U20 WWC Stars: Who is Kennedy Fuller, the third-year pro who has already scored a hattrick in the U20 World Cup ?

The United States U-20 team have narrowly qualified for knockouts and will continue their journey in the 2026 U20 Women’s World Cup, led by captain Kennedy Fuller. The 19-year-old midfielder played a huge part in this, scoring a hattrick in the team’s final group stage match against New Zealand. Who is Kennedy Fuller, and what do you need to know about her?

From first kick to pro in nine years

Fuller did not start out playing football. She started off as a gymnast at the age of five. We could have been telling a completely different story, as she was quickly recognized for her gymnastics talent; in fact, she ranked on the US’ top 100 list of young gymnasts at the age of eight. 

It wasn’t until she was seven years old that she started playing youth football. She continued with both sports for a few years, but eventually had to make a choice as staying in both sports became too demanding. She ended up choosing football because she liked playing on a team. 

Fuller worked hard to ensure that she made the right choice, and within a few years she was nationally recognized as one of the best youth players in the country. In 2022, she played for her country for the first time, and in that same year she captained the U-15 US team to victory at the 2022 CONCACAF Girls’ U-15 Championship. Two years later, she led the U-17 team to third place at the 2024 U-17 World Cup. That year, she was nominated for U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. 

In 2024, at the age of 16, Fuller signed her first professional contract with Angel City FC of the NWSL. She started in the club’s first match of the 2024 season, becoming the youngest player to play for Angel City. 

Success at the professional level

Fuller immediately established herself as a key part of Angel City’s squad, playing in 19 of the club’s 26 matches in her first season with the club. She scored her first professional goal in June of 2024, contributing to her team’s eventual win.

She had an even bigger role in 2025, starting in 21 of the club’s 26 matches. She got her first professional assist in the season opener that year and got her first goal of the season just the next week. Fuller established herself as one of the top attacking midfielders in the league in 2025, at just 18 years of age, with four goals and three assists.

In 2026, she started in all of Angel City’s first 11 matches of the season, scoring two goals and assisting two more in that period. In the first match of the season, her goal and assist made her the seventh teenager in NWSL history to reach 10 career goal contributions. 

During the league’s monthlong break for the men’s world cup, Fuller was traded to Bay FC in exchange for $520,000 in funds, marking the ninth-largest intraleague transfer in NWSL history. Bay FC immediately put her to work, starting her in every match until she left for the U-20 Women’s World Cup. Fuller scored her first goal for her new side in just her second match with them, and continues to be a key part of the club’s midfield.

Kennedy Fuller is one of the United States’ brightest young footballers. In her attacking midfielder role, she’s shown a unique ability to both score and assist goals, and she will certainly be instrumental to the United States’ journey in the knockout round of the 2026 U-20 World Cup