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Toyota Stadium to Host 2022 SheBelieves Cup Final Doubleheader Featuring United States vs. Iceland, New Zealand vs. Czech Republic

January 5, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


FRISCO, TX - Toyota Stadium in Frisco will host the U.S. Women's National Team along with the Czech Republic, Iceland and New Zealand in the final doubleheader of the seventh annual SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, on Wednesday, February 23, 2022.

The USWNT welcomes two of Europe's top up-and-coming sides to the 2022 SheBelieves Cup along with the Football Ferns, the co-host of FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. Due to its automatic berth to the World Cup, New Zealand will be putting extra value on its international matches to prepare for the largest women's sporting event in the world that runs from July 20-August 6, 2023, across four cities in New Zealand and five in Australia. The tournament will feature 32 countries for the first time.

"These will be the first matches of what will be a really important year, and as focus on World Cup qualifying, the SheBelieves Cup will be extremely valuable for the continued development of the team," said USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski. "As a coaching staff, when we are integrating newer players, we need as many games as possible, and all three of our opponents are very hard to play against. They will all be highly motivated to have the chance to play in this great tournament, so we're not only looking forward to competitive matches, but also playing in front of fans, as there was only limited attendance at last year's tournament in Florida."

The SheBelieves Cup is part of U.S. Soccer's SheBelieves initiative to inspire and empower women and girls to achieve their goals in sports and beyond. The six-game tournament was first played in 2016. The USWNT won the inaugural edition and France took top honors in 2017. The USWNT won again in 2018, England finished first in 2019, but the USWNT returned to the top of the podium in 2020, the first title for Andonovski, and won again in 2021.

The match between the USWNT and Iceland will be the 11th match at Toyota Stadium for the USWNT. Toyota Stadium was the venue for the USWNT's final match before the global pandemic shut down sports all over the globe in March of 2020.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The competition format will be the same as for the previous six years with the teams each participating in three doubleheader events. The winner of the tournament will be determined by total points (three for a win, one for a tie), with the first tiebreaker being overall goal difference, followed by most total goals scored, then head-to-head result and lastly, Fair Play ranking if necessary.

SIX GAMES, TWO STADIUMS

The 2022 SheBelieves Cup kicks off on Thursday, February 17 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California as Iceland takes on New Zealand (7PM CT) and the USWNT faces the Czech Republic (10PM CT on ESPN). The tournament resumes on Sunday, February 20, also at DHSP, with the USWNT playing the first match of the day, against New Zealand (2PM CT on ABC), while the Czech Republic will face Iceland (5PM CT) in the second match of the day. The tournament concludes on Wednesday, February 23 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, with New Zealand taking on the Czech Republic (5PM CT) and the USWNT facing Iceland in the nightcap (8PM CT on ESPN). Broadcast information for the matches not involving the USWNT will be available at a later date. This year's tournament also marks the first time the SheBelieves Cup has had matches contested on the West Coast.

While the entirety of last year's SheBelieves Cup was held at one stadium in Orlando, this year's tournament will be staged in two cities and two stadiums with the strict COVID protocols still in place during the organization of the event. The first two doubleheaders will take place at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, while the final doubleheader will move to Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

2022 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, Schedule

Date Matches Stadium Kickoff TV

Feb. 17 Iceland vs. New Zealand Dignity Health Sports Park 7PM CT --

Feb. 17 USWNT vs. Czech Republic Dignity Health Sports Park 10PM CT ESPN

Feb. 20 USWNT vs. New Zealand Dignity Health Sports Park 2PM CT ABC

Feb. 20 Czech Republic vs. Iceland Dignity Health Sports Park 5PM CT --

Feb. 23 New Zealand vs. Czech Republic Toyota Stadium 5PM CT --

Feb. 23 USWNT vs. Iceland Toyota Stadium 8PM CT ESPN

ALL EYES ON '23

This year's SheBelieves Cup will serve as valuable preparation for the world's top ranked U.S. Women's National Team as it begins a year in which it will attempt to qualify for both the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 and the 2024 Olympic Games in France. The eight-team Concacaf W Championship will run from July 9-24 and will produce four direct qualifiers for Australia/New Zealand '23 and one automatic qualifier to the next Olympic Games.

The Czech Republic (ranked 24th in the world) and Iceland (ranked 16th) are currently deep into their World Cup journeys and are both in Group C in UEFA Women's World Cup Qualifying. Iceland currently sits in second place behind the Netherlands with nine points from four matches while the Czech Republic is in third with five points from four matches. Iceland beat the Czechs 4-0 last October in Reykjavik, but the countries will meet again on April 11, 2022, in the Czech Republic in what will be a crucial match for both teams' World Cup dreams. The winners of Europe's nine World Cup qualifying groups earn berths directly to the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 while the second-place finishers earn a berth to the playoffs.

Along with 2023 co-host Australia, New Zealand is an automatic qualifier for the World Cup, which will mark the fifth consecutive World Cup appearance for the Kiwis.

TICKETS

Presales for the 2022 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa will begin on Monday, Jan. 10 with the public sale beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 18. Tickets purchased will be valid for both matches that matchday. Groups of 20 or more can order at ussoccer.com starting Wednesday, Jan. 19.

In accordance with the local health authorities, and in cooperation with each stadium, as well as the U.S. Soccer medical team, tickets for these matches will be available at near full capacity. Coaches Circle and Presidents Circle members supporting the U.S. Soccer Development Fund can receive individual customer support and concierge services for their ticketing needs. Click here or contact circles@ussoccer.org for more information.

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