WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2023
Who will the USWNT play in the Women’s World Cup round of 16?
The defending champions now know who they’ll be facing in the opening knockout round of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The United States women’s national team will face Sweden in a heavyweight round-of-16 clash at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, after the Scandinavians beat Argentina on Wednesday to ensure they topped Group G with a 100% record.
When is Sweden vs the USWNT?
Sweden and the USWNT will face off at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Sunday 6 August, with kick-off scheduled for 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT.
The winners of Sweden vs the USWNT will play Japan or Norway in the quarter-finals on Friday 11 August, at Auckland’s Eden Park.
USWNT squeeze through group stage
The USWNT are up against a group winner in the opening knockout round after they had to settle for second place in Group E, behind the Netherlands. Indeed, the four-time world champions, who are bidding to become the first team to win the trophy three times in a row, even flirted with a shock early exit.
After beating Vietnam and drawing with the Dutch, the USWNT secured qualification with a 0-0 draw against Portugal on matchday three - but had to survive a late scare. In time added on at Eden Park, Ana Capeta had a golden opportunity to score for the Portuguese, but hit the post when through on goal. A win for the Europeans would have eliminated the Stars and Stripes.
Sweden stroll into round of 16
Meanwhile, Sweden rounded off a perfect group stage with a 2-0 victory over Argentina, Rebecka Blomqvist and Elin Rubensson scoring second-half goals at Waikato Stadium. Earlier, Peter Gerhardsson’s side had opened up their campaign with a 2-1 win over South Africa - Amanda Ilestedt securing the points with a stoppage-time goal - before thumping Italy 5-0 on matchday two.
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USWNT and Sweden familiar WWC foes
Ranked first and third in the world, respectively, the USWNT and Sweden are to go head to head at the Women’s World Cup for the sixth straight tournament.
The teams were drawn together in the group stage in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019, with the Americans winning three of these five clashes and the Swedes coming out on top once. The teams also met in the round-robin phase at the first Women’s World Cup, in 1991, the USWNT claiming a 3-2 victory.
Although the nations have both been at every Women’s World Cup, they are yet to cross paths in the knockout stages.
While the USWNT have generally had the upper hand over Sweden at World Cups, it is the Blagult who were victorious the last time the sides met at a tournament. Stina Blackstenius grabbed a brace for the Swedes in a 3-0 group-stage win at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021.