FIFA Women’s World Cup: Everything you need to know
Jack Birle
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The FIFA Women’s World Cup started earlier this week in Australia and New Zealand, and the United States women’s soccer team is looking to win for the third consecutive time.
With the U.S. set to begin their quest to defend their World Cup title later on Friday, here is everything you need to know about the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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When does the USA play?
The U.S. has its opening match against Vietnam in Auckland, New Zealand, on Friday at 9 p.m. EDT (Saturday at 1 p.m. local time). The remaining two games in the group stage are against the Netherlands on Wednesday at 9 p.m. EDT (Thursday at 1 p.m. local time) and against Portugal on Aug. 1 at 3 a.m. EDT (7 p.m. local time).
If the U.S. advances to the knockout round, the next game will be determined once the standings for each group have been determined.
Who are the favorites?
The heavy favorite is the U.S. women’s team, but several European teams also have excellent odds to win the tournament.
Oddsmakers at Caesars Sportsbook rated the U.S. +225 favorites prior to the first match of the tournament, with England (+450), Spain (+550), Germany (+700), and France (+900) rounding out the top five, per SportsLine.
The U.S. is the defending champion from the 2019 World Cup, but Canada won the gold medal at the 2021 Summer Olympics.
Where can I watch the games?
All of the games are broadcast on Fox or FS1 in English, while games in Spanish are available on Telemundo or on NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock. Major games, including the final and most U.S. games, will be broadcast on Fox as opposed to FS1.
When is the final?
The final is scheduled for Aug. 20 at 6 a.m. EDT, or 8 p.m. local time, at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
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The U.S. has appeared in the most finals out of any team in Women’s World Cup history — five out of eight. The U.S. women have also won the Women’s World Cup title four times, including in 2015 and 2019. Going into the 2023 tournament, the worst the U.S. has finished in the Women’s World Cup is third place.
The last team to win the Women’s World Cup that was not the U.S. was Japan, who beat the U.S. team in penalty kicks in the 2011 final.