The USWNT were the clear pre-tournament favourites to win the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with the side winning the last two World Cups and appearing in every final since 2011.
Despite being placed in a group with fellow 2019 finalists the Netherlands, the team was expected to have few troubles finishing top of Group E as they have done for most World Cups.
However, they struggled to meet those expectations, with the side only winning one match — a 3-0 opening victory against Vietnam — and drawing twice to the Netherlands and Portugal, meaning the USWNT still qualified, but only in second place behind the Netherlands.
Not only does that mean they will face a tougher run to a potential fourth straight World Cup final, but it also has a dramatic impact on the kickoff times for their matches, with their Round of 16 match against Sweden set to begin at 5:00 a.m. ET.
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Why is the USWNT playing so late?
Whilst it is great to see the World Cup being hosted by new countries in Australia and New Zealand, the different time zones of the host nations compared to the USA means many matches in the tournament have been played in the middle of the night American time, with prime time games held in the late afternoon and evening local time.
This created a headache for officials, as it meant fans in the USA — one of the biggest audience markets for the tournament — would be less likely to watch matches at such a time. Therefore, when creating the schedule for the USWNT, they scheduled their kickoff times in the early afternoon in New Zealand, which would correspond to a kickoff time of between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the United States depending on location.
Officials also wanted to maximise potential viewing audiences in the knockout rounds by crafting a viewing schedule that would be friendly to US-based audiences who would want to watch their country in the latter stages of the World Cup; however, organisers made their plans with the assumption the USA would top their group, which they didn't do.
This means the USWNT will now play their Round of 16 match against Sweden at 7:00 p.m. local time but at 5:00 a.m. ET, with organisers expecting the Netherlands to occupy second place in Group E. Instead, the Dutch are playing South Africa at 12:00 p.m. local time and 10:00 p.m. ET, the time slot chosen with the US audience in mind.
It is not easy for officials to pick kickoff times in Australia and New Zealand, as they have to balance the needs of audiences overseas as well as picking a practical time for match-going fans and players, but their risk to gamble on the USA topping their group has failed, meaning both the USA-Sweden match will likely have a smaller audience, as could the Netherlands vs South Africa clash.
MORE: Which teams qualified for the Round of 16?
Possible USWNT World Cup schedule
The USWNT Round of 16 match against Sweden will take place on Sunday, August 7, kicking off at 7:00 p.m. local time / 5:00 a.m. ET.
If the USWNT gets back to their best and defeats a strong Sweden side, they would then face either Japan or Norway in a quarterfinal on August 11.
Any potential semifinal would then take place on Tuesday, August 15, with the third-placed playoff and World Cup final being played on August 19 and August 20 respectively.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | TV (English) | TV (Spanish) | Stream |
| Friday, Aug. 11 | Japan/Norway vs. USA | 3:30 a.m. | Fox | Telemundo/Universo | Fubo |
| Tuesday, Aug. 15 | USA vs. TBD | 4 a.m. | Fox | Telemundo/Universo | Fubo |
| Saturday, Aug. 19* | USA vs. TBD | 4 a.m. | Fox | Telemundo/Universo | Fubo |
| Sunday, Aug. 20** | USA vs. TBD | 6 a.m. | Fox | Telemundo/Universo | Fubo |
* Third-place game features losers of semifinal match
** World Cup final features winners of semifinal match
MORE: Disappointing USWNT still advances to World Cup Round of 16
Potential World Cup opponents for USWNT
The USWNT is out of form, and not the ruthless team the world is used to.
Their second-placed finish in the group means their journey to the final will see them take on strong and in-form sides.
Their Round of 16 match sees them face Sweden, who won all of their group games, scoring nine goals and conceding just once.
If they navigate that challenge, a quarterfinal against either a Japan side who demolished Spain 4-0 and were arguably the best team in the group stages, or Norway, currently ranked 12th in the world, awaits.
Any semifinal would most likely see them play rematch against the ninth-ranked Netherlands, or against a Spain side ranked 6th in the world.
It is a stacked side of the draw the USWNT finds themselves in, with six of the top 12 footballing nations according to the FIFA World Rankings, as well as some teams who have been far more impressive than the USA has been so far in the tournament.
