Over a dozen top current and former women's soccer players, including World Cup winners Alex Morgan and Crystal Dunn, and Brazil legend Marta, have sent an open letter to FIFA asking it to align the U20 Women's World Cup with the international match calendar so that players do not have to choose between representing their country or their club.
"Aligning the tournament with the international match calendar would enable federations to select their strongest possible squads, allow players to represent their countries with clarity and confidence, and support clubs in planning their competitive seasons," reads the letter, which was obtained by ESPN.
The letter comes ahead of the knockout stage of the 2026 U20 Women's World Cup. Several emerging stars from various countries who are eligible to play are not at the tournament since it does not fall during an official FIFA window. Professional clubs, therefore, are not required to release players to their national teams.
Several NWSL players are missing from the United States' roster, including Lily Yohannes (who plays in France for OL Lyonnes), Claire Hutton, Alex Pfeiffer, Jordyn Bugg, Kimmi Ascanio and Melanie Barcenas.
U.S. U20 head coach Vicky Jepson called their absences "upsetting" when she named her 21-player roster in August.
Senior USWNT head coach Emma Hayes told ESPN earlier in August that she believes the U20 World Cup is the "biggest platform" for player development, and that she has major concerns about the long-term direction of player development.
Dunn and former USWNT teammate Julie Ertz, who headlined the last U.S. team to win a U20 World Cup, in 2012, also signed the letter. Current USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps and forwards Sophia Wilson and Jaedyn Shaw are also among those who signed the letter to FIFA.
ESPN has reached out to FIFA for comment.
The next U20 Women's World Cup is scheduled for 2028. FIFA has not yet confirmed the dates or host location for that tournament and its current international women's match calendar runs through 2029.
The first edition of the tournament was held in 2002 (then a U19 competition), when most women's players at that age were still amateurs. The professionalization of women's soccer in recent years has included more top teenagers turning professional. Still, the U20 World Cup features a wide mix of professional and amateur players. Eight of 21 U.S. players are professional; the other 13 are in college.
"The player landscape has evolved," the group of players wrote in the letter, noting that the U20 World Cup was "a formative moment and a foundational milestone" for each of their careers.
"This alignment would strengthen the tournament for everyone involved," players said in their letter to FIFA. "It would help ensure that the world's emerging players can participate, enhance the quality and visibility of the competition, and create a more coordinated approach among players, clubs, leagues, federations, and FIFA."
Notably, Pfeiffer, Hutton and USWNT U20 captain Kennedy Fuller signed the letter to FIFA. All three are players for Bay FC in the NWSL. Fuller is with the USWNT U20s as they prepare for Wednesday's round of 16 game against Brazil. The U20 World Cup began on Sept. 5 in Poland.
Hutton and Pfeiffer stayed with Bay FC for their ostensible playoff push, but the team has lost its last three games and sits in 15th place in the 16-team NWSL, 15 points off the last playoff spot with seven games to play. Pfeiffer posted part of the letter to her Instagram account on Monday night with the additional message: "I missed an opportunity to represent my country at a U20 World Cup because it wasn't in a FIFA window. Hopefully future generations won't have to miss their opportunity."
Former U.S. internationals Brandi Chastain, Sydney Leroux (still active), Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner also signed the letter. Japan's Yui Hasegawa and Hinata Miyazawa, and the Netherlands' Vivianne Miedema, joined them.
In her August interview with ESPN, Hayes also acknowledged that FIFA needs to make the U20 World Cup part of a FIFA window so that players are not stuck in the middle.
Sources across the NWSL have expressed frustration with the situation in recent weeks, including with U.S. Soccer's messaging that appeared to place blame on clubs for not releasing players, even though the tournament is not in a FIFA window.
The issue is not isolated to United States players. Eighteen-year-old midfielder Erica Meg Parkinson was not released for the U20 World Cup by the North Carolina Courage after arriving via transfer earlier this summer.
"We want our players to have the opportunity to play in the biggest games on the biggest stage, and we're so proud of Erica," Courage chief soccer officer and sporting director Ceri Bowley said in a statement released ahead of the World Cup. "Unfortunately, we also have a duty to our club, and given the current situation we are facing with injuries on our roster, we need to have Erica remain with the club."
Seattle Reign head coach Laura Harvey also said last month that it was a difficult situation "losing big players in your team in a really crucial part of the season."
Seattle released three players for the U20 World Cup but not Bugg, who competed in the 2024 U20 World Cup. The United States finished third in that edition of the tournament, with North Korea taking home top prize.
