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Recognized as one of the most prestigious international women’s soccer tournaments in the world, the SheBelieves Cup returns in 2026 with matches played in Nashville, Columbus, and New Jersey.

The U.S. women will attempt to return to the top of the competition that has been hosted in the country since 2016.

Three top nations from around the world will join the United States as they begin to gear up for qualification to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in a little over a year’s time.

The Sporting News brings you an overview of what the tournament will look like, why it sports such a unique name, and more about the participants for the 2026 edition.

MORE: USWNT roster for the 2026 SheBelieves Cup

What is the SheBelieves Cup?

The SheBelieves Cup is a women’s international soccer tournament hosted by the United States, born in 2016 to compete with other prestigious winter international tournaments such as the Algarve Cup and the Tournoi de France.

Every year the four-team tournament has featured a different lineup of women’s national teams from around the world.

The success of the SheBelieves Cup has spawned more tournaments hosted by other countries, including the Tournoi in 2020, and the Arnold Clark Cup in England starting in 2022.

Why is it called the SheBelieves Cup?

The name of the tournament was intended to build on the momentum from the USWNT’s 2015 Women’s World Cup run, in which the United States won its third World Cup title. The victory was met by a strong response from the USWNT fanbase, and the tournament seeks to inspire the next generation of young women in the sport of soccer.

From the SheBelieves Cup official website:

“Inspired by the U.S. Women’s National Team, SheBelieves is a movement to encourage young women and girls to reach their dreams, athletic or otherwise. The campaign was originally launched in the run-up to the 2015 Women’s World Cup and has evolved into a special bond between U.S. Soccer and its fans, taking a powerful message of empowerment and that of believing in yourself into communities across the nation. 

“As one of the most popular women’s teams in the United States, the WNT is the prime example that dreams are attainable if you set your mind to it and go after what you want. Through dedication, teamwork, perseverance and success, the U.S. Women’s National team inspires new generations of young girls and women to be better and strive for better. They inspire them to believe.”

Which teams are playing in the 2026 SheBelieves Cup?

For the 2026 competition, the United States will once again play host to the SheBelieves Cup. The other competitors are Argentina, Canada, and Colombia.

The participants are all from North America and South America. Previously, more European nations took part, but the rise of Europe-based tournaments in the same international window has seen no teams from that continent play in the SheBelieves Cup since 2022.

SheBelieves Cup format, how it works

The SheBelieves Cup is a four-team round-robin format, with all four participants contesting three matches.

The teams are then sorted into a table and the winner is the team with the most points, with three points for a win and one point for a draw.

The tiebreakers are goal differential, then goals scored, then head-to-head results, and finally fair play rankings.

This has been the SheBelieves Cup format for the entirety of its existence, except for one year in 2024, when the tournament was contested as a four-team mini bracket due to the scheduling of the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup later that year to cut down on matches played.

SheBelieves Cup all-time winners

The U.S. has won every single edition of the SheBelieves Cup except three. They fell short in 2017, 2019, and most recently in 2025.