The 2023 Women’s World Cup quarterfinals get underway with two mouthwatering matches on Friday in New Zealand.
First up, it’s a clash between European heavyweights Spain and the Netherlands (9 p.m. ET Thursday), before Japan takes on Sweden for a place in the semifinals (3:30 a.m. ET Friday).
How to watch: In the US, matches will air on your local Fox channel. You can also stream matches by signing in with your TV provider at foxsports.com or on the Fox Sports app. Telemundo and Peacock are providing Spanish-language coverage.
Seven Network and Optus Sport are broadcasting matches in Australia and the BBC and ITV have the rights in the United Kingdom.
European heavyweights face off Down Under for a spot in the semifinals
From CNN's Matias Grez
A beaten finalist in 2019, the Netherlands will likely be feeling very confident of going one better this year after an impressive World Cup campaign so far.
The Oranje is unbeaten in Australia and New Zealand and has conceded just one goal during the tournament, coming in the 1-1 group stage draw against the United States — also the only game it has failed to win.
The talents of Jill Roord, Lieke Martens and Daniëlle van de Donk are enough to strike fear into the heart of any team, while forward Lineth Beerensteyn will be buoyed after scoring her first goal of the tournament against South Africa.
Spain has both dazzled and disappointed its fans this tournament, racking up high-scoring wins over Zambia, Costa Rica and then Switzerland in the last-16.
However, the team’s low point came in a 4-0 demolition against Japan in the final group stage match, a game that laid bare La Roja's weaknesses.
Spain will likely chalk it up to a off day, while others will point to the sobering defeat as proof the team isn’t yet up to level of the true title contenders Down Under.
20 min ago
Netherlands star Lineth Beerensteyn says she's delighted by elimination of "big mouth" US team
The US beat the Netherlands 2-0 in the final four years ago to win a second successive title but was halted in its quest for an unprecedented "three-peat" by the Swedes in the round of 16.
“The first moment when I heard that they were out, I was just thinking: ‘Yes! Bye!’” Beerensteyn told reporters ahead of the Netherlands’ quarterfinal match against Spain.
“Because from the start of this tournament, they had already a really big mouth — they were talking already about the final and stuff.
“I was just thinking: ‘You first have to show it on the pitch before you are talking.’”
Having previously finished on the podium of every Women’s World Cup, the last-16 defeat was the US’ worst ever performance at a tournament.
Two-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe, who has played in her last World Cup, said her penalty miss was “like a sick joke,” while teammate Julie Ertz said the defeat “absolutely sucks.”
The US squad looked well below its best from the beginning of the tournament. The hard-fought 3-0 win over Vietnam in its opener was as good as it got for a US team that failed to win another game for the rest of the World Cup, including a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.
“I am not being rude in that way,” Beerensteyn added. “I mean, I have still a lot of respect for them, but now, they are out of the tournament.
“For them, it’s a thing that they have to take with them in the future – don’t start to talk about something that’s far away.
“I hope that they will learn from that.”
26 min ago
Impressive Japan faces confident Sweden for a place in the semifinals
From CNN's Matias Grez
Japan has arguably been the standout performer of this World Cup so far. Alongside Sweden’s dramatic, penalty shootout elimination of the US, Japan’s huge victory over Spain was perhaps the most eye-catching win of the tournament.
The team followed up that win with another hugely impressive victory in the last-16, beating one-time champion Norway 3-1 with a dominant performance.
Clinical forward Hinata Miyazawa, currently playing in Japan’s domestic league, has been the revelation of the tournament and currently leads the Golden Boot race with five goals in four matches.
In the last-16, Sweden did what no team had been able to do since Japan in the 2011 World Cup final: beat the United States.
If you can beat the two-time reigning champion, you can beat anyone, and Sweden will now rightly be feeling confident it can go all the way and win a first Women’s World Cup title.
This talented group has regularly felt the pressure of being labeled the country’s "Golden Generation" and came so close to living up to that moniker two years ago, losing to Canada in the gold medal match at the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games.
Can the three-time World Cup runner-up now get over the final hurdle?
27 min ago
Sweden's Lina Hurtig feels "sick to my stomach" at the thought of her winning penalty against the US
From CNN's George Ramsay and Henrik Pettersson
Swedish soccer star Lina Hurtig says that rewatching her winning penalty against the United States, which crossed the goal line by the narrowest of margins, makes her “sick to my stomach.”
Sweden was on the brink of losing Sunday’s shootout at the Women’s World Cup, only for Megan Rapinoe and Sophia Smith to both miss for the US and Hanna Bennison to score, sending the match to sudden death penalties.
After Kelley O’Hara had hit the post, Hurtig stepped up and saw her effort clawed out of the goal by Alyssa Naeher. But following a tense 30-second review, it was ruled that the ball had crossed the line by a matter of millimeters, sparking wild celebrations from Hurtig and her teammates.
“I don’t want to watch it again, it makes me sick to my stomach,” the 27-year-old forward told Radiosporten. “There are so many emotions, it’s so close, so I get a little sick to my stomach when I look at it.”
