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The quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup are set after Colombia and France advanced 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.
The quarterfinals kick off 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.
Japan has hardly been tested in this Women's World Cup and rolled with a perfect 4-0 record into the quarterfinals. A win over Sweden at this stage would show the Nadeshiko are very much a true contender. But Friday's opening day of the quarterfinals also gives Netherlands an opportunity to take control of a wide-open World Cup.
A new generation of stars has emerged at the Women's World Cup. Colombia's Linda Caicedo and England's Lauren James have been among the brightest talents so far in a global tournament that has seen the likes of Brazil's Marta, Canada's Christine Sinclair and U.S. veteran Megan Rapinoe playing for the last time.
Generational talents Marta, Christine Sinclair and Megan Rapinoe have all played in their final Women's World Cup. All are leaving the game in a much different place than when they started. Also retiring Estefania Banini, who is just 33 but has decided that it's time to make way for younger Argentinian players.
England is the favorite to win the title at +240 heading into the quarterfinals, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Spain is listed next at +340, followed by Japan at +470, France +500, Australia at +900 and Sweden at +1,000, Netherlands at +1,300 and Colombia at +3,200.
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AP Women's World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
