The U.S. women's national team is arguably the greatest in the history of women's soccer. One needs only to look at the squad's results in major tournaments to understand why.
The USWNT has won the Women's World Cup four times since the tournament was first instituted in 1991. They have just as many wins at the Olympics and are hoping to earn another gold medal at the Summer Games in 2024.
The globalization of women's soccer is still relatively young, and some countries are starting to catch up to the USWNT's excellence. For now, though, they remain the world's powerhouse team and are set to further their reputation as the most decorated Olympic squad in the sport's history.
Here's what to know about the history of women's soccer at the Olympics and the USWNT's overall record.
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USWNT Olympic medal history
The USWNT made its eighth Olympic appearance during the 2024 Olympics. In its first seven, the United States earned six medals — four of which were gold.
The USA is guaranteed a seventh medal after beating Germany in the semifinal at the 2024 Olympics by virtue of a Sophia Smith goal in the 95th minute.
Below is a full recap of the USWNT's Olympic medal history dating back to their tournament debut at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
| Year | Result |
| 1996 | Gold |
| 2000 | Silver |
| 2004 | Gold |
| 2008 | Gold |
| 2012 | Gold |
| 2016 | No medal |
| 2021 | Bronze |
| 2024 | Gold or Silver |
The USWNT's only non-medal-winning appearance came in 2016, when they drew a tough quarterfinal matchup against Sweden. The Swedes won the game in a penalty shootout, giving coach Pia Sundhage a measure of revenge over her former employer.
Sweden went on to win silver at the 2016 Summer Games. Germany beat them in the final, 2-1, to take home gold.
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Most Olympic medals in women's soccer
Unsurprisingly, the USWNT has more medals than any other team in Olympic women's soccer history, gold or otherwise.
The United States is the only team to win multiple gold medals, having won four of the seven tournaments in Olympic competition to date. They also have the most total medals, leading second-place Germany by two in the official medal standings.
Below is a breakdown of the medal count by squad in Olympic women's soccer history:
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | USA | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Germany | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | Canada | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Norway | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Brazil | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Sweden | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 7 | China | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Japan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The USWNT may add to its total medal lead over Germany if the Germans can't emerge with a win over the loser of the Brazil vs. Spain semifinal in the bronze medal game. They could also add to their gold medal advantage with a victory in the final.
MORE: USWNT stars chase the golden boot at the 2024 Olympics
When did women's soccer become an Olympic sport?
Women's soccer was first played at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. It was added to the Summer Games as a permanent competition following a vote by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1993.
"It's an upcoming sport, and it's very strong in the United States," IOC sports director Gilbert Felli said of women's soccer in 1993, per the New York Times.
The decision to support women's soccer as an Olympic sport came nearly a century after the IOC sponsored a men's soccer competition in 1900. English, French and Belgian clubs all played during that tournament; England emerged as the gold medalist after beating the French 4-0 in their lone match.
The USWNT won the inaugural women's Olympic soccer tournament in 1996. They went on to win four of the first five Olympic gold medals awarded in the sport.
