US to host Canada, Brazil and Japan for 2021 SheBelieves Cup

The United States will host Canada, Brazil and Japan in the 2021 SheBelieves Cup next month in Orlando, Florida. U.S. Soccer on Monday announced the round-robin tournament scheduled from Feb. 18 to Feb. 24 at Exploria Stadium. The overall winner will be decided on points. All four teams taking part are preparing for the Olympics this summer in Tokyo. The U.S., the top-ranked team in the world, is currently in its January camp in Orlando and will host a pair of matches against Colombia later this month.

“We put in all this work to play matches, so to get three great ones in this world-class event that resembles group play at an Olympics is something we’re very thankful for," U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “It will be a bit different this year with limited fans, but with the Olympics once again on the horizon our players will be highly motivated and there’s no better way to prepare for the tournament than to play teams that will be in Japan.” It is the first time Canada is taking part in the tournament, which is in its sixth year.

“The SheBelieves Cup gives us the opportunity to face some of the top football teams in the world in a tournament setting,” said Canada coach Bev Priestman, who was named to the job in October. “It will be a great opportunity to get ourselves ready for the Tokyo Olympic Games, facing different styles of play and tight turnarounds.” A limited number of fans will be allowed to attend the games over three days of competition.All four teams reached the knockout stage of the 2019 World Cup in France, which the United States went on to win.

(Image Credit: Pixabay/Representative Image)