SAN DIEGO — Toko Koga scored early in the second half and Japan handed the United States its first loss under coach Emma Hayes with a 2-1 victory Wednesday night

United States faces Japan in SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 (2/26/25) at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.

The US Women’s National Team’s 18-match unbeaten run under coach Emma Hayes came to an end on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat to Japan in the SheBelieves Cup. The US was looking to win a sixth-straight SheBelieves Cup title at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego,

The final match of the 2025 SheBelieves Cup sees the top two teams in the competition facing off with the USWNT facing Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The match is scheduled to start at 10:30 p.

United States midfielder Lindsey Heaps heads the ball on goal as Japan defender Hikaru Kitagawa defends during the first half of the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday in San Diego.

The United States Women’s National Team faces Japan in the Shebelieves Cup on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 (2/26/25) at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.

The USA closes out the 2025 SheBelieves Cup against Japan on Wednesday night in San Diego. Sign in by entering the code we sent to , or clicking the magic link in the email. Unlock immediate access to every story,

Instead, Japan took top honors after a 2-1 win over the USWNT on Wednesday in San Diego. However, this wasn’t the type of U.S. camp that would be deemed a failure or success by results alone. Head coach Emma Hayes selected plenty of her player pool’s more untested members to size up their readiness for her best possible squad.

That 17-match streak ended on Wednesday when Japan overcame the U.S. 2–1 in the finale of the 2025 SheBelieves Cup at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. While losing never feels good, there is some context to this defeat.

USWNT head coach Emma Hayes on facing Japan next week for the SheBelieves Cup championship in San Diego, after Sunday's win in Arizona against Australia.

Toko Koga scored early in the second half and Japan held on to beat the United States 2-1 on Wednesday night for the SheBelieves Cup title.

Japan won its first SheBelieves Cup title Wednesday thanks to its 2-1 defeat of the U.S. women’s national team in the tournament’s final game. It’s only the second loss to Japan in USWNT’s history and might help reignite a rivalry that peaked across a run of major tournament finals in 2011, 2012 and 2015.