The United States women’s soccer team should feel at home in its next outing, even though most fans in attendance will back its foes.
Team USA will face France at 3 p.m. ET on Friday in Paris in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinals. USA confirmed the showcase quarterfinal Monday by beating Spain 2-1 in the Round of 16. USA
Three of our four quarter-finals are now confirmed:#NORENG 🇳🇴🏴#FRAUSA 🇫🇷🇺🇸#GERSWE 🇩🇪🇸🇪
Who will contest the fourth? #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/XajPdKJgkL
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) June 24, 2019
France will compete in its third consecutive World Cup quarterfinals, hoping its rabid home support will carry it to the semifinals for the first time.
1 – France have become the first European host to progress beyond the first knockout game at a Women’s World Cup tournament, after both Sweden in 1995 and Germany in 2011 were knocked out at the quarter-final stages (Round of 16 only introduced in 2015). Surpass. #FIFAWWC #FRABRA pic.twitter.com/JydGs5pN8D
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 23, 2019
USA will take on the host nation in its record-tying eighth World Cup quarterfinal appearance.
8 – USA have reached the quarter-final stage in every edition of the Women’s World Cup (8); the second nation to achieve this feat alongside Germany. Routine. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/eilb3C5ymI
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 24, 2019
Megan Rapinoe, USA’s hero against Spain, already has spoken excitedly about the upcoming matchup with France.
“I think this is the game that everyone had circled,” Rapinoe said Monday, per The Associated Press. “I think it’s going to be a great match. I hope it’s wild and crazy, I hope the fans are crazy and there’s tons of media around it and it’s just a big spectacle. I think this is incredible for the women’s game, when you have two heavy hitters meeting in the final knockout round.”
The winner of France versus the United States will face either England or Norway in the semifinals and will be the favorite to advance to the title game.
