CHICAGO (AP) — The ninth annual SheBelieves Cup tournament will include hosts the United States as well as Brazil, Canada and Japan, U.S. Soccer announced Friday.
Tournament matches will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.
The United States will play Japan followed by Brazil against Canada in Atlanta on April 6. The winners will play in Columbus on April 9 after a match between the opening round's losing teams.
The SheBelieves Cup matches will be the first of six games the United States will play in preparation for the Paris Olympics.
The U.S., Canada and Brazil are also playing in the inaugural CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, which begins Feb. 17.
“This is a tournament that features three teams already in the Olympics and Japan has a great chance to qualify, so coming off the Gold Cup, these are the exact kinds of games we need to evaluate players and continue to push our team as we prepare for France,” U.S. interim head coach Twila Kilgore said in a statement.
The U.S. has chosen Chelsea coach Emma Hayes as its new head coach. But Hayes won't take over the job full time until May, after Chelsea's season is over.
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