Fans of women’s soccer will be watching live online when host nation Canada tries to hold off a fierce challenge from England on the last FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal game Saturday, as millions of English viewers will get the chance to see their women fight to make it to the World Cup semifinals for the first time.
The ragged and exciting Three Lionesses have captured the public imagination in England with a frenetic style that has netted them six goals while conceding four as they battled their way to a second place finish in Group F, and a stunning comeback 2-1 win over Norway in their Round of 16 match.
The England matches in this World Cup have drawn over 2 million viewers each in England, causing the country’s national broadcaster, the BBC, to move Saturday’s game from its troubled BBC 3 channel to its showcase BBC 1.
To watch the England vs. Canada FIFA 2015 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal match live online, see the information in the final paragraph of this article. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on June 27, Pacific Time in Vancouver — 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
The two teams are very familiar with each other . In 11 head-to-head confrontations, England has won six, Canada five. In the 2012 Olympics, Canada scored a 2-0 victory against Team Great Britain, which was comprised of many of the same players on the England national team as well.
Not only has England seen a sharp rise in viewership for their Women’s World Cup matches this year, interest is up almost everywhere. In China, that country’s Round of 16 win over Cameroon drew 5 million viewers — higher than any match in the 2011 Women’s World Cup.
Canada also set domestic records, pulling in 2.8 million viewers for their Round of 16 victory over Switzerland — the first time that Canada had beaten a European team in the World Cup. But they will need a second win over a European side Saturday when they face the determined women of England.
The winner of Saturday’s match faces the winner of the earlier match the same day — either Australia or Japan — in the second semifinal on Wednesday, July 1.
Will England send the host nation packing, or will Canada defend their way into the World Cup semifinals? To find out, watch the Australia vs. Japan FIFA Women’s World Cup Quarterfinal match live online from Edmonton, by going to Fox Sports Go at this link , or paying for a subscription to Fox Soccer2Go, available at this link . The Spanish-language live online stream will be carried by NBC Sports Live Extra, which may be accessed at this link .
[Image: Andre Ringuette/Getty Images]