Riley Jackson Bio
Riley Francis Jackson, born December 2, 2005, is an American professional soccer player who competes as a midfielder for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She has represented the United States at the under-17, under-20, and under-23 levels and earned a senior national team call-up in early 2026. A former Gatorade National Player of the Year, she signed her first professional contract as a teenager.
Jackson came to professional soccer from one of the strongest youth pipelines in Georgia, having captained national youth teams and led her high school program to statewide success. Within two seasons she became a regular starter for the Courage and reached her 50th NWSL regular-season appearance in May 2026, the youngest player in club history to hit that mark.
Early Life and Background
Riley Francis Jackson grew up in Roswell, Georgia, where she first developed her game at the local level. She began playing soccer with Roswell Santos SC, where her father coached her team, spending ten years with the club as she grew into a standout prospect. Her family environment gave her an early grounding in the sport and a steady support system through her formative years.
After a decade at Roswell Santos, Jackson joined the ECNL club Concorde Fire, where she was willing to play up an age group to test herself against stronger competition. Her progress was rapid. In 2021 she was named the ECNL Southeast Conference Player of the Year, and in 2022 she earned ECNL National Player of the Year honors after leading the Fire to the ECNL under-18/19 national title.
Jackson played high school soccer for Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, finishing her prep career with 36 goals and 48 assists. As a sophomore in 2022, she was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year after recording 14 goals and 18 assists and guiding Blessed Trinity to a 19–2–1 record and the GHSA Class 5A state semifinals. TopDrawerSoccer ranked her as the fourth-best prospect in the 2024 class, and she committed to play college soccer for Duke before choosing the professional path.
Path to Soccer
Jackson’s rise through the youth national team system began in October 2019, when she was first called into a United States under-15 camp. She returned to the program in March 2020 for a camp run by Sean Nahas, the future North Carolina Courage head coach, linking her early international development to the same coach who would later sign her professionally.
When youth soccer resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic hiatus, Jackson traveled abroad for the first time to represent the United States at the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship in the Dominican Republic. She co-captained the team to the title, scored two goals, added three assists, and was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Later that year she recorded two assists at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, where the United States fell to Nigeria in the quarterfinals on penalties.
Her performances kept her in the national team pipeline, and she progressed to the under-20 squad in 2024. Selected for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, she played all but 45 minutes of the tournament, helping the United States finish third, the country’s best result at the event since 2012, and converting a penalty kick in a shootout win over Germany in the quarterfinals.
Riley Jackson Career
Early Career (2022–2023)
Jackson’s transition toward the professional ranks began in the summer of 2022, when North Carolina Courage head coach Sean Nahas invited her to train with the club. The experience gave her a clear view of the NWSL environment and established a working relationship with Nahas that would shape her path.
The following summer, the Courage offered her professional terms, and Jackson decided to forgo her remaining college eligibility to sign with the club. On July 28, 2023, North Carolina announced that 17-year-old Jackson had signed her first professional contract, a two-and-a-half-year deal with an option for another year, using the NWSL’s recently established Under-18 Entry Mechanism. A foot injury kept her out for the remainder of that year.
NWSL Breakthrough (2024–2025)
Jackson made her professional debut on March 16, 2024, entering as a 90th-minute substitute for Ashley Sanchez in the season-opening 5–1 win over the Houston Dash. She earned her first start in her 12th appearance, a 3–1 home victory over the Chicago Red Stars on June 23. On July 26 she scored her first professional goal, a stoppage-time equalizer from outside the box against Racing Louisville in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, then converted the opening penalty in the shootout win.
Across the 2024 regular season, Jackson appeared in 18 league matches, starting three, as the Courage finished fifth in the standings. She was an unused substitute in the playoff quarterfinal loss to the Kansas City Current, an early taste of postseason soccer that informed her offseason work.
The departure of Narumi Miura to the Washington Spirit opened a starting role for Jackson in 2025. She responded by scoring her first regular-season goal on March 15, in the season-opening 1–1 road draw with Racing Louisville. She went on to play in 25 league games that year, starting 23, and added a second goal. The Courage placed ninth and missed the playoffs, but Jackson’s growth was enough to earn a three-year contract extension through 2028.
Senior National Team Era (2026–Present)
Jackson received her first senior United States call-up in January 2026, the next step after a January 2025 invitation to Emma Hayes’s Futures Camp, where she trained alongside the senior squad. Her progress through the under-17, under-20, under-23, and senior levels within seven years reflected her steady rise within the program.
On January 27, 2026, she made her senior international debut, starting the full match and assisting Trinity Rodman’s goal in a 5–0 friendly win over Chile. The performance confirmed her place in the senior pool as she continued to anchor the Courage midfield.
Driving Style and Strengths
Jackson is a creative central midfielder whose strengths lie in distribution, late-arriving runs into the box, and composure in tight spaces. Her willingness to play up age groups at Concorde Fire, and her quick adaptation to NWSL pace, point to a player comfortable operating against older and more physical opponents.
Notable Events and Milestones
Her first professional goal, a stoppage-time equalizer from outside the box against Racing Louisville, announced her arrival in the NWSL. Reaching her 50th regular-season appearance on May 2, 2026, made her the youngest Courage player and the fourth-youngest NWSL player in league history to hit that mark.
Riley Jackson Career Wins
Riley Jackson’s trophy case to this point centers on youth international success rather than senior club silverware. Her biggest verified result is the bronze medal from the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, where she played nearly every minute and converted a penalty in the quarterfinal shootout win over Germany.
U-20 and Youth Honors
Jackson won the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship as co-captain, scoring two goals and adding three assists and earning the tournament’s Golden Ball award. With the under-20 team, she helped the United States take bronze at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, the country’s best finish at the event since 2012.
Other Wins & Performances
At the club youth level, Jackson led Concorde Fire to the ECNL under-18/19 national title in 2022, the same year she was named ECNL National Player of the Year. At the high school level, she earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors in 2022 after guiding Blessed Trinity Catholic High School to a 19–2–1 record and the GHSA Class 5A state semifinals.
Riley Jackson Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Jackson’s introduction to organized soccer came through her father, who coached her team at Roswell Santos SC during her first decade in the sport. That family connection grounded her development in Roswell, Georgia, and helped shape the disciplined work habits that carried her through the ECNL, the youth national teams, and into the NWSL.
Personal Life
Jackson grew up in Roswell, Georgia, and continued to make that area her home base through her high school years at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School. She has kept much of her personal life private as she has focused on her professional and international commitments.
2025 Season Performance
Jackson’s 2025 NWSL season was the campaign that turned her from a depth player into a regular starter. She opened the year by scoring her first regular-season goal, on March 15 against Racing Louisville, and went on to appear in 25 league matches, starting 23 of them, while scoring two goals across the regular season.
Her increased role came against the backdrop of the Courage placing ninth in the league and missing the playoffs, a setback that made her individual progress stand out even more. The club responded to her breakout by signing her to a three-year contract extension through 2028, a clear signal that North Carolina views her as a central part of its long-term midfield plan.
Looking ahead to 2026, Jackson carried that momentum into a January senior national team debut against Chile and a 50th regular-season appearance milestone on May 2. With a stable starting role at club level and a foothold in the senior United States setup, she entered the new NWSL season as one of the league’s young midfielders to watch.
