Women’s World Cup: How to watch Team USA seek a third straight title

Kristie Mewis (Hanson, Mass.) will be one of two New Englanders on the U.S. roster in the World Cup. (Getty Images)

The U.S. women’s World Cup team begins its quest for a historic third straight championship on Friday night.

The Americans are pursuing what no team — men’s or women’s — has ever accomplished before, hoisting the World Cup for a third consecutive tournament.

The World Cup is being held in Australia and New Zealand, which has time differences from the United States of about 12-16 hours. So the viewing times will be unusual for American audiences.

And there are a couple of New Englanders who will play for the Americans during the tournament.

Here is everything you need to know for watching Team USA in the Women’s World Cup.

Game times

• Game 1 vs. Vietnam, Friday, July 21, 9 p.m. ET. TV: Fox
• Game 2 vs. Netherlands, Wednesday, July 26, 9 p.m. ET. TV: Fox
• Game 3 vs. Portugal, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 3 a.m. ET. TV: Fox

Yes, you read that right. The third game begins at 3 a.m. New England time on a Tuesday morning.

The first three games will be pool play, with Vietnam, Portugal and the Netherlands making up the other squads in the Americans’ four-team pool. If the U.S. advances out of pool play, as expected, it would enter the knockout round, which begins on Aug. 5.

The Americans have won the last two World Cups and four of the eight that have been held in the women’s tournament. So expectations are high that they will compete in the final rounds again.

Knockout round details

• Round of 16: Aug 5-8
• Quarterfinals: Aug. 11-12
• Semifinals: Aug. 15-16
• Final: Aug. 20

The New Englanders

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (Stratford, Conn.) and midfielder Kristie Mewis (Hanson, Mass.) are the region’s representatives on the team.

Mewis, who played at Boston College, is following in the footsteps of her sister, Samantha, who played for the U.S. in the 2019 World Cup. Kristie Mewis returned to the U.S. team in 2020 after a six-year absence, and has had a career renaissance, as we described last month when she was named to the team.

Naeher, who went to Penn State, has been with Team USA since 2014. She was the lone goalkeeper to appear for the U.S. when it won the World Cup in 2019. We profiled her journey from Stratford to the World Cup prior to that title four years ago.

The U.S. Roster

Goalkeepers (3): Aubrey Kingsbury, Casey Murphy, Alyssa Naeher

Defenders (7): Alana Cook, Crystal Dunn, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Sofia Huerta, Kelley O’Hara, Emily Sonnett

Midfielders (7): Savannah DeMelo, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Kristie Mewis, Ashley Sanchez, Andi Sullivan

Forwards (6): Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams

Podcast: Women’s World Cup preview