Being tall has its advantages and disadvantages in soccer. Some tall players can use their height to get a better view of the field, intercept balls, head an oncoming ball away from goal, or score goals themselves. However, tall players are usually slower than shorter players and are more vulnerable to sliding tackles from defenders.
There are not many tall female soccer players that play professionally, but there are still a few that stands out. Below are the 5 tallest female soccer players in the world.
5. Birgit Prinz – 5’10” (1.79m)
- Country: Germany
Birgit Prinz is the tallest active German soccer player right now. She is a retired defender who played for FSV Frankfurt & FFC Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga, as well as the Carolina Courage in the WUSA. Birgit is also a former captain of the German national team.
Known as an exceptional goal scorer, Birgit was ranked #1 in the world for scoring among female soccer players from 2002 to 2006. In addition, she has won three UEFA Cup Women’s Championships.
Internationally, Prinz first appeared on the German squad as a 20-year old, which led to her being awarded the Silver Ball at the 1995 FIFA World Cup. She also became an Olympic gold medalist in 1996 and 2000 with Germany, as well as later adding two more European Championship titles (1998 and 2004) to her honors list in the black, red, and gold.
Prinz retired from soccer in 2013 and is currently working as an assistant coach for the German national women’s team.
4. Abby Wambach – 5’11” (1.80 m)
- Country: USA
Abby Wambach is an American professional soccer player. She was born on April 2, 1980, in Rochester, New York to Rochester native and former U.S. international player Elizabeth McKeown and Hamrick-born father Steve Wambach, who was playing for the nearby Buffalo Stallions at the time.
She attended “Our Lady of Mercy High School” in Rochester, before eventually graduating and playing for the University of Florida in the NCAA. In high school, she also played basketball.
Abby was the first woman to score more than 200 international goals or score more than 100 goals in an Olympic Games.
She is also the all-time leading scorer for the United States women’s national soccer team, as well as the 2nd all-time leading international goal scorer (men or women), only being bested by Christine Sinclair of Canada.
3. Sam Mewis – 6’0” (183cm)
- Country: USA
Sam Mewis is a professional soccer player from the United States. Born March 2nd, 1994, her hometown is in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is currently playing for the North Carolina Courage in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), but has also played for Manchester City, the Western New York Flash, and the Pali Blues.
Mewis was drafted by the Boston Breakers as the second overall pick of the 2016 NWSL College Draft. She played for UCLA Bruins during her college career where she was an All-American three times and won an NCAA Championship in her junior year. She was also awarded the 2015 Honda Award by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards – recognizing her as the best collegiate female soccer player.
Sam Mewis has represented the United States women’s national soccer team. She was called up to the squad for the first time on November 14, 2016, for a friendly against Brazil. The match ended in a 1-1 draw after she replaced Julie Ertz at halftime.
She became the 44th player to earn their first cap with the senior USWNT squad. Her first USWNT goal came during an international friendly match against Russia on April 6, 2017. She also managed to score a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Colombia on January 18, 2021.
2. Taylor Kornieck – 6’1” (185cm)
Taylor Kornieck is tall pic.twitter.com/sE5ybj4mRT
— Sophie Lawson (@lawson_sv) April 10, 2021
- Country: USA
Taylor Kornieck is a female soccer player from the United States. Born November 22th, 1998, she currently plays for the Orlando Pride in the NWSL. She shortly spent time on a loan to MSV Duisberg in 2020.
She comes from a family of athletes, as her mother (Kirstin) played professional volleyball in Europe and her brother (Nick) played collegiate basketball for Doane University and California State University, Dominguez Hills.
In 2017, she was named captain of the US U-20 women’s national soccer team and played at the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship.
Being one of the youngest players on the list, she still has much to accomplish. However, playing for the USA National youth team is a great honor and she should have a bright future ahead of her.
Her next step at this point would be to get onto the USA Women’s national team and become a regular starter.
1. Wendie Renard – 6’2” (187cm)
- Country: France
Wendie Renard was born on July 20, 1990. She is a French defender and midfielder for Olympique Lyon in the Division 1 Feminine.
She has helped her team win three consecutive titles from 2016 to 2018 with Lyon and also helped them win two Division 1 Feminine titles from 2012-2013 and 2015-2016. In 2017, she became club captain for Lyon and played at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup. This was her first appearance in an international final with Lyon.
Professionally, she has been described as an “institution” – having played for Lyon since 2006. Her national team career began in 2009, and she has been a member of the France Women’s National Team for over a decade.
Renard was part of the France Women’s National Team that won gold at the 2016 Olympic Games. In addition, she was named to the UEFA Women’s Championship’s Best XI in 2011 and 2012.
Wendie currently holds the record for the most international caps (149) and goals (28) in her country’s history. She is also considered one of women’s soccer’s “best” defenders of all time.
Renard has been a part of the France Women’s National Team since 2009. In addition, she was a member of the French team that made it to the quarter-finals in the 2016 Olympic games.
Also Read: Tallest Men’s Soccer Players In The World
