United States women’s national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international football. The USWNT announced the news on Monday, with Naeher posting a statement on social media soon after, thanking her family, coaches and teammates.
“With an immense gratitude and very thoughtful consideration, I have decided to retire from the international game following the conclusion of these matches in Europe,” Naeher wrote. “This has been a special team to be a apart of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field.”
The 36-year-old goalkeeper is currently with the team in Europe, preparing for the final two friendlies of 2024. These friendlies — against England on Nov. 30 and against the Netherlands on Dec. 3 — will be Naeher’s final games with the USWNT.
Naeher, one of the greatest U.S. keepers of all time, led the team to glory at the 2019 World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics. She is the only goalie in women’s soccer history to earn shutouts in both a World Cup Final and a Olympic gold medal game.
Naeher holds the third-most goalkeeper caps (113), starts (110), wins (88) and shutouts (68) behind USWNT goalies Hope Solo and Briana Scurry. She earned her first first USWNT cap in 2014, and traveled to the 2015 World Cup as a backup for Solo, before becoming starting keeper in 2017.
Despite stepping down from the international stage, Naeher will still compete with the Chicago Red Stars in the 2025 NWSL season.
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