In a lead up to its 2015 Women's World Cup coverage this June, Fox Sports 1 will televise U.S. team action from the prestigious Algarve Cup from Portugal.
FS1 will present three of FIFA's second-ranked U.S. women's team matches, beginning with the club's opener versus No. 12 Norway on March 4 at 2 p.m. (ET). The match, which will feature the international feed, marks the first time the Algarve Cup will be available live Stateside. Previously, Algarve Cup games were available in the U.S. on pay-per-view or, in 2013, on delay via Fox Soccer Plus.
Featuring 11 of the top 12 FIFA squads (the host is ranked 42nd), the tournament kicks off on Wednesday at 2 p.m. (ET), when the USWNT, the most successful team in Algarve Cup history with nine titles in 19 tourney appearances, faces Norway, the third-most successful team with three crowns.
Two days later, the USA takes on Switzerland, which plays in its first Women’s World Cup this summer, on Friday, March 6 at noon. The USA also faces Iceland in its final group match on Monday, March 9, but due to inadequate lighting at the Municipal Stadium in Lagos, it can't be televised.
The USA’s placement match is set for Wednesday, March 11 at 1 p.m.
Digitally, all games are available on tablets and mobile devices via the FOX Sports GO app and online at www.FOXSportsGO.com.
Following group play, the teams are placed into three groups and seeded into 11th-place to first-place matches in the final round. The Algarve Cup is the last major international tournament women’s national teams play before the Women's World Cup begins play in Canada in June.
“This tournament is a great tune-up for the world’s best teams as the Women’s World Cup approaches,” said FIFA World Cup on Fox executive producer David Neal. “Six of the world’s top-10 ranked teams are in this year’s Algarve Cup, and we’re excited to showcase them and deliver our viewers more important women’s soccer.”
FS1’s coverage begins with a 30-minute pregame show prior to each match, followed by halftime and postgame coverage anchored by Rob Stone and Kate Abdo from the Fox Network Center in Los Angeles. A rotating group of former national team players, including retired USWNT stars Leslie Osborne and Angela Hucles, U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Alexi Lalas and legendary 1999 Women’s World Cup winning coach Tony DiCicco, serve as analysts alongside Stone or Abdo for each match on FS1.
