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By: NWSL Editor
Sixty-One NWSL Players Called Up for 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

NWSL Players to Feature on All-Time Record of 16 National Team Rosters

NEW YORK (July 11, 2023) –

Sixty-one NWSL stars will represent their respective countries on global soccer’s grandest stage when they take the field for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup next week in Australia and New Zealand. Of the 32 teams slated to participate in the event, a record 16 teams are set to feature talent from the NWSL player pool, including countries from all six confederations.

NEW YORK (July 11, 2023) –

Sixty-one NWSL stars will represent their respective countries on global soccer’s grandest stage when they take the field for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup next week in Australia and New Zealand. Of the 32 teams slated to participate in the event, a record 16 teams are set to feature talent from the NWSL player pool, including countries from all six confederations. "On behalf of the National Women’s Soccer League, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the remarkable athletes who have been selected to represent their respective national teams on the world stage this summer,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. “The sheer number of NWSL players featured on these rosters is a testament to the exceptional talent that thrives within our league. This is a proud moment for the NWSL as we witness the impact our players are making at the international level, and I wish every one of them luck as they embark on their journeys.” Each NWSL club boasts at least two players on World Cup rosters. Some notable facts: * OL Reign leads the way in NWSL representation with eight players on active rosters, including five U.S. Women’s National Team mainstays in veteran forward Megan Rapinoe, midfielders Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett and defenders Alana Cook and Sofia Huerta, the latter two earning their first callups for World Cup duty. Canadian stars Jordyn Huitema and Quinn, who were both a part of Canada’s Olympic gold medal-winning squad in 2021, will join the team once again in search of Canada’s first World Cup title. OL Reign midfielder Angelina, who was originally selected as an alternate for Brazil’s World Cup squad, was elevated to the active roster on July 18th following a teammate injury. 

  • Racing Louisville FC has sent players to a record six different national teams participating in this year’s event, including Australian midfielder Alex Chidiac, Brazilian forward Ary Borges, Chinese midfielder Wang Shuang, Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu, South African forward Thembi Kgatlana and U.S. midfielder Savannah DeMelo. The mark breaks the previous NWSL record of five countries set by Portland in 2015 and again by OL Reign in 2019. 

  • As the NWSL to World Cup pipeline continues to boom, six players from the North Carolina Courage and Washington Spirit were named to their first-ever World Cup rosters, a high across all NWSL clubs.  Among them is Courage captain and Irish international Denise O’Sullivan, who will lead the Girls in Green from the midfield in the team’s World Cup debut. Spirit forwards Marissa Sheva and Riley Tanner will also appear for Ireland and Panama, respectively, in their country’s inaugural tournaments. 

  • As many as 29 NWSL players could make their World Cup debuts this year, including the league’s reigning MVP and current NWSL Golden Boot leader Sophia Smith and the Danish trio of Stine Ballisager Pederson, Mille Gejl and Rikke Madsen. Thirty of the 60 NWSL players named to 2023 rosters are returners from the 2019 event, including eight champions.

  • Twenty-two of the 23 players named to the defending World Cup champion U.S. Women’s National Team play their club soccer in the NWSL, including the 2023 NWSL Draft’s No. 1 pick in Angel City FC forward Alyssa Thompson, 2022 NWSL Golden Boot winner and San Diego Wave FC striker Alex Morgan and veteran Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. 

  • Orlando Pride forward Marta and Portland Thorns FC captain Christine Sinclair are set to appear in their sixth consecutive World Cups, a streak dating back to 2003. The pair are the only two players in the history of the World Cup to have played in six tournaments.

  • Four of the top five active scorers in Women’s World Cup history hail from the NWSL, including Marta – whose 17 World Cup goals are a tournament record among both the men’s and women’s competition – followed by Sinclair (10), Rapinoe (9) and Morgan (9).  

  • NWSL players – all of whom will return for the 2023 event – made up half of the 2019 World Cup’s All-Star squad, including a quartet of U.S. players in Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe and Swedish forward Sofia Jakobsson.

  • Three NWSL players scored the first-ever World Cup goal for their respective national teams, including Kgatlana for South Africa (2019), Thorns midfielder Rocky Rodriguez for Costa Rica (2015) and Houston Dash midfielder Havana Solaun for Jamaica (2019).  

  • A trio of NWSL veterans were named captains of their respective squads, including U.S. co-captain Alex Morgan, Canada captain Christine Sinclair and New Zealand captain Ali Riley. As part of its ongoing effort to build the NWSL awareness of the brand and to amplify the league’s representation in the tournament, the NWSL will continue its second phase of its “We Play Here” Marketing campaign throughout the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The campaign, which launches on July 13, features a series of hero brand spots, player/social content, match coverage, watch parties, exclusive merchandise, event activations, paid media, email and more. A full list of NWSL players competing in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup can be found below. 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Rosters Bold denotes World Cup debut