Graphic courtesy of FIFA Show
The 2022 Concacaf W Championship comes to a close on tonight with a showdown featuring the USWNT vs. Canada. The winner will qualify for the women’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while the loser will play against the winner of the third-place game (Jamaica vs. Costa Rica) at the Concacaf Olympic play-in in September 2023. Here’s a look at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship progressed, results and scores, and World Cup and Olympic qualification processes explained, and how to watch tonight’s USA vs. Canada game. How to watch the 2022 Concacaf W ChampionshipGames Tonight, Monday, July 18, 2022:
UPDATE: USWNT defeats Canada at Concacaf W Championship, qualifies for 2024 OlympicsResults and scores from group play, semifinalsSee below for a full tournament schedule, including how to watch all USWNT games. All games are listed in eastern time (ET). USWNT games are in bold. Monday, July 4, 2022:
Tuesday, July 5, 2022:
Thursday, July 7, 2022:
RELATED: USWNT qualifies for 2023 FIFA Women’s World CupFriday, July 8, 2022:
Monday, July 11, 2022:
Thursday, July 14, 2022:
How does the 2022 Concacaf W Championship work?Eight teams, divided into two groups, are competing in the Concacaf W Championship. The tournament kicks off with round-robin tournament within each group:
How do teams qualify for the Women’s Soccer World Cup?At the end of round-robin play, the top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout semifinal round and, more importantly, qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The two third-ranked teams in each group will qualify for an inter-confederation World Cup playoff, which will be held in February 2023. What about Olympic qualification?The winner of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship will qualify for the women’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The runner-up and third-place teams will qualify for the Concacaf Olympic play-in, which will be held in September 2023. To put it bluntly: if you don’t finish in the top-three this July in Mexico, you’re out of the Olympics two years from now in Paris. RELATED: USWNT roster named for 2022 Concacaf W ChampionshipFollow Alex Azzi on Twitter @AlexAzziNBC The United States men’s team started their preparations for the 2022 World Cup with a friendly against Japan in Düsseldorf on Friday - the first of two warm-up matches before their opening game in Qatar, against Wales on 21 November. The 2-0 defeat to Japan wasn’t the most encouraging result for Gregg Berhalter’s team, but at least the game gave the coach a chance to take a look at all of his players before the definitive list of 26 players is submitted to FIFA on 18 November. These games will give players like left-back Sam Vines and midfielder Luca de la Torre an opportunity to impress. Vines along with Gio Reyna made their first starts in over a year at the Düsseldorf Arena while Josh Sargent, Jonny Cardoso and Mark McKenzie all came on as second half substitutes, making their first appearances for the national team this year. When is the USMNT’s next game?The USMNT will meet Saudi Arabia in their final friendly before the World Cup. That game will be played at the Nueva Condomina (Estadio Enrique Roca de Murcia) in Murcia, Spain on Tuesday 27 September 2022, kicking off at 20:00 hours local time (CEST) - that’s 2 p.m. EDT/ 11 a.m. PDT. Find out what time the game kicks off wherever you are in the world here Where can I watch Saudi Arabia vs USMNT in the United States?In the US and UK, the following television channels and online services will be broadcasting the Saudi Arabia vs USMNT friendly: In the United States, you will be able to watch the game live on: FS1, Univision, fubo TV, DirecTV Stream, Sling Blue, Vidgo. Text coverage of Saudi Arabia vs USMNT, for info no matter where you are in the worldYou can follow all the action of Tuesday’s friendly live here on AS USA, with our minute-by-minute coverage. We’ll be building up to kick-off from an hour before with team news and analysis, so no matter where you are, so long as your phone’s connected you can find out exactly how things are going. After missing out four years ago, the USA men's national team (USMNT) is back in the FIFA World Cup, having qualified for this year's tournament in Qatar. The USMNT confirmed its place on the final day of regional World Cup qualification, backing in despite a road defeat to Costa Rica that wasn't nearly heavy enough to see the U.S. miss out for a second straight time. Now, the U.S. men, coached by Gregg Berhalter, will gear up for play this November and December in Qatar, with their sights set on raising the bar of expectations. The young U.S. squad is a talented but inexperienced group, and this tournament will not only allow for redemption for 2018, but it will also set the stage for a massive 2026 World Cup that will be hosted on U.S. soil, where the team aims to make a deep run. What makes the World Cup so difficult? One slip-up could mean an exit from the competition and a long, four-year wait to make amends. Below is the USA's schedule leading up to the tournament in Qatar, along with its complete World Cup schedule, including potential knockout round opponents. MORE: Projected squad & starting lineup for the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup MORE: Can the United States make it out of Group B? USMNT schedule 2022The United States, like all other World Cup participants, is playing matches over the course of the calendar year to gear up for November's World Cup to make sure the team is both match fit and in a good rhythm. Team chemistry at the World Cup is critically important, making these games vital. Friendlies against World Cup participants Morocco and Uruguay were scheduled to lead into a pair of CONCACAF Nations League games against Grenada and El Salvador. For the September international break, a pair of friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia were set, both to be played in Europe. The Saudi Arabia match is booked for the Estadio Nueva Condomina in Murcia, Spain, and while the Japan friendly will take place three days prior in Dusseldorf, Germany. MORE: USMNT roster for September camp & friendlies against Japan, Saudi Arabia European teams were not available for friendlies in June or September as they must fulfill UEFA Nations League fixtures during those international breaks. There is no international window scheduled for October as domestic leagues look to fulfill fixtures before the World Cup break (Nov. 14 through Dec. 18).
