JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Mar. 9, 2026) – Gotham FC forward Mak Whitham has been named to the 21-player U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team roster for the final round of the 2026 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Qualifiers, U.S. Soccer announced Monday.
The qualifying tournament will take place March 17–22 in Costa Rica. The United States will compete in Group B and face Bermuda on March 17, Haiti on March 19 and Puerto Rico on March 22.
The winner of each of the three groups, along with the best second-place finisher, will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Morocco in October and November.
Whitham, 15, is the only professional player on the U.S. roster for the qualifying tournament. The Granite Bay, California, native signed with Gotham FC in July 2024 at age 13 through the NWSL’s U-18 entry mechanism, becoming the youngest player in league history.
She made her NWSL regular-season debut in March 2025 against Seattle, becoming the youngest player to appear in a regular-season match in league history. Since then, Whitham has made several appearances for Gotham FC across NWSL and international competitions.
Internationally, Whitham has represented the United States at multiple youth levels and was part of the U.S. team that won the 2024 Concacaf Girls’ U-15 Championship. She has earned five caps and scored two goals with the U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team, including a goal against Norway at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The U.S. will travel to Houston for a short training camp before heading to Costa Rica ahead of the tournament.
