Reigning World Cup champions USA are certain to face a stern test when they face familiar foes Sweden in the round of 16 on Sunday. The Stars and Stripes come into this match in shaky form after a disappointing group stage campaign in which they finished second behind the Netherlands. While they didn't lose any of their matches, their five points earned during that period is the worst ever posted by the USWNT, and they hardly looked convincing in their final group stage match against Portugal.
In fact, Portugal, who were one of eight teams making their debut at this summer's competition, were by far the better side and were unfortunate not to see their spirited efforts rewarded with a goal. Meanwhile, Team USA struggled to make inroads and ultimately the match finished as a 0-0 draw, which was enough to give them the point they needed to progress ahead of Portugal, who earned four.
The team has been heavily criticized in some quarters back home in the United States, with various media personalities slamming the refusal of some players to sing the national anthem and even blaming veteran striker Megan Rapinoe for being an instigator behind those actions. In any case, many USA broadcasters also expected the team to top their group, where they would have been facing South Africa at 10 PM on Saturday as opposed to a 5 AM Sunday kick-off time.
To that end, the USWNT will hope to put all that behind them and silence their critics when they take on Sweden. The Blågult, meanwhile, have had a stellar competition so far, winning all three of their group stage games to finish top of Group G. They did have a much tougher battle than they had probably anticipated against a determined South Africa side, but ultimately won that game 2-1 before crushing Italy 5-0 in order to qualify for the round of 16 with a game to spare and making it a perfect 100 percent winning record with a comfortable 2-0 win over Argentina on matchday three.
Sweden are certainly quite familiar with the USWNT, having played them over 40 times across different tournaments, and given the rivalry between the two teams that has gone back for years, would certainly relish the chance to deny the Stars and Stripes an opportunity to make it a historic "three-peat". Should the USWNT lose, it would mark the first time since 2011, when they were beaten by Japan on penalties in a shock result in the final.
Team news: Sweden vs USWNT
All info as of August 5, 2023
Sweden: No injury or suspension concerns for Sweden ahead of this match.
USWNT: Rose Lavelle is suspended for this match following two yellow cards in the group stages.
Match facts: Sweden vs USWNT
- This will be the 44th meeting between Sweden and the USWNT
- The Blågult have won just eight of their last 43 meetings against Team USA (D12 L23)
- The USWNT are unbeaten in their last 12 games overall (W10 D2)
- They've also never been eliminated at a World Cup before the semi-finals stage
- Sweden beat the USWNT 3-0 in their last meeting, which was during the group stages at the Tokyo Olympics
Broadcast into: Sweden vs USWNT
Where can I watch Sweden vs USWNT live?
USA: The USWNT's failure to secure top spot in their group appears to have thrown USA-based broadcasters' plans into flummox. When the draw was announced, many broadcasters thought that Team USA would top the group and thus would be the ones facing South Africa at 10 PM EST on Saturday, August 5th.
However, that didn't happen, and after finishing second, the USWNT will now have to face Sweden, with a kick off time of 5 AM EST (2 AM EST). Still, for those who will either stay up late or set their alarms early, there are plenty of options to follow this crunch clash for the reigning champions.
These options include catching the game on TV via FOX, while FOX Sports App provides an on-the-go choice and the match can also be streamed via Foxsports.com or Peacock.
For Spanish-speakers, they can check out Telemundo and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo.
In addition, FuboTV and Sling TV offer additional live-streaming services, with Fox Sports 1 available on both FuboTV and Sling TV, while Spanish-speakers also will find their channels available on FuboTV.
Sweden: Fans in Sweden can either follow this match via TV6 Sweden or Viaplay Sweden.
Live elsewhere? Here's where you can catch Sweden vs the USWNT live from wherever you are based:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
