20 Women’s World Cup
While the USWNT has enjoyed success since Hayes took over in 2024, it’s not all roses for the U.S. women’s program. The country’s Under-20 team was eliminated by Brazil in a shootout in the Round of 16 in the recent FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
“I don’t think we’ve got long enough to talk about this,” Hayes said. “I mean that.”
But Hayes took some time to talk about it.
“We didn’t have seven of our best players there,” she said. “So you could argue that the success of Under-20 could be the number of players you got playing at pro level. Do we have more than, say, Spain or England or Germany? I actually don’t know the answer to that question, but I’m definitely exploring it. But when you go to a World Cup, and you’ve got eight players, let’s say seven or eight players that play at the pro level, only three are starting. Those three, how many of them are starting on a regular basis?
“So then when you talk about things like tournament durability, you’ve got to play a game every three or four days.”
That can catch up with a team quickly.
Spain defeated defending champion North Korea in the final in a shootout after playing to a scoreless draw.
“I think if you’d have asked me before the tournament began what the final would be, I would have told you, Spain vs. North Korea,” Hayes said. “What’s the difference? North Korea trains like a club team. That’s why their combinations, their connections, their cohesion [are] what it is. They play and train together all of the time. Spain, from the age of eight, in the way they are developed to be great individual specialists, technically, tactically, to then solve problems with game intelligence being of the highest order. Not physicality; game intelligence, tactics, technique, then physics. I think Spain, for the amount they’ve won is of no surprise to me.
“They stand alone from the rest of the world with the way they develop young players.”
The United States hasn’t done a shabby job either. There are, however, always great expectations of a team that has won four FIFA Women’s World Cups and five Olympic gold medals.
No one has to remind Emma Hayes about what is on the line, now and down the line.
Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X an Bluesky at @Soccerwriter. His 10th soccer book, Around the World Cup in 40 Years: An American sportswriter’s perspective, has been published.
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