One of the greatest prizes in all of sports is up for grabs yet again, as the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final kicks off this Sunday in France.
After a dominant 5-2 victory over Japan four years ago, the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) is looking to defend its fourth World Cup title. However, the European Champions, the Netherlands, will not let that happen so easily without putting up a good fight. This will be the US’ third straight appearance in the World Cup Final while it’s going to be the first for the Netherlands.
So if you are a soccer fan wanting to know more about this exciting event, read ahead. We’ll fill you in on the details and latest updates about the upcoming World Cup Final.
When and Where is the Women’s World Cup
Host nation France opened the tournament against South Korea on June 7. Since then, 24 countries have competed against each other, all hoping to reach the final in Lyon. Some venues included Le Parc des Princes (Paris), Allianz Riviera (Nice), Stade de la Mosson (Montpellier), and Roazhon Park (Rennes), among others.
After an action-packed month, the tournament will end on Sunday, July 7, at Stade de Lyon in Lyon, France.
How to Watch the Women’s World Cup in the US
Fox Sports is the official English language broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup for the US. Telemundo and Universo will televise the event in Spanish. You may also watch on handier gadgets like your tablet or smartphone via the Fox Go app.
Alternatively, if you are a cord cutter, you may watch on other subscription services listed below:
- YouTube TV – $49.99 per month
- Hulu with Live TV – $44.99 per month
- FuboTV – $44.99 for the first month
- DirecTV Now – $50 per month
- Playstation Vue – $44.99 per month
- Sling TV – $15 per month
Each of these services offers free trial. So if you haven’t subscribed to any of them as of yet, this is a perfect time to try them out.
The BBC (UK), Optus Sport (Australia), DirecTV Sports (sub-Saharan Africa) and CTV/RDS/TSN (Canada) are some of the other carriers.
Path to the Final
Both the USWNT and the Netherlands team haven’t lost a single game in their respective matches. Check out each team’s path to the final in Lyon.
US: Thailand (13-0), Chile (3-0), Sweden (2-0), Spain (2-1) and France (2-1) and England (2-1)
Netherlands: New Zealand (1-0), Cameroon (3-1), Canada (2-1), Japan (2-1), Italy (2-0), Sweden (1-0)
Veterans Against Newcomers
One thing is for sure – the Women’s World Cup 2019 is a game between the experienced and the inexperienced in the world of soccer.
This is the second or third final for many players in the USWNT. Six of their projected starters are over 30 years old. Their coach, Jill Ellis, has been undefeated as a coach at the World Cup. With this tenure and experience, it’s not questionable if the US team is beaming with confidence in this ultimate match. But is there an old defense that’s a step slow going up against the prolific Dutch attack?
On the other hand, the Netherlands team is notably a younger squad, with sixteen of 23 players aged 26 and below. This is just the team’s second ever World Cup appearance and their debut in the final. However, aside from the gifted members, the European team has two aces — Lieke Martens and Vivianne Miedema. Both are prolific in front of a goal, and together, form possibly best attack in the tournament.
So, Who’s Likely to Win the World Cup?
World Cup finals are traditionally difficult to predict but the bookmakers have favored the veterans USWNT. They came into the tournament as most sports fans’ pick and they are the favorites to beat the Netherlands. The feisty team won all their matches, including beating hosts France, and are clear favorites for a reason.
So there you have it. If you are looking for some last minute ticket deals, click here. Make it a habit to check this blog for the latest sports updates and on all things live events.