Sunday (July 7) will be a huge day for soccer in the United States, whatever happens in two big games.
First up is the final of the Women’s World Cup, in which the top-ranked and heavily favored US side will seek its second-straight championship (and fourth overall). Standing in their way, improbably, is Holland, a team few expected to make it this far. The match, taking place in Lyon, France, will air at 11am ET on Fox and Telemundo.
Next will be the final of the Gold Cup, in which the US men’s team, defending champs in the regional tournament, will take on Mexico’s formidable squad. The game, in Chicago, will air at 9pm on FS1 and Univision. (Rising star Christian Pulisic is one to watch.)
Both matches will be streamed over FuboTV, a service focused primarily on live sports.
The scheduling of the games on the same day is not to everyone’s liking. Megan Rapinoe, a co-captain of the women’s team, called it “ridiculous and disappointing.” Her squad is involved in a legal fight for more equitable pay compared to the (far less successful) men’s team, and a win against Holland would help make their case.
But the scheduling could end up helping the sport overall in the US, creating an inadvertent “soccer Sunday,” with the games spaced far enough apart for audiences to comfortably watch both. Hard-core fans can make it an entire day of soccer, with Brazil taking on Peru in the Copa America final, airing at 3pm ET on Telemundo and ESPN+ (and also being streamed on FuboTV).
Between the three matches, it should be the biggest day ever of soccer viewing in the United States.