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The quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup are set after Colombia and France advanced on Tuesday to join Sweden, Japan, England, Spain, Australia and Netherlands in the last eight. Seven of the eight teams in the quarterfinals topped their group.
The tournament will crown a new champion as the United States' bid for a three-peat ended in a penalty shootout loss to Sweden in the round of 16.
Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the quadrennial tournament for international soccer's most coveted trophy kicked off July 20 and has featured an expanded field of 32 teams, up from 24. There are 64 matches during the tournament.
Colombia advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time with a 1-0 over Jamaica. Catalina Usme scored early in the second half for Colombia, which faces European champion England on Saturday in Sydney for a place in the semifinals. Jamaica played in the round of 16 for the first time in only its second Women's World Cup appearance.
France defeated Morocco 4-0 to secure the last spot in the quarterfinals. The French ended Morocco's historic run, after the Atlas Lionesses became the first team from an Arab country to qualify for the Women's World Cup and advanced from the group stage with wins over South Korea and Colombia.
The quarterfinals kick off on Friday with Spain against Netherlands in Wellington at 1 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET, Thursday) and Japan against Sweden in Auckland at 7:30 p.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET).
On Saturday, Australia faces France in Brisbane at 5 p.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) and England plays against Colombia in Sydney at 8:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. ET).
Fox holds the English-language media rights in the United States for the Women's World Cup. Telemundo holds the Spanish-language rights.
Fox will broadcast a record 29 matches over the air on its main network and the rest of the games will be aired on FS1. All matches will be streamed on the Fox app.
FIFA struck a collective deal with the European Broadcasting Union in mid-June, ending a standoff with broadcasters in five major European television markets. The deal guarantees the games will air in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain.
Chiamaka Nnadozie's Nigeria lineup had two chances hit the crossbar in a scoreless draw and only missed out on the Women's World Cup quarterfinals after losing a penalty shootout against England. The Super Falcons proved, once again, that rankings are less important than respect for rival teams under the tournament's expanded 32-team format.
The once-dominant Americans crashed out on penalties in the earliest exit ever for the four-time tournament champions. With the rest of the world catching up in skill and physical conditioning, the future of the team could look dramatically different.
One wrong step cost Lauren James any chance of playing in the quarterfinals, and very easily could have ended England's progress in the tournament. The 21-year-old forward was shown a red card for violent conduct late in regulation time when she stepped on a Nigeria defender. Her teammates advanced on penalties kicks after a 0-0 draw.
England is the favorite to win the title at +200 heading into the quarterfinals, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Spain is listed next at +380, followed by France and Japan at +550, Australia at +750 and Sweden at +950.
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AP Women's World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
