Some of the best players to ever play soccer are coming to Audi Field—no, this is not about Wayne Rooney becoming DC United’s head coach, or Audi Field hosting the 2023 MLS All-Star Game.
The US Women’s National Team (USWNT)—winners of the last two FIFA Women’s World Cups and the most successful team to ever play women’s international soccer—is coming to play in the nation’s capital.
Tickets went on sale last Friday to see the USWNT host Nigeria on Tuesday, September 6, at Audi Field at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the official US Soccer website through Ticketmaster. With fees included, tickets start at $36.70 for a corner seat and go up to $337.50 to sit at midfield. The average ticket price is about $44 to sit in the “end zone” behind either goal.
The international friendly, as it’s called, is part of a slate of games that includes the first match-up against Nigeria on September 3 in Kansas City, Japan on September 23, and Saudi Arabia on September 27. The matches are in preparation for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand where the USWNT will go for their third straight title and fifth title overall.
This is the first time the USWNT will be playing at Audi Field, which opened in 2018, and the first time playing in the District since March 2017 when they lost to France 3-0 in the SheBelieves Cup at RFK Stadium. Overall, it’ll be the USWNT’s eleventh time playing in Washington.
The USWNT roster features six members of the Washington Spirit, including keeper Aubrey Kingsbury, forward Trinity Rodman, defenders Kelley O’Hara and Emily Sonnett, and midfielders Ashley Sanchez and Andi Sullivan. USWNT defender Emily Fox from Ashburn and forward Margaret Purce from Silver Spring will also be making their return to the DMV.
Rose Lavelle, formerly of the Washington Spirit, Olympic and World Cup hero Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan, who is fifth all-time in USWNT scoring, headline the USWNT roster.
The USWNT is coming off its most recent CONCACAF Women’s championship (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) last month, and their ninth CONCACAF championship overall. Alex Morgan was awarded the Golden Ball, or best player in the tournament. The win earned USWNT a berth in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Nigeria has been the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) champion 11 times and although they failed to medal in WAFCON 2022, they have appeared in every women’s World Cup since its inception in 1991 and have competed in three summer Olympics since 2000. They are regarded as the most successful women’s team on the African continent.
Fans who can’t attend the match on September 6 at Audi Field can still catch the USWNT in action on ESPN2.
