Abby Wambach has announced her retirement from soccer.

Wambach said before the World Cup this past summer in Canada that she wanted to cap her 15-year career with the game's most prestigious championship.

Wambach will play the final four matches of the national team's 10-game victory tour before stepping away from the team. Her final match will be Dec. 16 against China in New Orleans.

"After much deliberation and talking with my friends, family, teammates and our coaching staff, I've decided to finally bring my soccer career to an end," Wambach said in a statement. "While we still have more work to do for women's soccer, after bringing the World Cup back to the United States this summer, I'm feeling extremely optimistic about the future of our sport. It's been an amazing, wonderful ride, and I can't wait to see what the next chapter of my life brings."