USA soccer World Cup schedule 2022: Group stageThe United States was drawn into World Cup Group B, alongside top-seeded England, Iran, and Wales, which qualified through a European playoff in June. It's a difficult group, featuring a collection of highly ranked sides. Iran is the lowest-ranked team sitting at No. 21 in the FIFA World Rankings, while England is at No. 5 in the world, and Wales at No. 18. The USA is ranked just above Wales at No. 15. The USA will play Wales first on the first day of World Cup competition. The game against England comes second, scheduled for an afternoon (USA time) matchup on Black Friday. The U.S. then closes with a critical game against Iran that could determine who escapes from the group. MORE: Who will win the 2022 World Cup? Full betting rundown of favorites & underdogs World Cup Group B table & fixtures
Group B match schedule
MORE: USA set to play England in monster Black Friday matchup USMNT potential World Cup knockout schedule & opponentsWhile the U.S. has visions of making World Cup history, it first needs to focus on escaping a difficult group. Should the Stars & Stripes achieve that goal, the knockout round awaits. In the modern era of the tournament, the U.S. has only reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup once, in 2002 after a Round of 16 win over regional rivals Mexico. Therefore, winning a Round of 16 match would represent a historic first for the U.S. against a non-continental opponent. WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS: Possible Round of 16 games for USAShould the United States finish top two in Group B and qualify for the knockout stages, the U.S. would play a match against one of the qualifiers from Group A: host Qatar (No. 51), Netherlands (No. 10), African champions Senegal (No. 20), or Ecuador (No. 46). While that group is difficult to predict, it also presents an opportunity for the United States. Since host Qatar was placed as the top-seeded team, as per FIFA World Cup tradition, that means the USA avoids other powerhouses such as Brazil, Belgium, and Spain, who are top seeds in other groups. The Netherlands and Senegal project to be the most difficult potential opponents in the Round of 16. If the U.S. manages to win Group B, it would face the second-place finisher from Group A in the knockout round, a tasty proposition. Should the U.S. finish second in Group B, the more predicted scenario given England's presence, it would face the Group A winner in the first knockout game. Oddsmakers have the Netherlands as the favorite. MORE: Full World Cup Group A breakdown World Cup Round of 16Possible USA placement bolded
Possible Quarterfinal matchups for USANow we're dreaming big. If the U.S. manages not only to qualify for the knockout stage, but win its Round of 16 match, there are a number of possibilities for the opponent that would come next, and it very much depends on where the U.S. finishes in Group B. A first-place finish in Group B puts them on one side of the bracket, while a second-place finish puts them on the other side — a mechanism put in place to avoid a repeat of group stage matchups too early in the knockout round. If the U.S. wins Group B and progresses through the Round of 16 — a dream outcome for U.S. fans — it would present a potential quarterfinal round match against either the winner from Group D or the runners-up from Group C. That means, in all likelihood, a game against defending champions France, who are the clear Group D favorites. However, it's possible that a second-place Group C participant surprises, such as Mexico or UEFA stalwarts Poland, or even Group C favorites Argentina depending on how that group plays out. If the U.S. places second in Group B and wins its subsequent Round of 16, that presents a quarterfinal game against either the winners of Group C or the runners-up from Group D. This scenario likely presents a matchup against Lionel Messi and Argentina, the favorites from Group C. However, this could also see a match against a surprise side from Group D such as Denmark. No matter who the U.S. faces in the quarterfinal, simply reaching this stage would make most U.S. fans happy with the outcome at the tournament, and any results from here would not only be an added bonus, but would make history — the U.S. has never progressed past this stage in a World Cup in its modern format. MORE: Who will have the better 2022 World Cup? USA, Mexico, Canada vie for bragging rights World Cup QuarterfinalsPossible USMNT placement in bold
World Cup SemifinalsPossible USMNT placement in bold
World Cup 3rd Place
World Cup Final
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