With the strength of Team USA, there will be a lot of interest at home for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. But it ended its run in the Round of 16 — its lowest finish in the history of the event.
In a hurry? Team USA matches will be big events broadcast on Fox. But to watch all the matches, you will also need FS1. These streaming services offer those channels and many more:
- Fubo: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 150+ well-selected channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
- DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save 50% on Sling TV now.
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Table Of Contents
The United States women’s national soccer team is, by many measures, the world’s best. Historically, it has won half of the FIFA Women’s World Cups that have been contested (four of eight). It has also won more than half of the women’s soccer competitions that have taken place at the Summer Olympics (four of seven).
And it currently sits atop the FIFA Women’s World Ranking, where it has been for more than three-quarters of its history.
Expectations remain high for the Americans entering the Women’s World Cup, and the team is solely focused on winning the entire thing.
Watching the USWNT at the 2023 FIFA World Cup
The 2023 FIFA World Cup is being hosted by Australia and New Zealand this year. You can get the full rundown of the event in our FIFA Women’s World Cup viewer’s guide. The United States is in Group E with Vietnam, The Netherlands, and Portugal.
All of the games featuring the USWNT will be featured on Fox. This includes any potential Round of 16, Quarterfinal, Semifinal, and Final matches. Here is the schedule for the Group Stage:
- Friday July 21 : United States (3) vs Vietnam (0)
- Wednesday July 26 : United States (1) vs Netherlands (1)
- Tuesday August 1 : Portugal (0) vs United States (0)
- Sunday August 6 : Sweden (0 — 5) vs United States (0 — 4)
Assuming the Americans are first or second in that group, they will move on to the knockout portion of the World Cup, which starts Saturday, August 5th.
How to Stream Team USA at the 2023 FIFA World Cup
All the following streaming services offer Fox and Fox Sports 1 (FS1).
- Fubo (formerly FuboTV): This is probably the best streaming service for soccer fans and provides all the channels you need to World Cup (even in Spanish). It features plans starting at $79.99/mo and includes 1000 hours of cloud DVR and streaming on up to 10 devices. It also includes ESPN, ESPN2, FS2, CBS Sports Network, TUDN, and beIN Sports. Check out our Fubo review and World Cup Guide for complete information.
- DIRECTV STREAM: The base plan for $79.99/mo allows you to watch all the World Cup matches. All its plans come with unlimited cloud DVR storage and simultaneous streaming devices. You can find more information in our DIRECTV STREAM review and World Cup Guide.
- Sling TV: Sling Blue gives you Fox and FS1 and ~40 other channels for $40.00/mo. Note that Fox is only available in select markets (16 of them). See our local channels guide for details. And see our Sling TV review, WC Guide, and USWNT Guide for more information.
- Hulu + Live TV: Includes all the FIFA channels and a lot more. It also includes unlimited cloud DVR storage. Get more information in our Hulu + Live TV review and Hulu Live World Cup Guide.
- Vidgo: Get 100+ channels for just $69.99/mo. Note that it has very limited Fox coverage so check our local channels guide. See our Vidgo review for details.
- YouTube TV: Get all the World Cup as part of its 100+ channel lineup. Read our YouTube TV review for more.
Since all the matches featuring the USWNT will be on Fox, you can stream using the Fox app as long as you have a service (including pretty much all streaming and many cable and satellite providers) that includes TV Everywhere access.
You can live stream all the USA matches on pretty much any device you own. All of these services (and the Fox app) support Amazon Fire TV, Android Mobile, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS devices (iPhone), Roku, and web browsers. Most also support gaming devices like the Xbox.
Team USA Background
The story of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) started on August 18, 1985, when the squad fell to the host Italians in Jesolo, 1-0. That was part of a week-long friendly tournament, during which the Americans also drew with Denmark, 2-2, and dropped decisions to England, 3-1, and Denmark, 1-0.
