USWNT to play first Olympic send-off game at Red Bull Arena

They’ve sold out the north Jersey venue, which Philly soccer fans know well, six straight times dating back to 2015. Their July 13 game vs. Mexico is likely to continue the streak.

Crystal Dunn (right) and the U.S. women's soccer team faced Mexico at the Concacaf Gold Cup last month, and they'll meet again for a friendly in July.Read moreRonald Martinez / Getty Images

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published Mar. 22, 2024, 9:32 a.m. ET

The U.S. women’s soccer team will play the first of its two Olympic send-off games in Harrison, N.J., against Mexico on July 13.

It will be a return to a stadium that has long treated the Americans well. They’ve sold the 25,500-seat venue out six straight times dating back to 2015, including send-off games for the 2015 and ‘19 World Cups, and have lost just once there in eight all-time visits.

It will also notably be a 3:30 p.m. kickoff, so bring your sunscreen. But it will be pretty hot at the Olympics in France, too, with the U.S. set to play its group games in the southern cities of Nice and Marseille.

The U.S. program will gather for more than just a game. U.S. Soccer will host a star-studded reunion of the 1999 World Cup championship team for its 25th anniversary. And it will be the first U.S.-Mexico game after FIFA decides in May whether the U.S. and Mexico will co-host the 2027 women’s World Cup.

The other bidders are Brazil and a joint bid from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.

“This will be a fun and inspirational weekend,” U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, who played on that 1999 team, said in a statement. “The fans will get the chance to show their support for the team before they head to France while also celebrating our 1999 Women’s World Cup Team. This is a group of women who did so much for the sport, and the impact of that team and tournament is still being felt 25 years later, especially as we bid for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

There will be a second Olympic send-off game a few days later, with the opponent and location still to be announced.

The U.S. will kick off its Olympics run on June 25 against Morocco or Zambia (their playoff is set for April 5 and 9), then face longtime rivals Germany on July 28, and Australia on July 31.

Only if the U.S. gets out of its group will it play in Paris, the Olympics’ host city. The group winner will play its quarterfinal there, and the gold medal game will be there too.