A month-long FIFA Women's World Cup tournament all comes down to this. The United States looks to defend its 2015 title today (July 7) against a Netherlands squad looking to lift the Women's World Cup trophy for the first time.
Worried that you might miss the final? Don't be — there are plenty of ways to watch USA vs. Netherlands this morning, from catching the game on TV to live streaming the World Cup final. And if you're traveling during the match, we can even help you find a VPN for streaming the Women's World Cup just like you were at home.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about catching every last kick of USA vs. Holland.
Where can I watch USA vs. Netherlands?
Today's final kicks off at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT, and it will be easy to find if you're near a TV set. Just turn to the channel to your local Fox affiliate, as the network will be carrying the USA-Netherlands match on its free-to-air channel.
Fox has options for streaming its broadcast of the USA vs. Holland. You can watch on the network's Fox Sports Go site if you're near a Web browser. Fox Sports Go is also available as a mobile app (Android, iOS), should you want to watch on a phone or tablet. One caveat about live streaming the match through Fox Sports Go, though: you'll need to sign in with your cable or satellite TV provider, even though this game isn't airing on cable. So that's not an option if you've cut out a cable TV subscription.
Fox isn't the only U.S. channel carrying the Women's World Cup final. Telemundo has the Spanish-language broadcast rights, and it's also airing the game over free TV at 11 a.m. ET. Like Fox, Telemundo has a streaming app — Telemundo Deportes — for Android and iOS, but you'll need to sign in with a cable provider to get the live stream.
How do I use a VPN to live stream USA vs. Netherlands?
If you're out of the country when the USA and Netherlands kick off the final, you're not shut out of watching the match. Instead, you can use a virtual private network, or VPN, to make it appear that you're surfing the web from within the country of your choosing. From there, you can log into streaming services just like you would back at home.
We've reviewed several services to find the best VPN. Our pick is ExpressVPN, which offers superb speeds that will meet the needs of most users. But you've got a whole host of options at different price ranges and with different features. Here's what we recommend.
ExpressVPN: Our favorite VPN service costs as little as $6.77 per month if you sign up for a one-year contract, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you just need ExpressVPN for the Women's World Cup Final, one month of service costs $12.95.
NordVPN: Cheap and secure, NordVPN is just $2.99/month for a three-year contract, while a month of service costs $11.95. NordVPN uses 2048-bit encryption, and makes it easy to use streaming services.
TunnelBear: Expect only average performance with TunnelBear, but for one-off events like the Women's World Cup final, this VPN is a pretty good option, thanks to its low monthly price of $9.99.
How can I live stream USA vs. Netherlands without a cable subscription?
Subscription streaming services can help you pick up channels you'd otherwise given up by cancelling cable, usually for a lower fee than what you cable provider had been charging you. (Just be aware that prices for these services are climbing upward — PlayStation Vue just raised rates by $5 a month this week, for example.)
The trick to finding the right streaming service for USA vs. Netherlands is to pick one that offers your local Fox affiliate. (This eliminates Sling TV from consideration since it doesn't include local channels except in a few select markets.) The services listed below claim to include Fox, but confirm before you order just to make sure. These services also offer free trial periods, so you may be able to time it so that you can stream USA vs. Holland during your free trial.
DirecTV Now: DirecTV Now's $50 entry-level tier offers 45 channels, including Fox. It's expected that the service will be merged with WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming service if you're planning on using DirecTV Now long after the Women's World Cup concludes.
Hulu + Live TV: Hulu's Live TV package will set you back $45 per month for 60 channels. (Fox is part of that mix.) The service includes a cloud DVR if you'd prefer to record the USA vs. Netherlands match and watch it later.
FuboTV: FuboTV offers a nice selection of sports content — including Fox and its FS1 cable channel — as well as standard content across genres. FuboTV costs $55 per month, and comes with a personal cloud DVR that holds 30 hours of recordings.
PlayStation Vue: With a $50-a-month PlayStation Vue subscription, you can stream Fox and FS1 through the service's Access tier. That's the entry-level tier that just went up by $5 a month for new customers. (Existing PlayStation Vue subscribers will pay the higher rate on or after July 31.)
YouTube TV: The $50-a-month YouTube TV has more than 70 channels that make it easy to watch the programming you want. And since it comes with Fox , you'll be able watch the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final without trouble. YouTube TV also features unlimited cloud DVR storage, so you can watch the match at a later date if you want to record it.
How the teams got here
Both USA and the Netherlands have yet to taste defeat in the 2019 Women's World Cup, though they've gone through the tournament with varying levels of ease. For the U.S. women, the group stage posed no problem while knockout round matches against Spain, France and England proved a bit more challenging. The U.S. won all three of those matches with 2-1 scorelines, and tournament watchers have consider the USA as favorites to win the World Cup throughout the competition.
The Netherlands also won all its group stage matches, but has looked a little bit shakier in knockout games. The Dutch needed a late penalty to beat Japan in a Round of 16 game, and only pulled away from Italy during the second half of its quarterfinal match. The semifinal against Sweden went to added extra time before Jackie Groenen scored the winner for Netherlands in the 99th minute.
Who is favored in USA vs. Netherlands?
The USA enters the match with the Netherlands as a heavy favorite. FiveThirtyEight gives the U.S. women a 66 percent chance of lifting the World Cup trophy, while FanDuel also rates Netherlands as a substantial underdog.
What to watch for in USA vs. Netherlands
- Can Alex Morgan win the Golden Boot? Morgan, the U.S.'s star striker is sitting on six goals for the tournament. That's the same as England's Ellen White (who had a goal disallowed in yesterday's third-place match against Sweden.) If Morgan can knock in another goal, that will give her sole possession of the Golden Boot, as the tournament's top scorer. And don't sleep on Megan Rapinoe, who has five goals herself.
- Who starts for the U.S.? Speaking of Rapinoe, she sat out of the semifinal with England, nursing a hamstring injury picked up in the quarterfinal. (The move may have also been tactical: her replacement, Christen Press, was better at handling England's speed.) Rose Lavelle also left the England game with a hamstring injury. Both have said they'll be ready to go for the final.
- U.S. on the attack? In the matches against France and England, the USA have played defensively at times. Against the Dutch, the USA might be tempted to adopt a more attacking style, similar to the approach used against Japan in the 2015 Women's World Cup Final, when a Carli Lloyd hat trick put the game away within 16 minutes.
- Don't underestimate the Dutch: While the Netherlands enter the game as an underdog, they are the reigning champions of Europe. Players to keep an eye on include Shanice van de Sanden, Lieke Martens and Danielle van de Donk. Also expect goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal to have a big say in the match's outcome.
