The Women’s World Cup is finally here! Four-time World Cup Champions US Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) kick off their tournament tomorrow in the group stages against Vietnam.
Can the United States women make it a three-peat? Let’s take a look at look at the full Group E schedule and examine match possibilities beyond the group stages.
USWNT schedule for World Cup 2023 — Group Stages
The USWNT, hailing from Group E, are set to compete against a trio of tough opponents in this order: Vietnam, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
The Stars and Stripes square off with Vietnam on Friday, July 21, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. They clash with the Netherlands on Wednesday, July 26, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. The USWNT famously defeated the Netherlands in the 2019 World Cup final, thanks to goals from Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle — these two players also feature on the 2023 roster.
And finally, the USWNT meet Portugal on Tuesday, August 1, at 3 a.m. Eastern Time. The hardcore USWNT fans will need their morning coffee for that one.
USWNT Knockout Round and Beyond
Should the USWNT win Group E, they’ll go on face to face the first or second-place finisher from G in the Round of 16, the knockout stage. Luckily for US fans, that game on August 5 is scheduled at a convenient 10 p.m. Eastern Time hour.
The subsequent quarterfinal — should the US advance — also starts at 9 p.m. ET. But an early wake-up call bodes for the potential semifinal on August 15 at 4 a.m. ET.
- Round of 16: Set for August 5 at 10 p.m. Eastern Time
- Quarterfinal: Scheduled for August 10 at 9 p.m. Eastern Time
- Semifinal: Slated for the early hours of August 15, at 4 a.m. Eastern Time
What happens if the USWNT finish second in Group E? Should the USWNT finish second in Group E, Americans may have difficulty catching the matches. The August 6th Round of 16 match would begin at 5 a.m., the quarterfinal on August 11 at 3:30 a.m., and the more reasonable hours of the semifinal on August at 6 a.m.
- Round of 16: Happening on August 6 at 5 a.m. Eastern Time
- Quarterfinal: Due to take place on August 11 at 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time
- Semifinal: Scheduled for August 16 at 6 a.m. Eastern Time
World Cup finals
Should the United States push on to the World Cup finals on August 20, American fans have set their alarms early. That’s because the final at Stadium Australia in Sydney is at 6 a.m. ET.
The 3rd place match occurs a day before, August 19, at 4 a.m. from Lang Park, Brisbane.
Raise your hand if you plan on catching every game 🙋♀️🇺🇸
Photo: Twitter/USWNT
