USWNT's Olympics record: How many gold medals has the U.S. women's soccer team won?

The United States women's national team is known for its World Cup successes - winning a fourth trophy in 2019 - but it has been formidable on the Olympic stage as well, something that continued as Emma Hayes took charge of the side for a first time at a major tournament in 2024.

Hayes only left Chelsea at the end of May to take over the USWNT, so she did not had much time to prepare for Paris 2024. That didn't stop the U.S. from bouncing back from two underwhelming appearances at the Games and securing yet another gold medal, though.

So, what is the USWNT's record at the Olympics and where does that rank all-time, compared to other great nations of women's soccer? GOAL has all you need to know...

How many Olympic Games has the USWNT played at?

The USWNT's fantastic Olympic record starts with the fact it has qualified for every women's soccer tournament at the Games since it was first introduced back in 1996, some 96 years after the men's equivalent began.

Only one other nation has such a flawless record when it comes to qualifying for this tournament and that is Brazil, which also made its eighth appearance at the Olympics in France.

Sweden was part of that elite club until it failed to qualify for the 2024 edition. Closely behind the Scandinavian nation in the list of total appearances at the Games is Germany, China and Japan, all on six.

How many Olympic gold medals has the USWNT won?

Getty Images

In those eight appearances to date, the USWNT has won five Olympic gold medals. It first won gold in 1996, the year of the inaugural Olympic women's soccer tournament, and last stood on top of the podium in 2024.

In 1996, the U.S. claimed gold on home soil, beating China 2-1 at Sanford Stadium thanks to goals from Shannon MacMillan and Tiffeny Milbrett. It then went on an incredible run of three successive Olympic titles, winning in 2004, 2008 and 2012. The USWNT beat Brazil in extra time in back-to-back Games to win its second and third gold medals, adding a fourth with victory over Japan at London 2012. It then repeated the trick in 2024, once again crushing the dream of Marta and the Selecao.

No other nation has ever won more than one Olympic gold medal in women's soccer, making the USWNT the most successful side in the competition's history by some distance.

How many Olympic medals has the USWNT won in total?

Unsurprisingly, that success in the gold medal matches means the USWNT also tops the list of nations to win the most Olympic medals of any color. The U.S. won silver in 2000, losing to Norway in the final, and bronze in 2020, beating Australia 4-3, taking its total to seven.

That's two more than the next team on that list, Germany, which has five - one gold in 2016, plus bronze medals from 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2024. Canada is joint-third on that list, having won gold in 2020 and bronze in 2012 and 2016, alongside Brazil, which has silver medals from 2004, 2008 and 2024. Only two other nations have won more than one Olympic medal in women's soccer, those being Norway (gold in 2000, bronze in 1996) and Sweden (silver in 2016 and 2020).

The only Olympic tournament at which the USWNT did not medal was back in 2016, when it lost to Sweden in quarter-finals. It was after that defeat that goalkeeper Hope Solo infamously called the opposition a "bunch of cowards" – criticising its approach to the game.

"I thought we played a courageous game," Solo said at the time. "I thought we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down, I’m very proud of this team. And I also think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today, I strongly, firmly believe that. They didn’t want to open play. They didn’t want to pass the ball. They didn’t want to play great soccer. It was a combative game, a physical game ... And they tried to counter with long balls.”

USWNT Olympic Games record