In many experts’ eyes, European teams are doing just that, with seven of them reaching the quarter-finals. This is at a time when major European clubs and nations have been investing heavily in women’s football.
And one of the USA’s 2015 gold-medal winners feels things might be different in four years’ time.
“I think the US could go backwards if we don’t start investing in our domestic game,” former goalkeeper Hope Solo told the BBC.
“That’s how you develop players and train players and we’re cutting corners in the US because we’ve put everything into this World Cup and into the national team.
“England are going to have longevity and at some point are going to be on top of the world’s game.
“I’m so excited for four years from now, because we are going to see the Dutch team and the English team improve on their play and it’s going to be a fascinating tournament.”
Many people thought the USA might be caught this time around, the eighth and most-watched edition of the tournament. But Ellis’ camp always seemed to have an unwavering belief that they would lift the trophy.
Some of their actions – perhaps unfairly – were considered arrogant, from star winger Rapinoe publicly rejecting President Donald Trump, to star striker Alex Morgan celebrating a goal against England by pretending to drink a cup of tea.
The players weren’t the only confident ones: before the final, a group of a dozen US journalists unanimously predicted a win for Ellis’s team. There was not a pessimist among them.
But that confidence shown by their players, fans and journalists has proved fully justified.
Twenty years on from the moment the nation fell in love with “soccer” – when Brandi Chastain ripped her shirt off after scoring the winning penalty in the 1999 final in front of more than 90,000 fans on home soil – the United States are hungry for more success.
You wouldn’t bet against them achieving it.