On Wednesday night, the Americans face the Dutch in the World Cup group stage

The U.S. women’s national team are set to play the Netherlands Wednesday at Wellington Regional Stadium in New Zealand in a huge matchup. The match is the second of three group games for the USA as they continue their pursuit of a fifth World Cup title. No team has ever achieved a three-peat of cups, and the USWNT are in prime position to be the first to do so. They’ll have to get through the group, where all games take place in New Zealand and they include a 2019 final rematch against the Netherlands.

The Americans head into matchday two as Group E leaders after an opening-day victory against Vietnam. The USWNT defeated the Golden Star Women Warriors 3-0 on Friday. On Sunday, the Netherlands defeated Portugal 1-0. Whether they win or lose on matchday two will significantly increase their chances of winning the group, as a win will lead to a battle for the top spot.

Group play wraps up on Tuesday, August 1 and the winner will play the second place team from Group G in the round of 16, while the runner-up will face the winner from Group G. The four teams in Group E are Sweden, Italy, Argentina and South Africa.

How to watch the match and what you need to know:

Viewing information

Time: 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 26

Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand

Live stream: Fubo (try for free) and Fox Sports app

(via Caesars Sportsbook) USA: -145; Draw: +250; Netherlands: +400.

USWNT group schedule

Time is Eastern

The 21st of July

The USA defeated Vietnam 3 to 0

The 26th of July

Wellington Regional Stadium, 9 p.m., USWNT vs. Netherlands

The 1st of August

Portugal vs. USWNT, 3 a.m. at Eden Park, Auckland

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Storylines

They dominated nearly every game stat against Vietnam, but now they have the biggest test of the group against Vietnam. USWNT: The Stars and Stripes are one step closer to the knockout rounds. With two goals and one assist, Sophia Smith earned player of the match honors with eight of the team’s 14 debutants earning their first tournament minutes.

In the event that the expectation is that the U.S. will score against debutant teams, this will be a chance for the defense to shine. If Julie Ertz is tabbed with consecutive starts at center back again, the midfield will have their biggest challenge of the match, and Andi Sullivan and Lindsey Horan will have to lead the way.

A narrow victory over Portugal opened the group stage for the Dutch, but they have an early opportunity to spoil the tournament against the U.S. Their participation in the World Cup hasn’t been extensive — this is their third tournament — and they have never been eliminated in the knockout stages. They finished runner-up at the 2019 World Cup, losing to the U.S. 2-0.

The Oranje women’s national team have had a short build-up with manager Andries Jonker, who was appointed in 2022 in response to the nation’s poor performance at the European Championships under Mark Parsons. The Oranje are without star striker Vivianne Miedema with an ACL injury, but the team can still produce in the final third with Jill Roord and on set pieces. Danielle van de Donk will cause problems in the midfield, battling to dispossess, and she can be an extra option in between the channels in attacks. Victoria Pelova is an asset to the team on the right side as either a winger or wingback and can play out of tight spaces in a hurry.