Megan Rapinoe considers Sunday to be the final insult.
Just a few hours after the United States and the Netherlands meet in the Womens World Cup final in France, Brazil or Peru will celebrate winning the Copa America, South Americas mens championship. And then at night, the United States or Mexico will win the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the mens title of North and Central America and the Caribbean.
A TV triple of championships for some is yet another slight for others.
Its ridiculous, and disappointing, to be honest, said Rapinoe, the star American midfielder.
FIFA said playing the three finals on the same day would boost attention for all
The scheduling of the different events has gone through a comprehensive consultancy process, which has involved all key stakeholders and taken into account different aspects of the womens and mens international match calendars, the governing body said in a statement. It is a rare and exciting occurrence.
CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani told The New York Times, however, the decision to schedule the Gold Cup final for Sunday was not deliberate and was due to a clerical error.
Its terrible, said former American midfielder Aly Wagner, now Foxs lead World Cup match analyst. It is so disturbing to me that the Womens World Cup does not have its own day to stand on its own and have a final to highlight these tremendous athletes and their work and their accomplishment. They wouldnt dream of doing it to the men. Why would they do it to the women?
FIFA announced the Womens World Cup dates at the emblem launch on Sept. 18, 2017 , then revealed the full schedule the following Feb. 9 .
CONCACAF did not announce the expansion of the Gold Cup from 12 teams to 16 until Feb. 26, 2018 , then said last Sept. 27 that the final would be held at Chicagos Soldier Field on July 7 . South Americas governing body made the Copa America dates known since at least early 2018 and said last Dec. 18 the final would kick off at 4 p.m. EDT.
The Womens World Cup final will start at 11 a.m. EDT on Fox, followed by the Copa America final at 4 p.m. EDT on ESPN+ and the CONCACAF final at 9:15 p.m. EDT on FS1. Telemundo, a sister network of NBC, has Womens World Cup and Copa America Spanish-language U.S. rights, while Univision has the Gold Cup.
I really am a believer in the rising tide lifts all ships, said David Neal, executive producer of Foxs World Cup coverage. Because of the timing of them, its probably not going to hurt anybody.
Advertisers dont seem to think the three finals will cannibalize each other.
It doesnt alter in any way shape or form what we plan to do. Im not sure whether itll splinter viewership or not, said Chris Curtin, chief brand and innovation marketing officer of Visa, one of six FIFA partners.
Advertisers focus on their products marketing and activation and pretty much ignore the other tournaments.
The priority for Coca-Cola is the FIFA Womens World Cup and were going to do everything we can to bring a lot of attention, a lot people in front of TVs, to watch the game, to watch the final, said Ricardo Fort, head of global sponsorships at The Coca-Cola Co., another FIFA partner. Too bad for the other finals. Im pretty sure the Womens World Cup final is going to be a big global event again.
