Just days after the draw determined which teams would face each other in the group stage, FIFA has confirmed kickoff times for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Given the massive time zone differences between the United States and the two host countries, the kickoff times certainly could have been worse for U.S. national team supporters.
The USWNT’s first two group-stage games kick off at the relatively friendly time of 9 p.m. ET: the opener against Vietnam on July 21 (which will be July 22 in New Zealand) and the next match against the Netherlands on July 26 (July 27 in New Zealand).
Those games are followed by a less-friendly 3 a.m. ET kickoff time on August 1 for the USWNT’s group-stage finale against the winner of a playoff (Portugal, Thailand or Cameroon).
The USWNT will be favored to come out on top of Group E and if they do, their path to the final will also contain mixed news for fans hoping to watch back home.
Should they win Group E, the U.S. would play their last-16 match at 10 p.m. on August 5 (August 6 in Australia). A win would be followed by a quarterfinal at 9 p.m. ET on August 10 (August 11 in New Zealand), a semifinal at 4 a.m. on August 15, and then a final at 6 a.m. on August 20.
The USWNT will close out 2022 with a pair of friendlies against Germany next month.
USWNT group stage kickoff times (ET)
- July 21, 9 p.m. — USWNT vs. Vietnam: Eden Park, Auckland
- July 26, 9 p.m. — USWNT vs. Netherlands: Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
- August 1, 3 a.m. — Playoff winner vs. USWNT: Eden Park, Auckland NZ
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