Japan wins the 2025 SheBelieves Cup

By Alex Al-Kazzaz

The USWNT has finally lost the SheBelieves Cup. For the first time since 2019, the USWNT will finish the invitational competition as the runner-up. The 2025 SheBelieves Cup belongs to Japan. After Japan came up short in 2023, they've achieved redemption. For the USWNT, this is their first loss under Emma Hayes.

The USWNT has two upcoming exhibition games against Brazil. Both are taking place next month and they'll be played in California. While coming up short in this invitational is not a big deal, there's a cause for concern: how the USWNT played. They didn't play to the best of their abilities. A few things seemed off for the US team. The USWNT conceded within the first 90 seconds of the game.

What went wrong for the USWNT? Lack of focus? Inconsistency? Unmovitated? Overconfident? The biggest thing wrong with the team is that there are TOO MANY unanswered questions right now. But is this all just overreacting? Possibly. Maybe the team just lost because, in their game against Japan, the USWNT just wasn't the better team. This isn't the FIFA Women's World Cup or the Olympic Games! But still, this team has some work to do.

The FIFA Women's World Cup isn't until 2027. It's time to regroup and rethink.