Hurtig’s penalty condemned the US to its earliest ever exit from a Women’s World Cup, while Sweden now faces a quarterfinal against Japan on Friday.
“Obviously, it was crazy,” Hurtig said, speaking to reporters on Wednesday. “It was such a relief when I saw the ref pointing and then I went crazy. Just running and screaming … That night, I couldn’t sleep very well. It was a lot of emotions there.”
The earthquake triggered a tsunami causing a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant, a disaster that’s still being felt to this day.
The incident left more than 22,000 dead or missing, from the initial earthquake, tsunami and post-disaster health conditions. The cleanup is expected to last decades and cost billions of dollars.
The nuclear meltdown also ensured that the Japanese national team’s training facility based in Fukishima became a place of refuge in the aftermath of the tsunami.
This all contributed to make what happened in July 2011 in Germany even more special, though before the 2011 tournament, Japan’s players weren’t sure about competing.
“Should we really be playing football?” former Japan captain Aya Miyama told a FIFA+ documentary last year. “Aren’t there more important things that we should be doing now?”
Having entered the Women’s World Cup as an unfancied outsider, Japan proceeded to topple the US on penalties in the final, becoming the first Asian nation to win an international soccer tournament and bringing some joy to a nation in its time of need.
Twelve years later and Japan is once again unifying the country behind one common cause: supporting the Nadeshiko — a reference to the pink flower that symbolizes Japanese beauty — as it once again makes an unexpected run through the Women’s World Cup.
This time though, the team has a different task at hand: the job of revitalizing women’s soccer in Japan after some lean years for the sport in the country.
And the squad is going about it in the best way possible. Its performances so far transforming Japan into arguably the favorite for the World Cup title with the impressive nature of qualification from its group — the Nadeshiko was the tournament’s top scoring team in the group stage — and strong victory over Norway in the last 16.
Rapinoe, who has made more than 200 appearances for the national team, missed her spot kick as the US was knocked out of the World Cup in a dramatic penalty shootout against Sweden on Sunday.
Before the tournament, the 38-year-old announced that this would be her final year as a professional soccer player and she now returns to her National Women’s Soccer League team, OL Reign, for the remainder of the season.
“This game is so beautiful, even in its cruelest moments,” Rapinoe wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “This group was so very special, and I am immensely proud of every single one of us.
“This team is in special hands as I walk away, just like it always was, and always will be. Because that is what this team is all about. We lay it all out on the line every single time. Fighting with everything that we have, for everything we deserve, for every person we possibly can.
“It has been my honor to play for our country, with so many incredible woman [sic], for so many years. Thank you, a million times over.”
The Women's World Cup has reached the quarterfinals and it appears to be anyone's trophy, with defending champion the USA already eliminated and tournament underdogs upsetting the favorites.
Soon: Beaten 2019 finalist the Netherlands faces highly-rated Spain in Wellington, New Zealand as they aim to go one better this time around. Kick off is at 9 p.m. ET.
Later: Japan and Sweden face off in Auckland with a place in the semifinals up for grabs. That games starts at 3:30 a.m. ET.
Go deeper: Follow the live scores, fixtures, results and top scorers here. See all the best pictures of this Women's World Cup here.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup quarterfinals get underway with two mouthwatering matches on Friday in New Zealand.
First up, it’s a clash between European heavyweights Spain and the Netherlands (9 p.m. ET Thursday), before Japan takes on Sweden for a place in the semifinals (3:30 a.m. ET Friday).
How to watch: In the US, matches will air on your local Fox channel. You can also stream matches by signing in with your TV provider at foxsports.com or on the Fox Sports app. Telemundo and Peacock are providing Spanish-language coverage.
Seven Network and Optus Sport are broadcasting matches in Australia and the BBC and ITV have the rights in the United Kingdom.
A beaten finalist in 2019, the Netherlands will likely be feeling very confident of going one better this year after an impressive World Cup campaign so far.
The Oranje is unbeaten in Australia and New Zealand and has conceded just one goal during the tournament, coming in the 1-1 group stage draw against the United States — also the only game it has failed to win.
The talents of Jill Roord, Lieke Martens and Daniëlle van de Donk are enough to strike fear into the heart of any team, while forward Lineth Beerensteyn will be buoyed after scoring her first goal of the tournament against South Africa.
Spain has both dazzled and disappointed its fans this tournament, racking up high-scoring wins over Zambia, Costa Rica and then Switzerland in the last-16.
However, the team’s low point came in a 4-0 demolition against Japan in the final group stage match, a game that laid bare La Roja's weaknesses.
Spain will likely chalk it up to a off day, while others will point to the sobering defeat as proof the team isn’t yet up to level of the true title contenders Down Under.
The US beat the Netherlands 2-0 in the final four years ago to win a second successive title but was halted in its quest for an unprecedented "three-peat" by the Swedes in the round of 16.
“The first moment when I heard that they were out, I was just thinking: ‘Yes! Bye!’” Beerensteyn told reporters ahead of the Netherlands’ quarterfinal match against Spain.
“Because from the start of this tournament, they had already a really big mouth — they were talking already about the final and stuff.
“I was just thinking: ‘You first have to show it on the pitch before you are talking.’”
