Alex Morgan Q&A: Why The USA Great Is Excited For The World Cups in 2026 and 2027

Alex Morgan is planning on being at every United States match at the World Cup. Not as a player, of course. The two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist retired from both club and country in 2024 ahead of the birth of her second child. But this summer, she hopes to attend every one of the U.S. men’s national team matches as the squad competes in what will be a historic tournament on home soil. "I will be watching as many games as possible and going to all of the [U.S.] men’s games this summer, if my schedule allows," Morgan told me.  "There is definitely still a lot of soccer and sports in general in my life right now, and I love that." Morgan has been busy since hanging up her boots, though many of her current business ventures were started while she was still playing. Morgan was arguably the world’s most famous female athlete during her 15-year career. She was the face of the U.S. women's national team, not just because of her talent on the field – she scored 123 international goals – but because of everything she did off of it, like fighting for equal pay, speaking out against systemic abuse in the NWSL, investing in women’s sports and so much more. Now, she gets to watch the USA — both the men's and women's teams — as a fan. Below is my conversation with Morgan as part of her new partnership with Henkel, which has been edited for length. It’s kind of strange to ask you about the men's national team, but what are you most looking forward to about this summer’s World Cup? And how do you feel about the USA's chances? Morgan: There’s so much I’m looking forward to. One of the biggest things is just a summer filled with soccer in the U.S. The U.S. has so many great sports and leagues that fans gravitate towards, but having the World Cup here and the best athletes in the world in our backyards is great for the sport of soccer in general. I think it’s going to really generate more opportunities for both boys and girls in the future. Having all those communities around the country that maybe don’t have a professional soccer team or only [follow] American athletes to be able to witness these global stars in a different way than just seeing them on TV. I’m also just excited to be able to follow the U.S. men. I think our chances are the best that we’ve ever had, so I’m really excited to be able to watch the men’s team and follow along and go to as many or all of the matches. Who do you think will win it all and why? Morgan: I don’t know. I feel like you always look at the powerhouses like Spain, Germany, France, England. But I really do like the U.S. in that bucket of the top powerhouses right now. I feel like they've done a great job of diversifying the players on the team and where all those players play. I also think that a lot of these players grew up on the team in a way that they’re in their prime now, so I am very optimistic with this year’s squad. Are there any players in particular that you’re excited to watch in person? Morgan: I’m mostly excited to just watch good football. What’s really great is bringing it back to the communities so they can watch these global stars. Someone like [Spain's] Lamine Yamal who has already built an incredible career [at 18 years old] and seeing his story. It’s athletes like that that are global stars that fans are maybe introduced to in a new way. Big soccer fans know Lamine, but does every casual fan in the U.S. know Lamine Yamal or some of those big, global stars that are young and have made a mark on the sport already at a young age? I’m not sure. So I think the introduction for a lot of fans is going to be really exciting. And I think it’s going to grow a passion for soccer in this country and [create] a demand and an urge for kids to want to participate and play and be given more opportunities than ever before. So I’m excited for the effect that this can have on the country. The U.S. women’s national team is gearing up for 2027 World Cup qualifying at the end of this year. You retired in 2024, but is it at all strange for you to not be part of a World Cup team? Morgan: It’s not strange at all. If anything, I feel very patriotic and very protective over the team. What is amazing is there are 32 players that have gotten their first caps under [USA manager] Emma Hayes and I find that opportunity alone so incredible. And whether it’s someone who’s gotten one cap or gotten 15 caps in the last year or two, just to have a chance to play in a World Cup for those 30 or 40 players, like, the pool is growing. And that just shows where women’s soccer has been able to grow and evolve. Just the fact that we have a growing pool of players, that we have these 16- and 17- and 18-year-old mainstays on the national team that can compete with the 30- or 35-year-olds. It’s really great to see that. Players are coming in and feeling confident scoring goals in their first caps. I really love it, and I’m excited for next year’s World Cup because honestly, at this point, you can field a team of 40 players. There’s an incredible pool. I’ve never seen the quality and the numbers be so large. Do you have a role with the USWNT? Do Emma or any of the players ask for your input on things? Especially with Emma’s approach of framing everything through a female lens. Morgan: I’ve definitely had some great conversations with current players. I have friends still on the team, although there are a lot of young players and new players that even being only a year-and-a-half removed, the team looks so different in general, which is great. It’s just different than ever before. As far as the organization, I’ve had really great conversations with [U.S. Soccer president] Cindy Parlow Cone about the growth of women’s soccer in general, the youth landscape and how we can continue to increase opportunities for girls and keep girls in the game. There’s a great opportunity for girls to go to college and play soccer while getting a scholarship, and at the same time, there’s a large number of players who want to go pro younger more than ever before and how the NWSL is adapting to that. It’s fun things to talk about because these are good problems to have in this country, thinking about the incredible product of players that are coming out of the youth system now. You’re close with Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith, who are both coming back from maternity leave. They had babies at the height of their careers like you did. How does it feel to know you helped pave the way for players to feel empowered to start families while still playing at the highest level? Morgan: When you look at all the support that they have now to be able to get back to the playing field – all the resources, the maternity leave, the access to great healthcare and how we’ve been able to put in our contracts a level of travel that is essential for all players but especially moms – all of that factors into a player’s performance. With myself and Soph and Mal, every player will say that they couldn’t have gotten to the level they’re playing at alone. They couldn’t have gotten there without family, without community, without the daily rituals that they’ve gone through. And I feel like, especially with Mal and Sophia and a lot of the NWSL players who have recently announced pregnancy or had babies, it’s so important, more than ever, to show support for those moms through the league and through U.S. Soccer and through their coaches and all of the resources set up for them, that’s what I fought for. Five or six years ago, it was not common to have multiple moms on the national team or really any mom on an NWSL team because of the lack of support and resources. I feel like now, given the changes that have been made, athletes feel confident and being able to do both and be both and be able to take a break, knowing they can fight for their spot again because they have all the resources in place to be able to do both. It’s really great to see and I’m proud of the work that myself and a lot of other moms did to put these things in place to protect them.