Making Soccer History

At only 16 years old, Mia Bhuta made history as the first Indian-American athlete to play for team USA in the World Cup

Every two years, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup brings together the best female soccer players under the age of 17 from across the globe. In 2022, one of the players included Mia Bhuta. At just 16-years-old Bhuta made history as part of the U-17 United States Women’s Youth National Team, at the U-17 Women’s World Cup which was held last October in India, by becoming the first woman of Indian origin to represent the United States in the World Cup at any level.

Now a freshman at Stanford, Bhuta was born in Pittsburgh, PA after her father emigrated to the United States from Mumbai at age 16. At the same age, Bhuta made her debut in the USNYT’s first match against India. The U.S. won 8-0 with Bhuta scoring the final goal against India.

In a pre-match press conference, Bhuta discussed the importance of her Indian heritage. “When I heard the stories of my father and other Indians who wanted to achieve more in life, the values of hard work, commitment to education and sport as well as entrepreneurial spirit came out again and again. My Indian heritage taught me to have these values deep inside me and I think that this is the reason why I was such a dreamer, and I believe that regardless of where I’m from or what the circumstances are, I can achieve anything.”

At the conclusion of the press conference, Bhuta and two teammates along with Indian defender Astam Oraon distributed soccer gear to young players from Odisha. “I’m an Indian girl myself living her own dream and the girls here need to believe in themselves 100 per cent, like I do. So many of them have great potential and that’s why I want to do everything that’s humanly possible to inspire them to follow their dreams.”

Watching The World Cup

Bhuta is on the qualifying roster for 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. But, if you need your soccer fix sooner, you can watch the best female soccer athletes from across the globe compete when the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks-off later this month. Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the 2023 Women’s World Cup will include 32 teams and 64 matches across 10 stadiums.