Predicting the USWNT 2027 Women’s World Cup Roster Less Than a Year Out

There’s a little more than 10 months to go before the 2027 Women’s World Cup gets underway in Brazil next summer on June 24.

Although the U.S. women’s national team has yet to qualify for the tournament, they are heavy favorites to beat El Salvador in their crucial single-elimination qualifying match this November. Win that, and the four-time World Cup winners will be in the tournament.

Ever since the USWNT won gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, manager Emma Hayes has been laser-focused on refining the roster for ’27, experimenting heavily in 2025 and narrowing the field in ’26.

Now, with less than a year to go, and after two years of analyzing Hayes’s selections, it is easier to see who is in her plans and who is on the outside looking in. Let’s take a look at who is a lock, likely and on the bubble for the 2027 Women’s World Cup roster.

Locks

Goalkeepers (2): Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign)

Defenders (4): Naomi Girma (Chelsea), Gisele Thompson (Angel City FC), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC)

Midfielders (5): Sam Coffey (Manchester City), Lindsey Heaps (Denver Summit), Claire Hutton (Bay FC), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Lily Yohannes (OL Lyonnes)

Forwards (4): Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Sophia Wilson (Portland Thorns), Catarina Macario (San Diego Wave)

These are the 15 players who are pretty much certain to go to next year’s World Cup with the USWNT. The only thing that could knock them off this list would be availability, which, in cases like Catarina Macario, isn’t out of the question. But if everyone on this list is fit and available, they are going to Brazil.

This group features the USWNT’s most experienced players, Lindsey Heaps (178 caps), Rose Lavelle (122 caps) and Tierna Davidson (70 caps). All three were on the U.S. squad that lifted the 2019 World Cup in France and have been to every tournament since.

Emily Fox (78 caps), Sophia Wilson (63 caps), Trinity Rodman (57 caps), Naomi Girma (54 caps), and Sam Coffey (46 caps) would all fall into the next group of vital experience and veterans who are consistent starters for Hayes. All five went to the 2023 World Cup and won Olympic gold in ’24.

Lily Yohannes (20 caps), Claire Hutton (20 caps), and Gisele Thompson (11 caps) are the youngest and least-experienced players in the “lock” group. But all three have risen through the ranks over the past 18 months, transforming from prospects to potential starters.

Likely

Goalkeepers (1): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash)

Defenders (4): Tara Rudd (Washington Spirit), Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Emily Sams (Angel City)

Midfielders (3): Croix Bethune (KC Current), Jaedyn Shaw (Gotham FC), Riley Jackson (NC Courage)

Forwards (3): Mallory Swanson (Chicago Stars), Pietra Tordin (Portland Thorns), Michelle Cooper (KC Current)

With 2027 Women’s World Cup rosters increasing to 26 players, that leaves 11 players in the “likely” category. These are the players who, if the World Cup were tomorrow, would likely be chosen to fill out the remaining roster spots.

With Hayes only really having locked in two goalkeepers, that third spot is very much up for grabs. Jane Campbell feels like the pick at the moment because of her experience and excellent form. The 31-year-old currently ranks second in the NWSL for goals prevented with 9.4.

Defensive depth is a major need on this roster right now, and the versatility of Avery Patterson and Emily Sams could give them an edge. Patterson can play left or right back, or even play as a winger, while Sams is a center back who is also very comfortable playing on the outside.

With no senior national team caps, Pietra Tordin may feel like an outsider pick. We have no idea if she is in Hayes’s plans right now, but the 22-year-old Portland Thorns forward is in stunning form in the NWSL, leading the league in goal contributions with 16 (seven goals, nine assists). In terms of recent performance, Tordin feels like a good bet to break in.

A CHIP. A HAT TRICK. A GOALKEEPER ASSIST. THIS GOAL HAS EVERYTHING.

Pietra Tordin completes the first-half hat trick ‼️ pic.twitter.com/2sRZHMQn6B
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 9, 2026

On the bubble

Goalkeepers (2): Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals), Jordan Silkowitz (Bay FC)

Defenders (4): Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Izzy Rodriguez (KC Current), Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign), Kate Wiesner (Washington Spirit)

Midfielders (3): Sam Meza (Seattle Reign), Kennedy Fuller (Bay FC), Ashley Sanchez (NC Courage)

Forwards (6): Ally Sentnor (Angel City), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Jameese Joseph (Chicago Stars), Reilyn Turner (Portland Thorns), Maddie Dahlien (Seattle Reign), Yazmeen Ryan (Denver Summit)

This group is not currently on the plane to Brazil, but will be pushing to make their way onto the roster next June. The big names on here, who have been part of recent USWNT squads but could be falling out of favor, are Ally Sentnor, Mandy McGlynn and Lilly Reale.

Sentnor had been a favorite of Hayes since 2025, but her form and confidence have cratered in 2026. She was given 12 minutes total in two substitute appearances for the U.S. in its most recent friendlies against Brazil. She has scored just once in her past 18 NWSL matches.

A year or so ago, McGlynn was battling for the No. 1 goalkeeper spot behind Tullis-Joyce. However, the emergence of Claudia Dickey, combined with an injury at the start of the year, has reset expectations for McGlynn’s place on the USWNT squad. The 27-year-old is not out of the picture, but her stock is down from where it once was.

Reale has a very good chance of breaking into the World Cup roster, but a midseason move from Gotham FC to Boston Legacy has slightly reset her current form. The 23-year-old has gone from a top-of-the-NWSL team to a lower mid-table outfit. Legacy manager Filipa Patão also has her team playing with wing backs, which is a new tactical wrinkle for Reale. That being said, Reale likes to get forward and could slot in as an emergency center back. Her talent beats out current form, and her hopes aren’t dashed.

Injury doubts

Defenders (3): Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Trinity Armstrong (San Diego Wave), Alana Cook (KC Current)

Midfielders (1): Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns)

Finally, this is the group of players who are currently out of action due to serious long-term injuries. Trinity Armstrong, Alana Cook and Olivia Moultrie all sustained ACL tears (Cook in 2025; the other two in ’26).

Emily Sonnett, who would have been a lock as well as a key senior figure in Hayes’s team, ruptured her patellar tendon in July 2026. That type of injury means six months to a year on the sidelines and no guarantees of being physically ready for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

It’s impossible to rule out any of these players just yet, but whether they can make their way back within the next 10 months remains unknown.

Add us as a preferred source on Google