The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup begins in Morocco on Oct. 17 as the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team looks to return to the podium for the second time in this tournament.
As head coach Ciara Crinion’s side prepares to open group stage play on Monday, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s competition:
When and where is the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will take place in Morocco from Oct. 17-Nov. 7. The group stage begins on Oct. 17 and runs through Oct. 25. From there, the knockout rounds begin with the Round of 16 on Oct. 28 and 29. The Quarterfinals will be on Nov. 1 ahead of the Semifinals on Nov. 4. The Third-Place Match will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. ET ahead of the Final on the same day at 1:30 p.m. ET.
The entirety of the tournament will be hosted in and around the Moroccan capital of Rabat.
Who does the U.S. play in the group stage?
The tournament consists of six groups of four teams each and the U-17 WNT was drawn into Group E with Samoa, Kenya and China PR.
| Date |
Match |
Kickoff (ET) |
Venue; City |
Broadcast |
| Oct. 19 |
USA vs. Samoa |
1 p.m. |
Mohammed VI Football Complex; Salé, Morocco |
FS2, Universo, Peacock |
| Oct. 22 |
USA vs. Kenya |
1 p.m. |
Mohammed VI Football Complex; Salé, Morocco |
FS2, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes |
| Oct. 25 |
USA vs. China PR |
1 p.m. |
Mohammed VI Football Complex; Salé, Morocco |
FS2, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes |
The USA has never faced Samoa or Kenya in the U-17 Women’s World Cup. Samoa earned its first U-17 Women’s World Cup qualification in 2025 but did not make it out of the group stage. Samoa earned its berth this year by finishing second at the 2025 OFC U-16 Women's Championship, which was played in Samoa. Kenya, which earned a berth in July by defeating South Africa in the final round of African qualifying, is making its second tournament appearance after finishing in the group stage in 2024.
China PR will be playing in its fifth FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after appearing in 2012, 2014, 2022 and 2025. In 2025, they made the Round of 16 for the first time. China PR qualified for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup by securing a top four finish in the 2026 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup. The U.S. faced China PR for the first time at the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, winning 5-2 in Salé, Morocco as Nyanya Touray and Lauren Malsom scored braces.
How do teams advance to the knockout rounds?
The top two finishers in each group and the four best third-place finishers will advance to the Round of 16. This is just the second time the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will feature Round of 16 matches after expanding from 16 to 24 teams in 2025.
What is the USA’s history at this tournament?
The USA qualified for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2008 (a tournament in which it made the World Cup Final), 2012, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024 (a tournament in which it finished third) and 2025. The team missed the 2010 and 2014 editions of the tournament after falling in penalty kicks in the semifinals of both years’ Concacaf qualifying tournaments. The USA holds a 15W-8L-6D record at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Quite a few players who appeared for the USA in a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup have gone on to play for the full U.S. Women’s National Team, most notably Samantha Mewis, Kristie Mewis, Morgan Gautrat, Crystal Dunn (all of whom helped the USA reach the final in the inaugural tournament in 2008), Andi Sullivan, Midge Purce, Jane Campbell, Ashley Sanchez, Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma, Jaelin Howell, Trinity Rodman, Gisele Thompson, Jordyn Bugg and Riley Jackson.
View this year’s roster here.
How can fans follow along during the tournament?
All the USA’s group stage matches will be broadcast live on FS2 in English and will be streamed live on Peacock in Spanish. The USA-Samoa match will also be available in Spanish on Universo, while the second and third matches will be on Telemundo Deportes.
Fans can also follow the U-17 WNT throughout the tournament on USSoccer.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.
