USWNT 2027 World Cup roster predictions 2.0
Full Time: A show about women's soccer
The Athletic
4.8 • 807 Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2026
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, once a shimmering mirage, is now taking shape into something almost tangible.
The Athletic made its first U.S. women’s national team roster prediction back in October 2025, and now, with six international windows to go until the tournament roster announcement, it is time to jump back into roster predictions with our 2.0 edition.
On this episode of Full Time, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by Melanie Anzidei and Tamerra Griffin to break down their latest 23-player roster predictions. Where did Melanie and Tamerra agree and where did their picks clash? Which players are locks and which are not? Who is on the bubble with a chance to break in? What has changed since the last predictions in October?
PLUS: The latest on a developing story out of the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, where five players have defected from the Iran women’s soccer team and are being cared for in a safe house operated by the Australian Federal Police.
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HOSTS: Jillian Sakovits, Tamerra Griffin, Melanie Anzidei
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Referenced on the show:
A clear core group emerges as USWNT defeats Canada: ‘I love winning football matches like this’
USWNT 2027 World Cup roster predictions 2.0: What changed with SheBelieves Cup win?
Five Iran Women soccer players defect with help of police following Asian Cup in Australia
FIFA, Australian government hold urgent talks over Iran women’s team’s future after Asian Cup exit
Emma Hayes’ rebuild of the USWNT is taking shape – and already reaping rewards
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We all in agreement that the locks at defense would be Naomi Germa, Emily Sonnet, Emily Fox, N. |
| 0:13.2 | Avery Patterson for me is like if there were a category in between lock and trending in. |
| 0:21.6 | But she's a near lock for me. |
| 0:31.2 | Hello and a very warm welcome to this edition of full-time. |
| 0:35.4 | I'm your host, Jillian Sackavits. |
| 0:37.2 | There are 472 days until the 277 Women's World Cup in Brazil. |
| 0:45.0 | U.S. Women's National Team head coach Emma Hayes has just six official FIFA windows to write down her squad for that tournament. |
| 0:52.6 | And with the 2026, she believes, Cup behind us, we thought it would be a good time to update our own full-time U.S. Women's National Team roster predictions ahead of the World Cup. |
| 1:04.1 | There was a one point-no we did back in the fall. |
| 1:06.8 | And now we are going full-blown 2.0 on today's show. |
| 1:10.2 | So yes, on this episode, a full-time, we are getting out our crystal balls, our performance charts, and our hot takes as we look ahead to Brazil. |
| 1:19.6 | Alongside me delivering those picks for the 23 player roster will be Melanie Anzi Day and Tamara Griffin. |
| 1:26.9 | In case you missed our first draft, |
| 1:29.0 | like I mentioned, that was in October of 2025. Meg Linahan alongside Tamara did that. So if you |
| 1:35.9 | want, you can go back and listen to the 1.0 version as well. With Meg Away on Parental |
| 1:41.0 | Leave, she's missing this one, but we know she'll be around for a three, four, |
| 1:44.9 | five point out, et cetera. We start today's show with the story breaking out of Australia and the |
| 1:52.3 | Women's Asian Cup. I'm going to bring in the athletics, Jacob Whitehead, to talk more about |
| 1:57.0 | this story, five Iranian women's national team players defecting from the team and are |
| 2:02.9 | currently being cared for in a safe house operated by the Australian federal police. |
| 2:07.7 | Jacob, we're recording this on Monday morning, but the latest being the fact that five Iranian |
| 2:15.2 | players have defected following the Asian Cup in Australia. What's the latest |
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