Julie Ertz Breaks Silence: Post-Retirement Plans for the 2026 World Cup Revealed

Two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Julie Ertz is adding another accolade to her illustrious résumé: induction into the Santa Clara Athletics Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. The former Broncos standout will be honored on campus this fall, capping a career that began in Santa Clara red and white before blossoming into global stardom with the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars and Angel City FC. Ertz (née Johnston) was a three-time First-Team All-American for the Broncos from 2011-13 and still ranks among the program’s top scorers. Drafted third overall in 2014, she seized NWSL Rookie of the Year honors before becoming an indispensable USWNT midfielder and center back. Her clutch defending helped the United States lift World Cup trophies in 2015 and 2019, and she twice earned U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year (2017, 2019) recognition. Ertz stepped away from international play after last summer’s World Cup, officially announcing her retirement from professional soccer in August 2023. The Hall of Fame news arrives as Ertz amplifies her off-field mission. Earlier this month she appeared on the Sports Spectrum Podcast to promote “Freedom to Play,” a partnership with the International Justice Mission that leverages sport to fight human trafficking worldwide. The initiative extends the philanthropic work Julie and husband Zach Ertz began through the Ertz Family Foundation, which supports youth sports and education programs across the United States. Ertz’s Hall of Fame induction will reunite her with former college coach Jerry Smith and teammates who watched her transform from WCC Freshman of the Year into a ferocious ball-winning presence nicknamed “the Destroyer.” In a statement released by Santa Clara, athletic director Jeff Mitchell called her “a once-in-a-generation competitor whose impact on women’s soccer transcends stat sheets.” Beyond the ceremony, Ertz remains a fixture in the game. She serves as a studio analyst for select USWNT broadcasts and mentors young midfielders through private clinics. With the 2026 FIFA Women’s Youth World Cup heading to the United States next summer, sources close to the federation say Ertz is expected to hold leadership workshops for age-group national teams as part of U.S. Soccer’s alumni outreach efforts. For fans who cheered her sliding tackles in Vancouver and Lyon, the Hall of Fame plaque is more than a personal milestone—it’s a testament to an athlete who turned collegiate promise into world champion reality and now channels that same drive into creating safer, more equitable playing fields for the next generation.