Emma Hayes, coach of the United States women’s national soccer team, is preparing her squad for next summer’s World Cup with a strategic focus on facing the highest level of competition. Taking the reins two years ago with less than two months before the Paris Olympics, Hayes emphasized motivational storytelling to quickly ready her team, leading the U.S. to a narrow but successful series of victories en route to the gold medal.

With a longer preparation window this time, Hayes has shifted her approach toward rigorous, hands-on training and scheduling matches against some of the top-ranked teams worldwide. In a recent stretch of seven consecutive games against teams ranked among the top seven globally, the U.S. recorded three wins, highlighting the growing parity in women’s international soccer rather than disappointment.

Hayes explained the rationale behind this challenging schedule as essential experience-building. “The last thing you want is to go into a World Cup and see these teams for the first time,” she said following a 2-0 defeat by Spain, the reigning world champions. Prior to facing Spain twice—resulting in a loss and a draw—the U.S. split a pair of matches against seventh-ranked Brazil on their home turf and won two out of three against fifth-ranked Japan. These matches, particularly those in Brazil amid hostile crowds, were designed to expose the players to the intense environments they will encounter in the upcoming tournament.

This strategy builds on earlier efforts initiated under former coach Jill Ellis, who helped establish the SheBelieves Cup, a tournament aimed at attracting elite international competition. Hayes has intensified this methodology, playing nearly all recent games against top-tier opponents, with only four of the past 20 matches against teams ranked outside the top 25.

Historically dominant, the U.S. women’s team lost just once in 72 matches from 2017 to 2021 and maintained the world No. 1 ranking for much of that period. However, a surge in investment and development in women’s soccer by other nations has narrowed the competitive gap. England, Spain, France, and China, in particular, have made significant financial and cultural commitments, strengthening both club and national teams. Spain currently holds the top FIFA ranking and England has secured the last two European Championships.

As a result, the U.S. team, a four-time World Cup champion, enters the tournament in Brazil next June without clear favoritism. Hayes has acknowledged this shift in the global landscape and stressed the need for adaptation. “We talk about the rest of the world chasing us, right? I don’t know why we say that. Because I think it’s us chasing the rest of the world,” she said recently. “We’re not world champions. Spain are. We’re the chasers. We can’t just do what we’ve always done.”

This acknowledgment of increased competition marks a significant evolution in the U.S. team’s preparation philosophy, underscoring that prior successes will not guarantee future victories. The World Cup in Brazil will test whether Hayes’s demanding schedule and focus on facing elite opponents have sufficiently prepared the Americans to reclaim the top spot on the global stage.