The first win of many came in their fifth contest, which was played nearly a year later, on July 7, 1986. That was also the initial matchup with border rival Canada. The score of this friendly was 2-0.
However, it would not be until 1991 when the team could take part in an official worldwide championship event. It shined there, ultimately winning the final by a 2-1 score over Norway.
The Americans also claimed gold at the first women’s soccer competition that was held at the Olympics, in 1996. The gold medal game featured a 2-1 win over China, which is who the US would defeat in a penalty shootout in the final of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, a watershed moment for women’s sports in the country, primarily because of the massive US-based viewership number for it: 40 million.
In that World Cup, the team played numerous times in front of sold-out NFL and college football stadiums and was the subject of much water cooler chat around the country, all of which built up to that iconic match.
More recently, the side enters the 2023 event off of back-to-back World Cup titles, claimed in 2015 and 2019, and is looking to be the first to threepeat. However, the US has struggled to equal that recent success at the Olympics, going home without a medal in 2016 and taking a bronze back to the States in 2021.
Road to the 2023 Women’s World Cup
The Americans have not played any games of true significance since they defeated Australia, 4-3, in the Olympics bronze medal match on August 5, 2021. In fact, they have only taken part in five competitive fixtures since then to go with 27 friendlies, and most of those competitive matches were not really challenges.
To qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup without participating in the playoffs, the US had to advance to the semifinals of the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, which it did with ease, posting three clean sheets in victories over Haiti, 3-0, Jamaica, 5-0, and Mexico, 1-0. Those were followed by a 3-0 win over Costa Rica and a 1-0 defeat of Canada to take the trophy.
However, the squad does schedule top teams for many of its friendlies. Later in 2022, matches were played against England, Spain, and Germany, two against the Germans. In fact, those were more than challenges for the Americans as they dropped the first three to that trio of top-six countries before ending the year with a 2-1 win over Germany.
Meanwhile, the best team, per the FIFA Rankings, that the US has played so far in 2023 has been #7 Canada. This was part of the 2023 SheBelieves Cup where they also #8 Brazil and #11 Japan.
Matchups with non-top-tier countries take the US into the tournament, two against Ireland, ranked 22nd, and one versus Wales, which is 30th.
Meanwhile, Vietnam, its initial World Cup opponent, is 32nd. And its third opponent, Portugal is ranked 21st.
However, that is where the comparatively easy competition comes to an end with a matchup with the Netherlands in the Americans’ second match at the World Cup. The Dutch are ninth in the FIFA Rankings and had a showdown with the US in the final of the 2019 World Cup, falling to the Americans by a 2-0 score.
USWNT Squad
Top Players
Many of the players on the US roster are household names with tremendous social media followings.
Alex Morgan, by many measures, is the most popular of them. She earned her first moment in the spotlight when she put away a French side in the 2011 World Cup semifinals, scoring the Americans’ third goal in their 3-1 win. She then gave the US a 1-0 lead in the final against Japan although the Japanese team would rally and claim that match on penalty kicks.
Now, she is the veteran on the squad as no one on it has played more World Cup matches than she has: 18. She brings a career World Cup goal-scoring tally of nine into the 2023 edition.
Megan Rapinoe is another name player. Her first significant moment came when she assisted on one of the most impactful goals in the team’s history. A cross from her foot in the 122nd minute of its 2011 World Cup quarterfinal showdown with Brazil met Abby Wambach’s head and then the back of the net to tie the score at 2-2. The Americans would win in a penalty shootout to ensure that it would continue to claim a medal at every World Cup contested.
She is just behind Morgan in World Cup matches played with 17 and has also scored on nine occasions at this competition.
Kelley O’Hara, like Morgan and Rapinoe, will be making her fourth World Cup appearance this year. The defender played a pivotal role in anchoring the back line and helping her team claim the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. In fact, O’Hara used to be a forward, switching to left back prior to the qualifying tournament for that competition. She scored 26 times for Stanford her last season in college.
