The 2022 World Cup kicked off with its first of 64 matches on Sunday, Nov. 20. For the first time since 2014, fans of the U.S. Men’s National Team (Team USA) will be able to watch their team in World Cup competition.
Here are the details on how to watch, betting odds and the highly anticipated Team USA vs. England matchup.
How to Watch Team USA: Team USA qualified for the 2022 World Cup, after missing out on the 2018 World Cup. It is one of 32 teams participating in the tournament. Team USA is in Group B for the group stage of the tournament, placed with Wales, Iran and England.
Team USA will play at least three games in the 2022 World Cup, with teams playing the other teams in their group and the top two teams by points advancing out of the group stage.
The games are:
- Team USA vs. Wales: Monday, Nov. 21, 2 p.m. ET, Fox, Telemundo, Peacock (free)
- England vs. Team USA: Friday, Nov. 25, 2 p.m. ET, Fox, Telemundo, Peacock (premium)
- Iran vs. Team USA: Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2 p.m. ET, Fox, Telemundo, Peacock (premium)
The three group stage games will air on Fox, a unit of Fox Corp FOXFOXA. The games will also be broadcast in Spanish on Telemundo, a unit of Comcast Corporation CMCSA.
The games will be streamed by Peacock, also owned by Comcast, with the first game available for free and the other two only for paid subscribers.
If Team USA advances out of the group stage, it would play again on Saturday, Dec. 3 or Sunday, Dec. 4 depending on if it wins or finish second in the group. The Dec. 3 game for the second place Group B team would play the winner of Group A at 10 a.m. ET and be broadcast on Fox, Telemundo and Peacock (premium). The Dec. 4 game features the winner of Group B and the second-place Group A team playing at 2 p.m. ET on FS1, Telemundo and Peacock (premium).
Related Link: 2022 World Cup: How To Watch, Betting Guide, Picks And Predictions, Group Stage, Upsets And Final Game
Betting Odds: England is expected to win the group and has been the favorite since the groups were drawn. Team USA pays out +500 to win Group B and pays -105 to advance from the group, slightly ahead of Wales at odds of +100 at DraftKings Inc DKNG.
Here are the odds of Team USA past the group stage:
- Reach Quarterfinal: +400
- Reach Semifinal: +1200
- To Reach Finals: +5000
- To Win World Cup: +13000
Benzinga employees recently predicted Team USA advancing from Group B. Of those polled, 63% see the U.S. losing in its first elimination game and the other 38% seeing the team reach the quarterfinals before losing.
A simulation of all 64 games by FIFA23, a bestselling soccer video game from Electronic Arts Inc EA saw Team USA advancing to the quarterfinals and star Christian Pulisic one of the top goal scorers with 5.
Team USA World Cup History: Team USA qualified as the third-ranked team in the CONCACAF region with 25 points from 14 games and a 7-4-3 record. Canada and Mexico topped the table with 28 points each.
Team USA qualified for each World Cup from 1990 to 2014 before failing to qualify in 2018.
The best finish ever for Team USA was in 1930 when the team finished in third place in the first-ever World Cup. Team USA reached the quarterfinals in 2002 and has made it to the round of 16 in several tournaments, including recently in 2010 and 2014.
Team USA played 33 total World Cup matches and has a record of 8 wins, 6 draws and 19 losses. The team scored 37 World Cup goals and allowed 62 World Cup goals.
US vs. England History: Team USA has played England in the World Cup twice and this year’s matchup on Nov. 25 is one of the most anticipated games of the tournament for American fans and viewers.
Team USA won 1-0 in a 1950 World Cup matchup and had a 1-1 draw with England in the 2010 World Cup.
Fox, which is the home of the World Cup in the U.S., has high hopes for viewership of the U.S. and England matchup.
“If the U.S. comes in at one and 0, and assuming England will do as well, that has the potential to be one of the top 5 most-watched soccer games in U.S. television history, and that’s just a group stage game,” Fox Sports executive producer David Neal said.
The 2010 World Cup game between USA and England had 17 million viewers for ABC and Univision combined. The viewership of the game was ahead of NBA Finals games in the same year.
Outside of the Team USA vs. England game, the highest viewership in the 2010 World Cup was around 5.3 million, which shows how important this rivalry game could be for Fox and other media partners.
The game will be broadcast the day after Thanksgiving, which is a holiday for some people in the U.S., a fact that could further help with viewership, given the 2 p.m. ET start time.
Photo: Impact Photography via Shutterstock
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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