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We’re now less than two years away from the LA28 Olympic Games, which will run from 14-30 July 2028. It marks a return to Southern California for the third time in 132 years, featuring 51 sports across 40 venues.
A permanent fixture among those disciplines is football, more specifically the women’s game, which will see a return to this stage for some of the biggest stars around.
With games held at venues from LA to New York, fans across the United States will be treated to a plethora of talent on display once more.
Two years ago, the United States women’s national team (USWNT) stormed to a fifth Olympic gold, narrowly beating Brazil in a tense finale. The last time they competed on home soil was in 1996, where they also topped the podium.
As the countdown continues, Olympics.com takes a look at five players who could light up the upcoming edition of the Games.
Trinity Rodman (USWNT)
She will be 26 by the time LA28 rolls around, and Trinity Rodman is on an upward trajectory to being one of the best in the business. We’ve seen glimpses of it already, both internationally and domestically, but if she can put nagging injury worries behind her then there is no limit on just how good the forward can become.
Arguably the best we’ve seen of Rodman this far came two years ago at Paris 2024, where the U.S. stormed to gold under the guidance of then-newly appointed head coach Emma Hayes. Together with fellow forwards Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson, a combination that earned the nickname ‘Triple Espresso’, they were electric.
Between her injuries and her partners in crime out on maternity leave, the trio have only recently reunited under Hayes to don the national team jersey once again. If they can pick up where they left off, each bringing out the best in the other, fans could be in for a treat on home soil.
Mary Fowler (Australia)
Before being sidelined with a long-term knee injury, Mary Fowler was coming into her own in a Manchester City shirt. The 23-year-old Australian had just ended her best-ever season, scoring 10 and assisting 10 in 34 games, before rupturing her ACL. Coming back from an injury like that requires time and patience, just as we’ve seen with so many stars before.
Two years out from LA28, it gives Fowler ample time to not only get back to the kind of form she was displaying across that 2024/25 campaign, but grow from it as well. A versatile midfield-forward hybrid, she offers a lot going forward.
“I am the kind of player that relies a lot on instincts and on trust myself and trusting my body,” she told ABC News. “I’m in this phase now where I’ve come out of my rehab and I feel more and more myself as time goes on.
“I just want to enjoy that. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself to be getting stats and getting goals. I think I always play my best football when I’m really enjoying it, so I don’t want to let that expectation ruin the fun that I’m having.”
Linda Caicedo (Colombia)
Colombia is undoubtedly a women’s football nation on the rise, something that has been demonstrated at each of their major tournaments in the past four years. Two-time runners-up at the Copa América since 2022, they achieved their best-ever finish at the Women’s World Cup three years ago when they reached the quarter-final stage of the competition. A year later, they replicated that feat by reaching the last eight of the Olympic Games in Paris, something they had not previously done.
Right at the heart of the team is Linda Caicedo, who has spent much of her career a teen prodigy with the hopes of a nation on her young shoulders. Now 21, the Real Madrid forward first received her call-up to the national team in 2019, such was the promise she has shown throughout the years. It is faith she has repaid, coming up with huge moments like her goal in that unforgettable win over Germany at the 2023 World Cup.
Given she will only be 23 by the time we reach LA28, there is excitement in the prospect of just how good she can be by that point.
Aitana Bonmatí (Spain)
Spain are arguably the best team in women’s football right now and, while plenty can change in two years, they seem to be going from strength to strength. In terms of players to pick from their squad who could have an impact at these Games, it is a case of being spoilt for choice. Entering her prime years, there are few players to look out for more than Aitana Bonmatí.
Already a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, the 28-year-old has been at the heart of Spain’s ascendancy. She is now just two accolades away from ‘completing football’, with a domestic treble, the UEFA Champions League, and the World Cup under her belt, among many others. All that is left is a EUROs title and an Olympic gold, a set that a player like Bonmatí will be eager to complete.
Klara Bühl (Germany)
At 25, Klara Bühl is really coming into her own as an electric and dynamic winger. The Germany international and Bayern Munich forward is frighteningly good as a playmaker, having put up her best season yet. Across competitions for club and country during 2025/26, she scored 11 times and registered 27 assists – 15 of the latter coming in the league, with a further eight in the UEFA Champions League.
No matter the stage or the moment, this is a player that can step up for her country. She was perhaps Germany’s most exciting attacking outlet at EURO 2025, and with another major tournament around the corner, she will be looking to take her recent form and cement herself among the very best in the game. After getting bronze two years ago, the mentality monster will no doubt have her eyes on a significant upgrade next time.
All goes well and each of these nations qualify, this only scratches the surface of the kind of talent that fans will be treated to at the Olympic Games. It is another chance to showcase the best players around the world for the biggest sporting event on the globe.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/rodman-bonmati-caicedo-stars-of-womens-football-la28
