Women’s World Cup Viewing and Betting Guide

Article ByKyle Garlett

July 17, 2023

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, US Gambling News

The FIFA Women’s World Cup begins this week, and if you are one of the estimated two billion humans expected to watch at least one match of the biggest sports tournament in 2023, we’ve got you covered.

Not only is the Women’s World Cup bigger than ever this time around, with 32 teams participating (up from 24), for the first time we have cohosts – Australia and New Zealand. Twenty-four group stage matches will take place in New Zealand in four different cities, Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington, and Hamilton. Auckland and Wellington will each get a Round of 16 match and a quarterfinal match. Auckland will also host one of the semifinals.

Australia will also host 24 matches during the group stage in five different cities – Sydney (two stadium sites), Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide will all host matches in the Round of 16. Sydney and Brisbane will each host a quarterfinal, and Sydney’s Stadium Australia will host one of the semifinals, as well as the final match on August 20.

Late Night Viewing

Two Women’s World Cups ago, the host country was Canada, and the start times for matches largely mirrored what we’re used to seeing in the United States. In 2019, the tournament was hosted in France, which meant that prime time matches in the host country had American audiences watching in the afternoon.

The time zone shift is far more severe this time around, and sleep will be at a premium for soccer fans in the United States. The Women’s World Cup kicks off between New Zealand and Norway on Thursday, July 20, at 7 p.m. local time. Auckland is 16 hours ahead of New York, meaning that the first match will begin at 3 a.m. ET on Thursday morning.

The United States plays its first match against Vietnam on Saturday the 22nd at 1 p.m. in Auckland, which works out to a Friday (July 21) 9 p.m. ET start for fans in the U.S. Their second match of the Group Stage is against the Netherlands, and has a 9 p.m. ET start on Wednesday, July 26. The third match is against Portugal on Tuesday, August 1, at 3 a.m. ET.

Odds to Win the World Cup

As the only four-time champion of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, it is not surprising that the oddsmakers at BetUS.com have the United States as the favorite to win a fifth.

United States (+250)

England (+400)

Spain (+650)

Germany (+700)

France (+1000)

Australia (+1200)

Sweden (+1800)

Japan (+2500)
Brazil (+2500)

Netherlands (+2500)

In the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the United States has won it four times, Germany won it twice, and Norway and Japan each have one victory. The United States has never finished worse than third place.

Individual Match Bets

If you want to bet on the opening matches of the Group Stage, that first match that kicks off at 3 a.m. ET on Thursday has Norway (-370) as the heavy favorite to beat New Zealand. You can take the Football Ferns, the nickname for the New Zealand women’s soccer team, at +110 while getting 1.5 goals. The over/under on goals in the match is three.

Three hours later, at 6 a.m. ET/3 a.m. PT, Australia opens as a big favorite (-365) against Ireland. Formerly known as the Female Socceroos, the Australian women’s national team is now officially nicknamed the Matildas. You can get -125 on the Matildas if you give 1.5 goals.

The first match for the United States will be the sixth match of the tournament. The moneyline is off the board for the U.S., as the top-ranked team in the world takes on the 32nd-ranked team from Vietnam, making its first ever trip to the World Cup.

You can bet on the United States at -130 if you are willing to give six goals. The over/under on total goals scored is 6.5.

The United States will be heavy favorites in all three of its Group Stage matches. In 10 matches against the Netherlands, the United States is 8-1-1, with that lone loss coming in 1991. The U.S. has outscored the Dutch 31-8. In 10 all-time matches against Portugal, the U.S. is 10-0 and has never conceded a goal. The scoring total in those 10 matches is 39-0. The United States has never played Vietnam.