The "Soccer Girl Pony" Is Having Its Main Character Moment

If you grew up playing soccer, you already know the type. She stocked her backpack with pink Pre-Wrap and probably had a picture of Alex Morgan taped inside her middle school locker. But her hair was the real giveaway: a messy ponytail that only soccer girls could ever seem to pull off.

The style wasn’t necessarily trying to make a statement, but it was distinctive: the pony sits high on the head while staying loose in the back, with baby hairs and wispy face-framing pieces where there would normally be gelled-down edges. In hindsight, it was the anti-slickback trend before slickbacks were even a thing.

More than a decade later — and, coincidentally, as the World Cup kicks off — that same ponytail has started popping up again online. It might be called a “drop pony” or a “cooler older sister pony,” depending on who you ask on TikTok. But let’s be honest: soccer girls did it first. Ahead, everything to know about the sporty updo.

What Is A Soccer Girl Pony?

Not every high ponytail earns soccer girl status, and the distinction comes down to just a few details. “You pull up the pony to the perfect height, then leave out wispy pieces with some messy texture at the crown,” says Stephanie Angelone, master celebrity stylist at RPZL Hair Extension & Blowout Bar in New York City. “The whole point is that it looks textured and undone.” In other words, the pony starts high but shouldn’t stay perfectly taut. Instead, it’s loose enough to take on the kind of dropped shape that would naturally happen after running around for 90 minutes — only now, people are recreating it on purpose.

Sound familiar? That's because the look was practically unavoidable when it peaked in the early-to-mid 2010s. As the trend's unofficial poster child, Alex Morgan helped cement the soccer girl pony as a beauty phenomenon with her signature game-day style — but she was far from the only one wearing it. In fact, the look became so ubiquitous off the field that everyone on TikTok seems to have a different reference point: Nina Dobrev on The Vampire Diaries, Blake Lively on Gossip Girl, Brooke Hyland on Dance Moms, and the list goes on.

It’s not just nostalgia that’s priming the style for a comeback. As the pendulum in beauty swings toward “casual chic,” according to Angelone, “looking put-together but also like you didn’t try too hard is what every girl wants.” Its appeal has always been that balance — it’s both sporty and pretty, lived-in and just styled enough. Think of it as the hair equivalent to “no-makeup makeup,” as Angelone puts it.

Don’t get it twisted: There will always be a time and place for a Pilates bun. But after years of super sleek, heavily gelled looks, it’s refreshing to have another option. After all, a person can only spend so much time fussing with flyaways before a more relaxed style starts sounding more appealing — and thankfully, the soccer girl pony actually benefits from a few errant baby hairs.

How To Style The Trend

The good news is there’s plenty of room for interpretation when it comes to the soccer girl pony. Leave out a few extra tendrils or none at all, pull the pony tighter or let it drop even lower — all of it works. Whether you wear your hair straight, curly, or in braids, the charm is in the imperfection.

Unfortunately, though, gravity has a say in this matter. If your hair is especially thick or heavy, the already-loose pony may keep slipping lower throughout the day. Another thing to consider is your haircut. “Shorter face-framing pieces work best here,” Angelone says. “You don’t want any long pieces hanging around your face, just small baby hairs out around your ears.”

But the best part? The soccer girl pony is practically designed for dirty hair. “You want at least day-two hair,” Angelone says. “Clean hair won’t hold the pony in place as well.” If you’re working with a fresh blowout, some texturizing product — like RPZL’s Hair Volume Powder — helps add a little extra grip and volume at the roots without sacrificing movement.

From there, start by pulling your hair into a high, loose ponytail, then gently shake and slide the elastic until you get the dropped shape underneath with volume on top. You'll want the extra looseness anyway when it comes time to tease out the wispy pieces around your hairline and ears.

If you’re already resurrecting your old tried-and-true hairstyle, you might as well commit to the bit. Lean into the nostalgia and finish it off with a ribbon or oversized scrunchie. (Bonus points if you match the color to your World Cup team.) After all, a little accessorizing is exactly what your inner soccer girl circa 2012 would have wanted.