The United States women's national team suffered its first loss in the Emma Hayes era when a more experienced and tactical Japan side defeated the Americans 2-1 to win the SheBelieves Cup title on Wednesday night at Snapdragon Stadium.

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.

The stakes are in somewhat of a contrast with the reality, though -- win, lose or draw, this is far from the end of the road for a youth-focused version of the U.S., with today's game serving as more of a stepping stone than anything else.

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

The United States battles Japan for the SheBelieves Cup title. This match is available on multiple streaming services for free.

The final match of the 2025 SheBelieves Cup is set for Wednesday night in southern California as the United States plays host to Japan to see who will take home the title. Each team comes into the contest with two wins in the tournament, though their outcomes have been different.

A first ever senior international goal for promising young striker Michelle Cooper helped the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) to a 2-1 victory over Australia in the SheBelieves Cup on Sunday, setting up a decisive final-game showdown with Japan.

SheBelieves Cup will come down to the last match, with the U.S. women’s national team and Japan vying for the trophy on Wednesday at 10:30

The U.S. women's national team is undefeated in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup but sit in second place behind Japan with a final game between the two sides on Wednesday. The USWNT will face what is arguably their most difficult opponent this tournament against Japan and a trophy is on the line for SheBelieves Cup final matchday.

In a rematch of their thrilling quarterfinal meeting at last summer’s Paris Games, Japan scored early goals in both halves en route to a 2-1 defeat of the United States Women’s National Team. Koga’s in the 50th minute proved to be the difference.