The US Women’s National Team Gears up for a High-stakes Match Against Chile

Soccer, one of the most popular sports across Santa Barbara, brings a global event into the community’s backyard.

On Jan. 27 the United States (U.S.) Women’s National Soccer Team is scheduled to play a match against Chile at the Harder Stadium at University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB).

The U.S. Women’s National Team is participating in a training camp from Jan. 17 to 24 and the game against Chile closes out the training. This will be the first ever U.S. Women’s National Team international game on the Central Coast of California. 

The four-time World Cup champions will kick off against Chile at 7:00 p.m. and will begin to make history for Santa Barbara. With the match happening locally, many Santa Barbara High School (SBHS) student soccer players will attend to experience professional soccer live. 

SBHS Varsity soccer player Aurelia Agredano says that when watching a professional match, players can observe how, “…teams and athletes have to be prepared to adapt to their opponents.” Varsity soccer player Caroline Gifford says that the game will be a good opportunity to “watch how the player that plays my position moves around and gets open for the ball.” Gifford says that matches like these can “inspire new players” and can be a good source of motivation.

Agredano says that she hopes to “take away how to play with more confidence” from this unique experience. Agredano also remarks how amazing it is that women’s sports have been getting a lot more recognition in recent years. 

The tickets went on sale on Dec. 12, 2025, and will be available online or in person at the athletics ticket office until Jan. 27 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets have been selling rapidly in the 17,000 seat stadium, but there are still many available. As of late December, 8,000 tickets have already been sold making it clear that Santa Barbara is excitedly anticipating the game.