Dream match to shatter attendance, viewers and temperature records.
Fox Preview France v USA
Women's World Cup:
France v USA could be 'wild and crazy' - Megan Rapinoe
By Tom Garry
BBC Sport in Reims
United States
midfielder Megan Rapinoe said Friday's Women's World Cup quarter-final against
hosts France could be "wild and crazy".
Rapinoe scored two penalties in
Monday's 2-1 victory over Spain, as the holders set up the
tie in Paris.
The two sides were
the pre-tournament favourites and both topped their groups, with a semi-final
against England or Norway awaiting the winners.
"This is the
game everyone had circled," said Rapinoe.
"This is
incredible for the women's game. You have two heavy-hitters meeting.
"I hope it's
wild and crazy. I hope the fans are crazy, there is tons of media around it and
it is just a big spectacle."
The USA are top of
the world rankings and their only defeat since 2017 came against France in
January.
Their Britain-born
head coach Jill Ellis, who was in charge when they won the World Cup in 2015,
added: "It's going to be an amazing game. I'm sure a lot of people would
want it later in the tournament.
"It's probably
going to be crazy with a lot of intensity, but that's as it should be because I
truly think this is the world game for women, so what a showcase piece."
France are bidding
to win their first major tournament, while the USA are attempting to lift a
record fourth Women's World Cup.
Despite the two
teams being the favourites from the outset, neither has appeared invincible so
far in the knockout stages.
Less than 24 hours
after France needed extra time to overcome Brazil in their last-16 tie, the
defending champions were thoroughly tested by Spain in Reims.
Against Spain,
Ellis' team conceded a goal for the first time at these finals, and
occasionally appeared sloppy at the back, in a game some bookmakers had them
down as 1-10 odds-on favourites to win.
Former USA
goalkeeper Hope Solo said there were many things to question about her former
side's display, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "When you have that much
attacking prowess, to not get a goal in normal play is concerning.
"People don't
bow down to the United States like they used to. They don't come in and put
everyone on edge like they used to.
"Many teams
have proved they can beat the USA. If you want to beat the USA you have to
press the backline.
"That's where
they are truly vulnerable. It's the decision-making, it's the quality of
passing - and I think there are nerves back there."
France Heat Wave Warning
Women's World Cup: In search of a
major tournament in Paris
By Tom Garry
BBC Sport in Paris
On a warm Saturday evening in the summer, whether gazing towards
the Eiffel Tower from the crowded Place du Trocadero, strolling alongside the
River Seine or approaching the Jardin des Tuileries from the Place de la
Concorde, you can enjoy some of the finest views in Paris.
What you cannot see are any obvious indications that the Women's
World Cup is in town, despite there being no city hosting more games at the
2019 tournament than the French capital.
As the sun sets, Canada's Jessie Fleming opens the scoring against New Zealand in
Group E in Grenoble, but there is no reaction from the thousands of people
enjoying picnics on the Champ de Mars - an iconic spot where big screens had
shown matches to packed fan zones during both the 2016 men's European Championship
- hosted in France - and the 2018 men's World Cup in Russia.
Women's football is now as popular globally as the sport of
golf, according to a report released on 4 June by the data analytics company
Nielsen, while Paris is among the world's busiest tourist destinations.
And therefore, while there is a smaller fan zone - albeit one
that does not fully open until 14:00 local time - opposite the Forum des Halles
shopping centre across town, is the so-called 'City of Light' illuminating the
Women's World Cup to as many people as it could be?
On one hand, the attendances and atmospheres at the Parc des
Princes have been very impressive - not least at the hosts' spine-tingling opening win over South Korea.
But - aside from the areas immediately around the stadium, south
west of the city - banners boosting the event's visibility are hard to come by
in the capital.
On the day of world champions USA's match here, free maps of
Paris's Metro routes display information on a rugby sevens tournament that
finished two weeks previously, while most central station platforms are devoid
of any posters of Women's World Cup stars.
The Paris Metro maps
available on the network on 16 June were still promoting the Paris Sevens Rugby
tournament, which finished a week before the Women's World Cup started.
Adverts for June's Champs-Elysees Film Festival - not the World
Cup - are draped along the city's most famous avenue.
At other host cities, promotion for the tournament varies, but
is far more visible at some, with the eye-catching roadside electronic adverts
for the matches in Reims tough to miss in the champagne region, while almost
every shop in the centre of the north-eastern city of Valenciennes has been
decorated with flags, scarves or World Cup banners.
Yet, at the spectacular vantage point that can be enjoyed from
Place du Trocadero, where large crowds of people hold their smartphones aloft
for a picture of the Eiffel Tower, low-cost, unofficial merchandise is
displayed for sale on sheets lying on the floor - but there are no football
shirts among the miniature towers, the glow sticks and the handbags with
semi-recognisable branding.