Having previously finished on the podium of every Women’s World Cup, the last-16 defeat was the US’ worst ever performance at a tournament.
Two-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe, who has played in her last World Cup, said her penalty miss was “like a sick joke,” while teammate Julie Ertz said the defeat “absolutely sucks.”
The US squad looked well below its best from the beginning of the tournament. The hard-fought 3-0 win over Vietnam in its opener was as good as it got for a US team that failed to win another game for the rest of the World Cup, including a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.
“I am not being rude in that way,” Beerensteyn added. “I mean, I have still a lot of respect for them, but now, they are out of the tournament.
“For them, it’s a thing that they have to take with them in the future – don’t start to talk about something that’s far away.
“I hope that they will learn from that.”
Japan has arguably been the standout performer of this World Cup so far. Alongside Sweden’s dramatic, penalty shootout elimination of the US, Japan’s huge victory over Spain was perhaps the most eye-catching win of the tournament.
The team followed up that win with another hugely impressive victory in the last-16, beating one-time champion Norway 3-1 with a dominant performance.
Clinical forward Hinata Miyazawa, currently playing in Japan’s domestic league, has been the revelation of the tournament and currently leads the Golden Boot race with five goals in four matches.
In the last-16, Sweden did what no team had been able to do since Japan in the 2011 World Cup final: beat the United States.
If you can beat the two-time reigning champion, you can beat anyone, and Sweden will now rightly be feeling confident it can go all the way and win a first Women’s World Cup title.
This talented group has regularly felt the pressure of being labeled the country’s "Golden Generation" and came so close to living up to that moniker two years ago, losing to Canada in the gold medal match at the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games.
Can the three-time World Cup runner-up now get over the final hurdle?
Swedish soccer star Lina Hurtig says that rewatching her winning penalty against the United States, which crossed the goal line by the narrowest of margins, makes her “sick to my stomach.”
Sweden was on the brink of losing Sunday’s shootout at the Women’s World Cup, only for Megan Rapinoe and Sophia Smith to both miss for the US and Hanna Bennison to score, sending the match to sudden death penalties.
After Kelley O’Hara had hit the post, Hurtig stepped up and saw her effort clawed out of the goal by Alyssa Naeher. But following a tense 30-second review, it was ruled that the ball had crossed the line by a matter of millimeters, sparking wild celebrations from Hurtig and her teammates.
“I don’t want to watch it again, it makes me sick to my stomach,” the 27-year-old forward told Radiosporten. “There are so many emotions, it’s so close, so I get a little sick to my stomach when I look at it.”
Hurtig’s penalty condemned the US to its earliest ever exit from a Women’s World Cup, while Sweden now faces a quarterfinal against Japan on Friday.
“Obviously, it was crazy,” Hurtig said, speaking to reporters on Wednesday. “It was such a relief when I saw the ref pointing and then I went crazy. Just running and screaming … That night, I couldn’t sleep very well. It was a lot of emotions there.”
The earthquake triggered a tsunami causing a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant, a disaster that’s still being felt to this day.
The incident left more than 22,000 dead or missing, from the initial earthquake, tsunami and post-disaster health conditions. The cleanup is expected to last decades and cost billions of dollars.
The nuclear meltdown also ensured that the Japanese national team’s training facility based in Fukishima became a place of refuge in the aftermath of the tsunami.
This all contributed to make what happened in July 2011 in Germany even more special, though before the 2011 tournament, Japan’s players weren’t sure about competing.
“Should we really be playing football?” former Japan captain Aya Miyama told a FIFA+ documentary last year. “Aren’t there more important things that we should be doing now?”
Having entered the Women’s World Cup as an unfancied outsider, Japan proceeded to topple the US on penalties in the final, becoming the first Asian nation to win an international soccer tournament and bringing some joy to a nation in its time of need.
Twelve years later and Japan is once again unifying the country behind one common cause: supporting the Nadeshiko — a reference to the pink flower that symbolizes Japanese beauty — as it once again makes an unexpected run through the Women’s World Cup.
This time though, the team has a different task at hand: the job of revitalizing women’s soccer in Japan after some lean years for the sport in the country.
And the squad is going about it in the best way possible. Its performances so far transforming Japan into arguably the favorite for the World Cup title with the impressive nature of qualification from its group — the Nadeshiko was the tournament’s top scoring team in the group stage — and strong victory over Norway in the last 16.
Rapinoe, who has made more than 200 appearances for the national team, missed her spot kick as the US was knocked out of the World Cup in a dramatic penalty shootout against Sweden on Sunday.
Before the tournament, the 38-year-old announced that this would be her final year as a professional soccer player and she now returns to her National Women’s Soccer League team, OL Reign, for the remainder of the season.
“This game is so beautiful, even in its cruelest moments,” Rapinoe wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “This group was so very special, and I am immensely proud of every single one of us.
“This team is in special hands as I walk away, just like it always was, and always will be. Because that is what this team is all about. We lay it all out on the line every single time. Fighting with everything that we have, for everything we deserve, for every person we possibly can.
“It has been my honor to play for our country, with so many incredible woman [sic], for so many years. Thank you, a million times over.”
