The United States lost to Brazil on penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time in the last 16 of the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, extending a run of knockout defeats for American youth teams and intensifying debate over the tournament’s September scheduling. Brazil goalkeeper Thaís Lima saved Emeri Adames’s penalty to begin the shootout, and Brazil converted the decisive kick for a 5-4 finish in Katowice that sends them into the quarter-finals.
The match itself was scrappy. Brazil took the lead when defender Sofia headed in from a corner in the 59th minute, and Ainsley McCammon levelled for the US from the run of play late in the 63rd minute. Neither side found a winner through the rest of regulation and extra time, leaving the tie to penalties and Lima’s crucial stop.
For the United States, the exit is the latest sign of underperformance at youth World Cups. Since last October three different US youth sides have failed to win a knockout match at their tournaments, with the U-17 boys and U-17 girls both eliminated in last-16 shootouts, and the U-20 men knocked out in the quarter-finals in October 2025. The US senior teams remain successful, holding 2024 Olympic gold and two of the last three senior World Cup titles, but that record has not carried through the younger age groups.
In Poland the American group stage record was inconsistent: a defeat to Italy in the opener, a 2-2 draw with Japan, and a 9-0 victory over New Zealand that was sufficient to advance as one of the top third-place teams. Brazil, by contrast, topped their group, outscoring Tanzania, Canada and England by a combined 9-2, and now reach their third consecutive U-20 quarter-final and seventh in 12 tournaments overall.
The timing of this edition of the U-20 World Cup has become part of the conversation. Held in September and outside a FIFA international window, several club teams opted not to release players. A group of current and former players, including Alex Morgan, Marta, Crystal Dunn and Sophia Wilson, signed an open letter urging FIFA to rethink U-20 scheduling. Manager and coach Emma Hayes told ESPN she was ‘‘massively worried about the direction for and the lack of all of those experiences for American players.’’
Notable age-eligible Americans were unavailable for selection, among them Lily Yohannes of OL Lyon, Bay midfielder Claire Hutton, centre-back Jordyn Bugg and playmaker Melanie Barcenas. Brazil’s win keeps them on course in the tournament that concludes with the final on 27 September.
