Americans have not won tournament since 2012
US youth teams have struggled in recent showings
Timing of U-20 World Cup has drawn criticism
The United States were eliminated from the U-20 Women’s World Cup in the last 16, falling to Brazil on penalties on Wednesday after playing to a 1-1 draw after extra-time. Brazil goalkeeper Thaís Lima made a crucial save on Emeri Adames’s attempt to begin the shootout, opening the eventual 5-4 finish in Katowice, Poland.
The result extends a difficult run of form for US youth national teams across the men’s and women’s programs. This is the third time since last October that a US youth team has failed to win a knockout game at a World Cup: the U-17 boys and the U-17 girls both exited in the last 16 of their respective tournaments in shootouts. The U-20 men fell in the quarter-final of their World Cup in October 2025.