Television Schedule for FIFA Women's World Cup Unveiled
CHICAGO (Sunday, September 7, 2003) – ESPN announced that ESPN2, ESPN and ABC Sports will present live coverage of 18 of the 32 matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003, which will be played from Sunday, Sept. 21 through Sunday, Oct. 12 at six venues across the U.S. Of the 18 live broadcasts, 14 will be on ESPN2 and one on ESPN, while ABC Sports will broadcast three matches.
Sep. 7, 2003
CHICAGO (Sunday, September 7, 2003) – ESPN announced that ESPN2, ESPN and ABC Sports will present live coverage of 18 of the 32 matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003, which will be played from Sunday, Sept. 21 through Sunday, Oct. 12 at six venues across the U.S.
Of the 18 live broadcasts, 14 will be on ESPN2 and one on ESPN, while ABC Sports will broadcast three matches. Coverage will also include two re-broadcasts of quarterfinal (Wednesday, Oct. 1) and semifinal (Sunday, Oct. 6) matches on ESPN2.
The TV coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003 will kick-off on Sunday, Sept. 21 with telecasts on ABC Sports and ESPN2. ABC Sports will televise the competition’s official opening match featuring Mia Hamm and U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Sweden at 12:30 p.m. ET, live from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. ESPN2 will begin its coverage at 11 p.m. ET from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., with the China vs. Ghana match.
The U.S. will next be seen on Thursday, Sept. 25 on ESPN2 live at 7:25 p.m. ET, when they take on Nigeria at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The USA’s third and final Group A match will be broadcast on Sunday, Sept. 28 live on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET as they meet North Korea.
One of the highlights of ESPN2’s coverage is a special WWC doubleheader on Wednesday, Oct. 1, which marks the network’s 10th anniversary, that will feature a pair of quarterfinal match-ups live from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
To ensure uninterrupted coverage of the matches, the networks will not air commercials during the two 45-minute, halves, similar to previous ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports World Cup telecasts. Commercials will be aired during the pre-game, halftime and post-game segments.
The 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup will mark the third straight time that ESPN and ESPN2 have televised the international competition. In 1999, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports televised all 32 matches of the USA ‘99 World Cup. The two networks combined to present six matches of the 1995 World Cup from Sweden.
TV Schedule - U.S. Matches | ||||
| Date | Teams | Location | Time (Local) | Match # |
| Sept. 21 | USA vs SWE | RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.) | 12:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
| Sept. 25 | USA vs NGA | Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 7:25 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 28 | PRK vs USA | Columbus Crew Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) | 3:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
| Oct. 1 | Quarterfinal | Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, Mass.) | 4:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 1 | Quarterfinal | Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, Mass.) | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 5 | Semifinal | PGE Park (Portland, Ore.) | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 5 | Semifinal | PGE Park (Portland, Ore.) | 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 11 | Third Place Match | The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.) | 3:25 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 12 | Final | The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.) | 12:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
TV Schedule | ||||
| Date | Teams | Location | Time (Local) | Match # |
| Sept. 21 | USA vs SWE | RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.) | 12:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
| Sept. 21 | CHN vs GHA | The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.) | 11:00 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 24 | NOR vs BRA | RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.) | 4:55 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 25 | SWE vs PRK | Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 4:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 25 | USA vs NGA | Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 7:25 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 25 | CHN vs AUS | The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.) | 9:55 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 27 | ARG vs GER | RFK Stadium (Washington, D.C.) | 3:25 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Sept. 28 | SWE vs NGA | Columbus Crew Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Sept. 28 | PRK vs USA | Columbus Crew Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) | 3:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
| Sept. 28 | CHN vs RUS | PGE Park (Portland, Ore.) | 10:55 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 1 | Quarterfinal 1: B1 vs. A2 | Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, Mass.) | 4:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 1 | Quarterfinal 2: A1 vs. B2 | Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, Mass.) | 7:25 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 1 | Quarterfinal (Rebroadcast, TBD) | Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, Mass.) | 9:55 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 2 | Quarterfinal 3: C1 vs. D2 | PGE Park (Portland, Ore.) | 7:25 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 2 | Quarterfinal 4: D1 vs. C2 | PGE Park (Portland, Ore.) | 10:25 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 5 | Semifinal: Q1 vs. Q3 | PGE Park (Portland, Ore.) | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 5 | Semifinal: Q2 vs. Q4 | PGE Park (Portland, Ore.) | 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 6 | Semifinal (Rebroadcast, TBD) | PGE Park (Portland, Ore.) | 1:00 a.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 11 | Third Place Match | The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.) | 3:25 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
| Oct. 12 | Final | The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.) | 12:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
