2020 Algarve Cup: broadcasters, fixtures, schedule and history

What is the Algarve Cup?

The Algarve Cup is an invitational tournament for women's national teams hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) in the Algarve region of Portugal. The tournament was founded in 1994 and has earned the nickname "Mini FIFA Women's World Cup" over the years due to its longevity and the number of teams that participate in it. 

From 2002 to 2014, 12 teams were invited, with the top eight participants competing for the title. The teams were divided into three groups of four. Group C was added in 2002 to give second-tier teams with high-level match experience but they were not eligible to play in the final until 2015. The teams played round-robin in their pool and depending on their results, they would match-up against teams that had similar finishes in other groups.

The 2020 Algarve Cup will switch up the format by having eight teams instead of 12 and some other tweaks.

2020 Algarve Cup

The 27^th edition of the Algarve Cup will feature eight teams instead of 12 as the format has shifted for the 2020 cup. 

In recent years, the Algarve Cup has been played with group games but for the 2020 tournament the eight teams will meet in a form of playoffs where all teams play a total of three games. The following tie-breaking criteria applies:

1. number of points obtained in the matches among the teams in question
2. goal difference in all the group matches
3. number of goals scored in all the group matches
4. fair-play ranking in all the group matches
5. FIFA ranking

There will not be new faces as every team has participated at least once before in this competition and twelve games will be played through eight days. 

What is the Algarve Cup schedule?

Qualification round

Mar. 4 – 1:00 p.m. ET – New Zealand vs Belgium (match 1)

Mar. 4 – 3:15 p.m. ET – Portugal vs Italy (match 2)

Mar. 4 – 11:30 a.m. ET – Germany vs Sweden (match 3)

Mar. 4 – 9:00 a.m. ET – Denmark vs Norway (match 4)

Semifinals

Mar. 7 – winner of match 1 vs winner of match 2 (match 5)

Mar. 7 – winner of match 3 vs winner of match 4 (match 6)

5-8^th place semifinals

Mar. 7 – loser of match 1 vs loser of match 2 (match 7)

Mar. 7 – loser of match 3 vs loser of match 4 (match 8)

Seventh place match

Mar. 10 – loser of match 7 vs loser of match 8

Fifth place match 

Mar. 10 – winner of match 7 vs winner of match 8

Third place match

Mar. 10 – loser of match 5 vs loser of match 6

Final

Mar. 11 – winner of match 5 vs winner of match 6

What teams are participating in the 2020 Algarve Cup?

Germany – FIFA Ranking: 2^nd

Sweden – FIFA Ranking: 5^th

Norway – FIFA Ranking: 12^th

Italy – FIFA Ranking: 14^th

Denmark – FIFA Ranking: 16^th

Belgium – FIFA Ranking: 17^th

New Zealand – FIFA Ranking: 23^rd

Portugal – FIFA Ranking: 31^st

Who are the Algarve Cup winners in history?

USWNT X10 (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015)

Norway X5 (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2019)

Sweden X4 (1995, 2001, 2009, 2018)

Germany X3 (2006, 2012, 2014)

China PR X2 (1999, 2002)

Canada (2016)

Spain (2017)

Netherlands (2018)

What are the 2020 Algarve Cup broadcasting channels?

Portugal

TV: Portuguese locals will be able to watch their nation take on Italy on the Algarve Cup's opening day as well as its future two matches on Canal 11. Also, Germany vs Sweden will broadcast on kick-off day.

Sweden

TV: The free-to-air television Swedish broadcasters, SVT 1 and SVT 2, will cover Sweden's matches throughout the competition.

Online: Sweden fans will also be able to catch the games online via SVT Play.

Germany

Online: Germans will be able to stream all Germany the match via DFB-TV, a streaming service for all things German football.

New Zealand

TV: Sky Sports 7 beIN Sports will be the option for New Zealanders who want to keep up with their football team. All three New Zealand matches will be available.

Online: BeIN Sports New Zealand will have all three games available.