The United States women’s national team will get a chance to start playing soccer again Sunday (5 a.m. ET, Fox), a welcome development after days of scrutiny following their second-place finish in the group stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
In the first round of the World Cup knockout stages, the U.S. will face its longtime nemesis Sweden earlier than ever expected, due to that second-place finish. It will be the first time the two teams have faced each other since the USWNT’s shocking 3-0 loss to Sweden in the Tokyo Olympics, which snapped a 44-game unbeaten streak and triggered questions about the team that became much louder earlier this week.
Here’s how to watch the elimination match between the USWNT and Sweden. And follow our live tracker below for coverage from Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
USWNT vs. Sweden (Odds via BetMGM)
5 a.m. ET, Fox
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USA to win (-165)
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Sweden to win (+115)
The U.S. opened the World Cup with a sleepwalking 3-0 win over Vietnam, then ran into trouble with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands. They were still poised to win Group E with a win over Portugal, but a scoreless draw instead rang alarm bells.
Now, the USWNT has a harder path to the championship game, or at least a harder one to watch for American audiences.
Meanwhile, Sweden cruised through the group stage with three wins by a combined score of 9-1. This will be a matchup between the top-ranked team in the FIFA world rankings (the U.S.) and No. 3 (Sweden), and there is plenty of reason to think Sweden will have the advantage.
If the USWNT wants to show its next generation is truly ready for primetime, Sunday’s match is a must-win.
