US to face Colombia, Argentina and Canada in 11th SheBelieves Cup

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The U.S. women's team will host Canada, Argentina and Colombia in the annual SheBelieves Cup this March.

The round-robin tournament will be played as double-headers in three cities: Nashville, Tennessee; Columbus, Ohio; and Harrison, New Jersey. The U.S. finale at Sports Illustrated Stadium will include a ceremony for New Jersey native Tobin Heath, a two-time Women's World Cup winner who announced her retirement from soccer last year.

The United States is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, while Canada is No. 10, Colombia is No. 20 and Argentina is No. 30.

"These are three teams that will likely be in the World Cup in 2027 and of course we’ll likely see Canada in World Cup qualifying at the end of the year, so when focusing on our continued preparations and growth as a team, the SheBelieves Cup is of great value,” U.S. head coach Emma Hayes said in a statement announcing the tournament field Wednesday. “Each team brings different strengths and will challenge us to find success in all parts of the field, which is exactly what we need as we continue our process to build toward the big events on the horizon.”

Canada will play Colombia followed by the United States against Argentina on March 1 in Nashville at GEODIS Park. On March 4, Argentina plays Colombia and the United States plays Canada at Miracle-Gro Field in Columbus. The tournament wraps up in New Jersey on March 7 with Canada against Argentina and the United States playing Colombia.

The U.S. has won seven of the 11 SheBelieves Cup tournaments. Japan won last year's event.

“This competition is a fantastic opportunity to once again measure ourselves against high-quality opponents who are all likely to be at the 2027 World Cup," Canada coach Casey Stoney said. "The SheBelieves Cup has served as a great test for our group in previous years and we’re thrilled to be able to return for another chance to win the competition. Each team brings a different style which will pose a challenge and ultimately prepare us to become the team we need to be.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer