Three of the top teams in the 2023 FIFA World Cup play their first games of the tournament on Sunday – making Day Four of the event worthwhile late night or early morning viewing.
Sweden, which is the favorite to win Group G, plays South Africa. Currently ranked No. 3 in the world, Sweden advanced to the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup, where it lost to England.
France, ranked No. 5 in the world, faces off with Jamaica. France is expected to battle Brazil to win Group F, which also includes Panama. But the team will be missing two starters in the game. France hopes to improve on its finish in the 2019 World Cup, in which it lost to the USWNT in the quarterfinals in Paris.
Netherlands (No. 9 in the world), plays Portugal. Those two teams are in Group E with the U.S. and Vietnam. Netherlands is favored to win this match; and next group game against the USWNT could be the deciding factor in what team claims the top spot in the group and avoids England, Germany, France or Canada until the final.
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The Sweden vs. South Africa match starts at 1 a.m. EDT Sunday/10 p.m. PDT Saturday in Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand. That kickoff is 5 p.m. New Zealand Standard Time, which is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time.
The game will air live on Fox Sports 1, with a Spanish-language broadcast on Universo.
You can also stream Fox Sports 1 on the Fox Sports app and FoxSports.com (Reminder: You need pay TV provider credentials to watch). Stream Spanish-language broadcasts on Peacock. Fox, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Telemundo and Universo can be found on streaming subscription services such as DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, and YouTube TV. Fox Soccer Plus is on most services, also.
The game will be replayed at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Fox Soccer Plus. Replays of all games will also be available in the Fox Sports app and on Peacock sometime after the matches have concluded.
The group phase game between Netherlands vs. Portugal begins at 3:30 a.m. EDT/12:30 a.m. PDT Sunday in the tournament’s only indoor venue, Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. That kickoff is 7:30 p.m. New Zealand Standard Time, which is 16 hours ahead of Eastern time.
The game will air live on Fox Sports 1, with a Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo. The game will be replayed at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Fox Sports 1 and at 9:30 p.m. EDT on Fox Soccer Plus.
The France vs. Jamaica match begins at 6 a.m. EDT/3 a.m. PDT Sunday in the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia. That kickoff is 8 p.m. Australia Eastern Standard Time, which is 14 hours ahead of Eastern time.
The game will air live on Fox, with a Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo. The game will be replayed at 4:30 p.m. EDT on Fox Soccer Plus and at 9 p.m. EDT on FS2.
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