2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup TV schedule

From ESPN press release:

2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Schedule on ESPN

All 32 Matches Live and in HD; Mobile and Digital Coverage

ESPN will present comprehensive coverage of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup June 26 – July 17 from nine cities across Germany.  All 32 matches will be aired live and in high definition on ESPN, ESPN2 as well as ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV.

Coverage will begin Sunday, June 26, on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com, with the first match of the three-week tournament – Nigeria vs. France – beginning at 8:45 a.m. ET from the Rhein Neckar Arena in Sinsheim.  The opening match of the tournament featuring host nation and defending FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Germany taking on Canada will air on ESPN and ESPN3.com, later that day at 11:30 a.m. from the Berlin Olympiastadion.

The U.S. Women’s National Team

The U.S. Women’s National Team, a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and currently ranked No. 1 in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, will kickoff its 2011 World Cup campaign against Korea DPR (ranked No. 6) live on ESPN and ESPN3.com Tuesday, June 28 at 11:45 a.m., from the Rudolf Harbig Stadion in Dresden.  Other U.S. first round matches:

Sat 7/2         ESPN/ESPN3.com at 11:30 a.m. USA vs. Colombia
Wed 7/6      ESPN/ESPN3.com at 2:30 p.m.  Sweden vs. USA

2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Groupings

Group A
1  Germany
2  Canada
3  Nigeria
4  France

Group B
1  Japan
2  New Zealand
3  Mexico
4  England

Group C
1  USA
2  Korea DPR
3  Colombia
4  Sweden

Group D
1  Brazil
2  Australia
3  Norway
4  Equatorial Guinea

2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup TV Schedule
(All times Eastern. Schedule is subject to change.)

Group Stage

Date Time Network Match Group Site Match No. (#)
Sun. 6/26   Nigeria 0 vs. France 1
Sun. 6/26   Germany 2 vs. Canada 0

Mon. 6/27    Japan 2 vs. New Zealand 1
Mon. 6/27   Mexico 1 vs. England 1

Tue. 6/28   Colombia 0 vs. Sweden 1
Tue. 6/28   USA 2 vs. Korea DPR 0

Wed. 6/29   Norway 1 vs. Equatorial Guinea 0
Wed. 6/29    Brazil 1 vs. Australia 0

Thur. 6/30  Canada 0 vs. France 4
Thur. 6/30   Germany 1 vs. Nigeria 0

Fri. 7/1    Japan 4 vs. Mexico 0
Fri. 7/1    New Zealand 1 vs. England 2

Sat. 7/2   Korea DPR 0 vs. Sweden 1
Sat. 7/2  USA 3 vs. Colombia 0

Sun. 7/3    Australia 3 vs. Equa. Guinea 2
Sun. 7/3    Brazil 3 vs. Norway 0 

Tue. 7/5    England 2 vs. Japan 0
Tue. 7/5    New Zealand 2 vs. Mexico 2
Tue. 7/5   France 2 vs. Germany 4
Tue. 7/5   Canada 0 vs. Nigeria 1

Wed. 7/6    Equa. Guinea 0 vs. Brazil 3
Wed. 7/6   Australia 2 vs. Norway 1
Wed. 7/6  Sweden 2 vs. USA 1
Wed. 7/6   Korea DPR 0 vs. Colombia 0

2nd Stage – Quarterfinals

Date Time Network Match Site Match No. (#)
Sat. 7/9    11:30 a.m.    ESPN England vs. France   Leverkusen   (26)
Sat. 7/9    2:15 p.m.    ESPN Germany vs. Japan    Wolfsburg    (25)
Sun. 7/10    6:30 a.m.   ESPN Sweden vs. Australia Augsburg   (27)
Sun. 7/10    11 a.m.    ESPN Brazil vs. USA   Dresden    (28)

2nd Stage – Semifinals

Wed. 7/13    11:30 a.m.    ESPN Winners: Match 26 vs. 28    Moenchengladbach    (30)
Wed. 7/13    2:15 p.m.    ESPN Winners: Match 25 vs. 27    Frankfurt    (29)

Third Place Match

Sat. 7/16    11 a.m.    ESPN2 Losers – 29 vs. 30    Sinsheim    (31)

2011 FIFA World Cup Title Match

Sun. 7/17    2 p.m.    ESPN Winners – 29 vs. 30    Frankfurt    (32)

ESPN and the FIFA Women’s World Cup

The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup will mark the fifth straight time ESPN has televised the international competition.  ESPN and ESPN2 combined to air six matches of the 1995 Women’s World Cup from Sweden.  In 1999, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC televised all 32 matches, and in 2003, when the competition was moved to the US due to the threat of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), the networks featured 18 matches.  ESPN and ESPN2 televised all 32 matches of the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.

FIFA Women’s World Cup: A Synopsis

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is recognized as the world’s largest single-sport team event for women.  Contested every four years, this is the sixth FIFA Women’s World Cup competition.  The inaugural competition debuted in China (1991), 61 years after the first men’s (FIFA World Cup) tournament in 1930.  The United States and defending champion Germany are two-time winners of the championship.  Norway has one title.

Pre-match, Halftime and Post-match Segments

All 32 matches will be aired live, including 28 with match commentators at the match sites in Germany.  Additionally all match telecasts will feature pre-match, halftime and post-match studio segments originating live from the host nation.  The pre-match segments will include all symbolic FIFA World Cup traditions – the teams walking onto the pitch, the national anthems and ceremonial handshakes.