Julie Ertz and Alyssa Naeher will be making their third World Cup appearances this year while Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett, Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan have been named to a World Cup squad for the second time.
Rapinoe is the oldest player on the roster at 37 as of the tournament’s start while Alyssa Thompson, at 18, will be the youngest to represent the Americans there.
Head Coach
The US is led by head coach Vlatko Andonovski. He had managed FC Kansas City and Reign FC, a club that is based in Seattle, for five and two seasons, respectively, before taking the reigns of the USWNT in October 2019. The Macedonian led his KC side to two NWSL championships but has won just one competitive title with the US, the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. However, this is its first World Cup appearance under his reign.
USWNT World Cup Roster
Here is the complete list of all 23 USWNT players on the World Cup team:
- Alana Cook (Defender)
- Savannah Demelo (Midfielder)
- Crystal Dunn (Defender)
- Julie Ertz (Midfielder)
- Emily Fox (Defender)
- Naomi Girma (Defender)
- Lindsey Horan (Midfielder)
- Sofia Huerta (Defender)
- Aubrey Kingsbury (Goalkeeper)
- Rose Lavelle (Midfielder)
- Kristie Mewis (Midfielder)
- Alex Morgan (Forward)
- Casey Murphy (Goalkeeper)
- Alyssa Naeher (Goalkeeper)
- Kelley O’Hara (Defender)
- Megan Rapinoe (Forward)
- Trinity Rodman (Forward)
- Ashley Sanchez (Midfielder)
- Sophia Smith (Forward)
- Emily Sonnett (Defender)
- Andi Sullivan (Midfielder)
- Alyssa Thompson (Forward)
- Lynn Williams (Forward)
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Video Highlights
Group Match 1: United States vs Vietnam
The United States Women’s National Team was dominant in its opening match against Vietnam in its first-ever Women’s World Cup appearance. Vietnam played a strong defensive game with some impressive saves by goalkeeper Thi Kim Thanh Tran. But it wasn’t enough against the USA’s strong offense, which yielded 2 goals by Sophia Smith in the first half and then a third by Lindsey Horan in the second half.
Group Game 2: United States vs Netherlands
The Netherlands went ahead early with an impressive goal by Jill Roord helped by some excellent team play. The lead held well into the second half when Lindsey Horan headed a corner kick for a USA goal.
Portugal vs United States
Team USA needed at least a tie in this game and they got it — barely. Portugal came inches away from sending the team home during stoppage time. Overall, the United States performed well offensively but their defense was weak and they survived mostly thanks to a lack of shots on target by Portugal. The final score was 0-0.
Sweden vs United States
The US was dominant during regulation time of this match and certainly would have won without the outstanding work of Swedish goalkeeper Zećira Mušović. It all came down to the penalty shootout, however, where Sweden won on an almost unbelievable goal.
Wrapping Up
You can watch Team USA at the 2023 Women’s World Cup on Fox and all the rest on Fox Sports. Fubo is our top pick. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
FAQs
Why isn’t Becky Sauerbrunn playing in the World Cup?
Notably missing from the lineup for the 2023 World Cup is USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn. She sustained a foot injury back in April during an NWSL match playing for the Portland Thorns FC against the Racing Louisville FC. She had been working on the injury and only bowed out at the last minute.
How has Team USA done in the World Cup?
Team USA has an outstanding record in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Since the event began in 1991, they have never finished outside the top 3. Their results are as follows:
- 1991: 1st
- 1995: 3rd
- 1999: 1st
- 2003: 3rd
- 2007: 3rd
- 2011: 2nd
- 2015: 1st
- 2019: 1st
How has Team USA done in the Olympics
The USWNT has done very well in the Olympics but they have struggled the last couple of outings.
- 1996: Gold
- 2000: Silver
- 2004: Gold
- 2008: Gold
- 2012: Gold
- 2016: None
- 2020: Bronze
How can I watch other soccer events?
We have guides for the biggest events in soccer:
Featured Image by Erik Drost under CC BY 2.0.
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