SAN JOSE, Calif. — PayPal Park is getting another heavyweight night of international soccer. The U.S. Women’s National Team will face Japan on Saturday, April 11 at 2:30 p.m. PT in San Jose. This matchup is the first game of a rare three-match series against Japan during the April FIFA window — a week-long measuring stick that will continue April 14 at Lumen Field in Seattle and finish April 17 at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
U.S. head coach Emma Hayes didn’t sugarcoat what this stretch represents, calling Japan one of the best teams in the world and pointing to the unique challenge of seeing the same elite opponent three times in one window. For Bay Area fans, the setting matters too. PayPal Park — has been a consistent USWNT stage, and historically it’s been loud, packed, and tilted toward the home side. This will be the seventh USWNT match at the venue, and the first six were sellouts, with the U.S. outscoring opponents 21–4 across those games.
Still, the last memory in San Jose isn’t a victory lap. The USWNT’s most recent appearance at PayPal Park ended in a 2–1 loss to Brazil in April 2025 — a match that started with Catarina Macario scoring in the first minute, then swung late. And then there’s Japan — a rival that’s tied to some of the biggest moments (and biggest lessons) in modern USWNT history. The two teams have been trading iconic nights for over 40 years, including three straight major finals in the 2010s: Japan’s penalty-shootout win in the 2011 Women’s World Cup, followed by U.S. redemption in the 2012 Olympics and again in the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
Even recently, the tension stays the same. The U.S. needed extra time to slip past Japan in the 2024 Olympic quarterfinal, with Trinity Rodman scoring the decisive goal in a tight 1–0 win. And the most recent meeting? Japan took a 2–1 win in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup finale — a reminder that this opponent doesn’t show up to be a “good test.” They show up to win.
.png)
