Warner Bros. Discovery Sports will present live soccer coverage of the U.S. Women’s National Team against New Zealand, the 2023 FIFA World Cup co-hosts, Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 10 p.m. ET, on HBO Max. The broadcast – featuring one of the most popular and successful women’s sports teams in the world – will kick off live sports programming for HBO Max in the United States.
Throughout the course of its first year, WBD Sports will present more than 20 matches with a balanced approach to programming featuring the Women’s and Men’s National Teams, including an extensive lineup of games showcased on TNT. As the full broadcasting schedule is finalized for all matches in 2023, WBD Sports and U.S. Soccer will share the updated programming information as soon as possible.
In addition, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights, B/R Football, and HighlightHER will provide content to our fans throughout the year, elevating the profile of the players and their stories with fans.
An award-winning soccer commentator with more than 25 years of experience calling international soccer, Luke Wileman will provide play-by-play for the USWNT against New Zealand. He’ll be paired with National Soccer Hall of Famer and co-commentator Julie Foudy. The third member of the game crew – Melissa Ortiz – will report live from Wellington, New Zealand.
Studio coverage – starting at 9:30 p.m. with the U.S. Soccer Pregame Show – will be led by four-time Emmy Award winner Sara Walsh and three National Soccer Hall of Famers – Shannon Boxx, DaMarcus Beasley and Foudy. Programming throughout the night will also include halftime and postgame coverage recapping the night’s action.
The USWNT’s second match against New Zealand on HBO Max – Friday, Jan. 20, at 10 p.m. – will feature the same commentator assignments. For this week’s complete commentator announcement, visit the WBD press site.
On match days, fans can head to their HBO Max homepage or the sports genre page to tune in to the match live as well as pre- and postgame coverage with no commercial breaks. Replays will be available immediately following postgame coverage.
|
Date
|
Time (ET)
|
Program
|
Platform
|
|
Tuesday, Jan. 17
|
9:30 p.m.
|
U.S. Soccer Pregame Show
|
HBO Max
|
|
|
10 p.m.
|
U.S. Women’s National Team vs. New Zealand
|
HBO Max
|
|
|
Postgame
|
U.S. Soccer Postgame
|
HBO Max
|
|
Friday, Jan. 20
|
9:30 p.m.
|
U.S. Soccer Pregame Show
|
HBO Max
|
|
|
10 p.m.
|
U.S. Women’s National Team vs. New Zealand
|
HBO Max
|
|
|
Postgame
|
U.S. Soccer Postgame
|
HBO Max
|
A pair of U.S. Men’s National Team matches will round out WBD Sports’ first month of live soccer coverage. The USMNT will make their HBO Max debut against Serbia on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 10 p.m., before the team faces Colombia on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. on TNT. Programming and production details for the two upcoming USMNT matches will be announced soon.
WBD Sports and the U.S. Soccer Federation are in the first of an eight-year multimedia rights agreement which made TNT and HBO Max the exclusive English-language home to more than 20 Women’s and Men’s National Team matches every year.
