The United States will be playing for an unprecedented three-peat at this year’s Women’s World Cup. It won’t be easy for the No. 1 team in the world.
Team USA celebrates after winning the Women’s World Cup soccer final against the Netherlands at the Stade de Lyon in Decines, outside Lyon, France, Sunday, July 7, 2019. The United States will be playing for an unprecedented three-peat at the Women’s World Cup this summer. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)(AP/Alessandra Tarantino)
Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the quadrennial tournament for international soccer’s most coveted trophy kicked off Thursday and features an expanded field of 32 teams, up from 24. There are 64 matches during the tournament.
That means more competition for the two-time defending World Cup champion U.S., which won the 2015 event in Canada and the 2019 tournament in France. The Americans have won four titles overall, most of any nation.
The 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four teams. Each team plays a three-game, round-robin group stage, running from July 20 to Aug. 3.
The top finishers advance to the round of 16 from Aug. 5-8. The quarterfinals are set for Aug. 11-12 and the two semifinal matches will be played Aug. 15-16. A third-place game is set for Aug. 19 in Brisbane ahead of the final in Sydney.
The final will air at 6 a.m. ET (1000 GMT) on Aug. 20 in the United States.
The broadcast schedule is complicated by the time difference. The United States is playing in Group E with Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal. The opening match is against Vietnam on July 22 in Auckland, which, because of the time difference, will air in the U.S. on July 21 at 9 p.
