The 2023 Women’s World Cup is just around the corner, and it is set to be the gayest one yet. At least 87 of the competitors are openly part of the LGBTQ+ community, which is over 12% of all competitors. Even if you’re not into soccer, the abundance of lesbians is reason enough to tune in. To get yourself acquainted, we’ve compiled a list of 22 queer World Cup players for your viewing pleasure.
1. Megan Rapinoe (USA)
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Megan Rapinoe is a legend (but you already knew that). This is her fourth World Cup, two of which ended in a championship win, and in 2019, she won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards. Aside from her long list of sports accolades, she is also a fierce advocate for fair pay in women’s sports and for the LGBTQIA+ community. She was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2020 and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. She is retiring after this World Cup, and we are expecting her to go out with a bang.
2. Kristie Mewis (USA)
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Kristie Mewis will be joining the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) once again after winning the 2019 championship alongside her younger sister, Sam Mewis. Kristie’s girlfriend Sam Kerr (also featured on this list) will be playing against her for team Australia. Kristie’s ex Rachel Daly (also on this list) will be playing for England. We love a bit of drama!
3. Kelley O’Hara (USA)
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Kelley O’Hara is a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist. 2023 has been an exciting year for her; she will be appearing in the World Cup for the 4th time, and she also got engaged to her fiance Kameryn Stanhouse on New Year’s Eve!
4. Adrianna Franch (USA)
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Adrianna Franch is the US’s goalkeeper, so it’ll be easy to swoon over, I mean, spot her. This will be her second appearance in the World Cup after helping the US win in 2019. She is married to her wife Emily and they have an adorable baby Kamari together.
5. Tierna Davidson (USA)
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Tierna Davidson was the youngest player on the 2019 US World Cup team at 20 years old, and she’s back: older, wiser, and better than ever. Just like her teammate Kelley O’Hara, she also got engaged this year. We’re feeling the lesbian love!
6. Rachel Daly (England)
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Rachel Daly is one of England’s star players because she has played virtually every position on the field. This will be her second appearance in the World Cup, and she’ll be playing against her ex Kristie Mewis and Kristie’s new girlfriend Sam Kerr. Grab the popcorn.
7. Ramona Bachmann (Switzerland)
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Ramona Bachmann has made 3 previous World Cup appearances. During her appearance in 2015, she came out as a lesbian and revealed she was dating fellow Swiss teammate Alisha Lehmann. The couple split, but they are still both on the Swiss National Team for this year’s World Cup. In June of this year, Ramona married her wife, dancer Charlotte Baret.
8. Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada)
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Kadeisha Buchanan is a three-time Canadian Player of the Year and won the FIFA Young Player Award at the 2015 World Cup. This will be her third appearance in the World Cup. She plays center back, which means she is one tough cookie. However, her smile tells us that she has a sweet spot under that hard exterior. And as far as we know, she’s single!
9. Quinn (Canada)
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This will be Quinn’s second World Cup appearance. They won an Olympic Bronze medal in 2016, and after coming out as non-binary in 2020, they became the first openly transgender and non-binary athlete to win an Olympic medal, winning gold at the 2020 Olympics. They are also, objectively, Olympic-level hot.
10. Marta (Brazil)
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Marta Vieira da Silva, known as just Marta, is a soccer icon. This is her 6th World Cup appearance, and there is no sign that she is slowing down. In fact, she is often regarded as the greatest female soccer player of all time. And she plays for *our* team! How cool is that?!
11. Sam Kerr (Australia)
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Sam Kerr is the captain of Australia’s National Team. This will be her 4th appearance in the World Cup, and she was also on the 2016 and 2020 Olympic teams. During the 2019 World Cup, she became the first Australian player to score a hat trick at a World Cup tournament. As you know, she is currently dating US player Kristie Mewis despite playing for a European team. Lesbians love a long-distance relationship!
12. Ellie Carpenter (Australia)
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Ellie Carpenter made her World Cup debut in 2019 at the age of 19 years old and made the 2020 Olympic Team. She is currently dating Dutch national player Daniëlle van de Donk, who will also be playing in the 2023 World Cup. The couple met while both playing for the French professional club Olympique Lyonnais.
13. Ivana Andres (Spain)
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Ivana Andres is the captain of Spain’s national team. This is her third World Cup appearance after making the 2015 and 2019 teams. In 2022, she married her wife Anabel, and they make a gorgeous couple.
14. Hannah Wilkinson (New Zealand)
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Hannah Wilkinson has appeared in three previous World Cups and is a three-time Olympian. Aside from playing soccer, Hannah enjoys playing the guitar and the drums and has even released two single songs on Spotify. “Waiting for the Sun” was released in January 2019 and the second, “Set Me Free,” in April 2019. She is currently dating fitness model and actress Katie Isabelle Martin.
15. Kaylin Swart (South Africa)
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Kaylin Swart is South Africa’s goalkeeper, and this is her first appearance in the World Cup. She’s known for her quick hands and infectious smile. What’s not to love?
16. Rachele Baldi (Italy)
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Rachele Baldi is Italy’s goalkeeper and this will be her second appearance in the World Cup. Her rock-solid defense goes hand in hand with her rock-hard bod. She seems to be dating fellow Italian professional soccer player Giada Greggi, who is also on the Italian national team.
17. Jess Carter (England)
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This is Jess Carter’s second appearance in the World Cup, though she has been playing professionally since the age of 16. She is in a high-profile relationship with teammate Ann-Katrin Berger (also featured on this list), who plays for the German national team.
18. Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany)
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Ann-Katrin Berger is Germany’s goalkeeper (another one!) and will be appearing for the first time. The most badass thing about her is she has beat cancer – TWICE.
19. Pernille Harder (Denmark)
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Pernille Harder is the captain of the Denmark national team, and this is her third appearance in the World Cup. In September 2020, she became the world’s most expensive female footballer following her transfer from VfL Wolfsburg to Chelsea, but the record was broken in 2022. She is in a relationship with Magdelena Eriksson, a national Swedish player.
20. Magdalena Eriksson (Sweden)
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Magdalena Eriksson will be appearing in the World Cup for the second time and was also on the Swedish Olympic team in 2020. She has been dating with Pernille Harder since 2014, and a photo of them kissing after a game went viral. Since then, they have solidified themselves as a soccer power couple.
21. Kailen Sheridan (Canada)
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Kailen Sheridan is Canada’s goalkeeper (of course) and is appearing in the World Cup for the second time. She won the gold medal with the Canadian team in 2020. She proposed to her fiance Dominique Dorris last year, and they are planning to get married sometime after the World Cup.
22. Lina Hurtig (Sweden)
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Lina Hurtig is joining the Swedish national team for the second time, and she was also on the Swedish Olympic team in 2020. In 2019, she married her teammate Lisa Lantz (now Hurtig), and they have the cutest little family. Can we also take a moment to appreciate Lina’s quaffed hair? Perfection.
Who is your favorite queer footballer? Let us know in the comments!
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