Even where there are sports tops for sale, at a string of shops
near the Louvre, only those displaying the names Mbappe and Neymar can be found
among Tour de France jerseys.
"Avez-vous quelque chose des equipes feminines de Coupe du
Monde?" I asked hopefully.
"Non, monsieur."
Around Pont Neuf, the
oldest bridge in Paris which crosses the River Seine, France kits with players'
names on are readily available - but only for the men's team.
However, look closely to one side of the Place du Trocadero and
there you will see it, directly overlooking the Eiffel Tower - at last, some
Women's World Cup branding. It's US broadcaster Fox Sports' studio for the
duration of the tournament.
Then there are other moments to lift your spirits, like the
small band of Chile fans enjoying a drink on the grass of the Champ de Mars 24
hours before their goalkeeper Christiane Endler's stunning performances against the United States.
Like the enthusiastic, Marseille-supporting taxi driver who
declared France's midfield star Amandine Henry to be "magnifique" and
warned that Les Bleues were much better than "Monsieur Neville's"
England.
Like the hordes of USA fans who swamped the Parc des Princes
with their stars and stripes on Sunday, as over 45,000 saw the holders - and
the Chile keeper - put on an exhibition.
And like the sea of orange that flooded into the northern cities
of Le Havre and Valenciennes from the Netherlands - dancing left, dancing right
- to support the European champions.
This is a truly global festival.
So why have the local authorities not adorned Paris' central
areas with more visible promotion of the event?
A Fifa spokesperson told BBC Sport: "One of the main
promotional objectives is to maximise the audiences, both in front of their
screens and in the stadiums. Even though outdoor advertising is a part of that
campaign, it is only one of several platforms deployed in this phase.
"In Paris, the outdoor advertising is centralised around
the stadium and around the Fifa fan experience."
When questioned about the subject, a spokesman for the Local
Organising Committee pointed out that because Paris is the biggest host city
and does not possess a clear city centre, efforts were focused on the areas
linked to the World Cup like the stadium and the Fifa Fan Experience.
They also pointed out that Paris City Hall had been adorned with
World Cup colours.
The Champs-Elysees is
full of huge banners promoting a film festival - but not the Women's World Cup.
The Chatelet district houses the temporary Women's World Cup
museum - a free and relatively well-produced, educational cuboid of historical
information, complete with a shop - as well as the adjacent fan zone, which is
closed until midday and only partially open until 14:00.
Fifa says it has also been marketing on radio and TV, as well as
hosting a women's football convention in Paris earlier in June, and a
spokesperson added: "For the first time in Women's World Cup history,
there is a Fifa fan experience in each host city.
"The choice of the location of the fan experience and
whether to include a big screen was determined by each host city."
As for the TV audiences, French channel TF1 has had record
viewing figures of about 10 million in France for the host nation's first two
group matches, and - although the games not involving Les Bleues are not on
free-to-air channels here - the home supporters do seem to be gripped by their
side's bid for a first title.
UK viewers have similarly set new records for women's football, while
Fox Sports in the US has reportedly seen an 11% rise in their audience compared
to four years ago.
Indeed, the world is
watching the beautiful game in France this summer - you just have to be in the
right place to notice it in the nation's most beautiful city.
Media Headlines on World Cup
Europe heatwave: record high of 45C
expected in France
Temperature records
expected to be broken as minister warns heatwaves could become norm
'Hell is coming':
week-long heatwave begins across Europe
Temperatures could hit
40C from Spain to Switzerland, with authorities urging children and older
people to stay indoors
A heat wave killed 15,000 in France in
2003. As temperatures soar again, officials are taking no chances.
France is postponing exams, opening pools and urging residents
to stay hydrated.
Where's
FIFA? Failing to promote a fun, high-quality Women's World Cup, that's where
Columnist
Women's World Cup: Record-breaking peak
of 6.9m watch England beat Cameroon
WWCup: Nearly 11
million TV viewers watch France’s opener
June 8, 2019
LOS ANGELES — The Americans’ 3-0 win over Chile set a record for
the most-watched group-stage Women’s World Cup match on U.S. English-language
television.
Fox drew 5,324,000 viewers for Sunday’s game, topping 4,492,000
for the Americans’ 0-0 group-stage draw against Sweden in 2015. The game was
the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in the country since last
year’s men’s World Cup final.
The event has
achieved a combined TV reach of 17.2 million people, beating the 12.4 million
total set for the whole of the 2015 tournament in Canada.
England's win
over Scotland set an audience record for a women's football game on UK TV of
6.1 million.
Women’s World Cup TV Viewership Is on a
Record Pace
750 million people watched the tournament
in 2015; FIFA estimates that nearly 1 billion could tune in this summer
