Coming off a pair of 1-0 overtime victories against Japan and Germany, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is set to compete for its fifth Olympic gold medal and first since 2012, taking on familiar foe Brazil in the Gold Medal match of the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Olympic Women’s Soccer Tournament Final, the third to feature the USA and Brazil, will be played at the famed Parc des Princes in Paris, with kickoff at 5 p.m. local / 11 a.m. ET on USA Network, Telemundo and Peacock.
Get set for the Gold Medal match at Paris 2024 with Five Things to Know about USA vs. Brazil.
BRAZIL TOPPLES SPAIN FOR SPOT IN FINAL
Brazil clinched its spot in the Olympic final in captivating fashion, downing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup winner Spain 4-2 on Tuesday night in Marseille to continue its spectacular run through the tournament.
Drawn into Group C along with Spain, Japan and Nigeria, Brazil opened Paris 2024 with a 1-0 victory against Nigeria but then lost back-to-back games to Japan – losing 2-1 after conceding two goals in second-half stoppage time - and Spain – a 2-0 defeat on the final day of group play – to finish third in the group. With the top two third-place teams advancing to the quarterfinals, Brazil advanced to the knockout rounds by the slimmest of margins, edging Australia on goal differential by just one goal for the second third-place bid.
Facing France in the quarterfinal, Brazil knocked off the hosts in dramatic fashion in Nantes as Gabi Portilho scored the game-winner in the 82nd minute against the run of play.
Brazil carried that momentum into its semifinal showdown against Spain, taking the lead just six minutes into the match after an own goal by Spain and doubling its advantage in the 45+4th minute as Portilho netted her second of the tournament. With Spain chasing the game, Brazil grew its lead to 3-0 in the 71st minute on the counterattack. Forward Adriana put her initial attempt off the crossbar but the ball remained in play and Portilho nodded it back across the face of goal and Adriana finished the second opportunity from close range. Spain pulled one back in the 85th minute courtesy of a Brazil own goal, but Brazil responded with a goal in the 90+1st from North Carolina Courage star Kerolin. Spain’s Salma Paralluelo scored in the 12th minute of stoppage time but it was too little too late for Spain, as Brazil knocked off the world No. 1 to advance to its third-ever Olympic Gold Medal match.
LAST ONE FOR A LEGEND
Brazil won both knockout round matches without superstar forward Marta, who was dealt a two-game suspension after receiving a red card in the group stage finale against Spain. Sidelined for both the quarterfinal and semifinal, the 38-year-old legend is available for the Gold Medal match in what is expected to be her final match on the world stage.
Marta, who debuted for Brazil in 2002, announced earlier this spring that she would retire from international soccer at the end of 2024. The six-time FIFA World Player of the Year is competing in her sixth Olympics and her 11th world championship overall, also competing in five FIFA Women’s World Cups. The Golden Ball winner at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Marta helped Brazil to back-to-back silver medals in 2004 and 2008 and started all three games for Brazil during the group stage at Paris 2024.
INSIDE THE ROSTER: BRAZIL
With 201 caps and 126 international goals, Marta is far and away Brazil’s most-experienced player as well as one of the top goal scorers all-time in the history of women’s international soccer. Defender Tamires is the next most-experienced player on this Brazilian roster with 153 caps, followed by fellow defender Rafaelle (100 caps).
Rafaelle and Marta both play for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League, along with 27-year-old forward Adrianna and alternate midfielder Angelina. Playing alongside U.S. alternate Emily Sams, Marta has five goals in 13 appearances for the league-leading Pride who are unbeaten through 16 games this season.
The 2023 NWSL MVP, Kerolin plays for the North Carolina Courage alongside U.S. goalkeeper Casey Murphy, though she has yet to appear for the club this season as she has been working her way back from an ACL injury. Defender Tarcine also competes in the NWSL for the Houston Dash while forward Ludmila recently signed for the Chicago Red Stars.
Ten of the remaining 22 players on Brazil’s Olympic roster play domestically in Brazil, headlined by six players from long-time league power SC Corinthians, while the remaining five players ply their trade in Spain.
BRAZIL OLYMPIC WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB)
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1 - Lorena (Grêmio FBPA), 12 - Taina (América Mineiro)
DEFENDERS (6): 2 - Antonia (Levante UD, ESP), 3 - Tarciane (Houston Dash, USA), 4 - Rafaelle (Orlando Pride, USA), 6 - Tamires (SC Corinthians), 13 - Yasmim (SC Corinthians), 15 - Thaís (UDG Tenerife, ESP)
MIDFIELDERS (3): 5 - Duda Sampaio (SC Corinthians), 8 - Vitoria Yaya (SC Corinthians), 17 - Ana Vitoria (CA Atlético Madrid Femenino, ESP)
FORWARD (7): 7 - Kerolin (NC Courage, USA), 9 - Adriana (Orlando Pride, USA), 10 - Marta (Orlando Pride, USA), 11 - Jhennifer (SC Corinthians), 14 - Ludmila (Chicago Red Stars, USA), 16 - Gabi Nunes (Levante UD, ESP), 18 - Gabi Portilho (SC Corinthians)
ALTERNATES (4): 19 - Priscila (SC Internacional), 20 - Angelina (Orlando Pride, USA), 21 - Lauren (Madrid CFF, ESP), 22 - Luciana (Ferroviária)
WE MEET AGAIN ON THE WORLD STAGE
Saturday’s match at Parc des Princes will be the third meeting all-time between the USA and Brazil in the Olympic Gold Medal match.
The teams first met in the 2004 Olympic final, where the USWNT took the lead in the 39th minute behind a goal from 20-year-old Lindsay Tarpley, only for the Brazilians to equalize in the 73rd minute on a tally from Pretinha to send the match into extra time. In overtime, 24-year-old Abby Wambach scored a header off a corner kick in the 112th minute to lift the USA to its second gold medal and first since 1996.
Four years later, the teams squared off again in the Olympic final in Beijing and once again, the Americans proved victorious in extra time, this time prevailing 1-0 on a goal from Carli Lloyd in the 96th minute.
The three final meetings between the USA and Brazil is the most in Olympic Women’s Soccer history and will tie USA vs. Japan for the most-played major tournament final in international women’s soccer history, with the USA and Japan meeting in two World Cup finals (2011, 2015) and one Olympic final (2012).
This will be the seventh meeting all-time between the USA and Brazil in the knockout rounds of a major tournament, again tying USA-Japan as the most-played match-up in the history of women’s international soccer. The USA has won four of the six previous meetings between the teams in the knockout rounds at the World Cup.
INSIDE THE SERIES: USA vs. BRAZIL
The final in Paris will be the 41st meeting all-time between the USA and Brazil and the second match-up between the teams this year.
The U.S. and Brazil faced off in the final of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup on March 10 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif. The USA won 1-0 on a header from Lindsey Horan in the dying moments of the first half to clinch the victory and claim its 15th all-time title at a Concacaf championship tournament. Fourteen of the 16 players who saw action in that match for the USA are on this Olympic roster, including defender Emily Fox, who assisted Horan’s game-winner.
Prior to the Concacaf W Gold Cup Final, the teams’ last meeting in a competitive match came in their epic quarterfinal clash at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In one of the most memorable and dramatic matches in USWNT history, the Americas prevailed 5-3 on penalty kicks after Abby Wambach’s header in the 122nd minute leveled the game at 2-2.
Overall, the USA leads the series with Brazil 32W-5D-3L and has won each of the last seven games, though nine of the last 10 games between the teams have been decided by two goals or fewer.
