After nearly a month, the 2015 Women's World Cup is drawing to a close.
Don't worry, however. There are still two games to be played, including the biggest match of all. The USA will take on Japan in the final at BC Place in Vancouver on Sunday (7 pm ET, FOX, Telemundo in US, CTV/RDS in Canada). It's a rematch of the 2011 Women's World Cup final, when Japan won their first-ever World Cup following a penalty shootout. Can they become the second country to repeat as champions, or will the Americans become the first country to win three world titles on the women's side?
WATCH ON TV & ONLINE — UNITED STATES
In the United States, FOX Sports own the English-language media rights and will provide multiplatform coverage of the Women's World Cup. FOX will televise all 52 matches between June 6 and July 5 on its three main channels. Never before has a broadcast network aired 16 World Cup matches -- male or female -- but FOX made the unprecedented commitment. Of the 16, five will be in prime time, including one semifinal, the third place match and the final.
FOX Sports 1 will show 29 matches while FOX Sports 2 will carry the remaining seven. There will be over 200 hours of Women's World Cup coverage this summer, averaging six to seven hours of content a day over the course of the tournament. Every match will be available digitally on the FOX Sports GO app and online at FOXSportsGo.com (blackouts may apply).
Spanish-language broadcasts in the US will air on Telemundo with 10 games, including Mexico's group stage games, on its main network, and an additional 21 games, including the USWNT's games, on NBC Universo. Those 31 matches, plus the other 21 matches, will be streamed on NBCDeportes.com and their app.
WATCH ON TV & ONLINE — CANADA
In Canada, CTV and the TSN networks will share the English-language broadcasting rights, while French-language broadcasts will feature on the RDS networks. Streaming options are also available on CTV GO, TSN GO and RDS GO.
SOCIAL MEDIA
With a robust WWC social media lineup, any avid fan can stay on top of the latest news. Follow Canada at @CanadaSoccerEN, the United States at @ussoccer_wnt and the official tournament at @FIFAWWC. And you can get involved in global conversations with several hashtags, including #FIFAWWC and #WWC2015.
To see how people are watching and following the tournament around the world, check out #myFIFAWWC. For the first time at a FIFA competition, LED advertising boards will broadcast those messages in-stadium, so viewers at home may be able to "see" themselves (or at least their comments) on TV.
FIFA has encouraged women and girls to achieve their goals through #LiveYourGoals, while the USWNT has run a similar campaign with #SheBelieves. Both have extensive social media presence with interaction from the teams and players.
Below is a good list of people who are in the know about the women's game and/or covering the tournament. Give them a follow:
- Jeff Kassouf and Dan Lauletta, The Equalizer
- The Women's Game, Australian women's soccer site
- Emma Hayes, Chelsea Ladies FC manager, MLS Digital contributor
- Alexi Lalas, FOX Sports
- Jenny Taft, FOX Sports
- Julie Stewart-Binks, FOX Sports
- Heather Mitts, former USWNT defender, FOX Sports
- Leslie Osborne, former USWNT midfielder, FOX Sports
- Kelly Smith, former English national team forward, FOX Sports
- Monica Gonzalez, former Mexican national team defender, FOX Sports
- Andrea Canales, soccer reporter, ESPN.com
- Julie Foudy, ESPN
- Grant Wahl, Sports Illustrated
- Kate Abdo, Sky Sports
- Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
WATCH PARTIES
In the US, several MLS teams will host watch parties, including Sporting KC at Sporting Park (all USWNT group-stage games) and Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium (June 8). As the tournament nears, more venues and cities are expected to organize and announce local watch parties.
