AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The Women’s World Cup schedule had been crafted under an implicit assumption of American dominance. Dozens of FIFA representatives gathered here last October to hash it out. Time zones were tricky, but they hatched a plan to accommodate the United States, their biggest women’s soccer market. They scheduled two U.S. games for 1 p.m. here in New Zealand, which equated to 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Then they went a step further, placing Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches in the Oceania afternoon. The Group E winner, they decided, would play at noon in Sydney, then 1 p.
USWNT’s group stage dud is a World Cup scheduling nightmare for FIFA, Fox and U.S. viewers
