Women's World Cup Schedule 2015: Start Time, Matchups and Predictions for Final

It's safe to say that the 2015 Women's World Cup has mostly played out as expected. The United States has already secured a spot in the final, while Japan and England do battle on Wednesday for the right to play for the title. 

The U.S. and Germany were supposed to meet in the semifinals, as they represent the top two teams in the FIFA world rankings. Japan and England round out the four semifinal teams, with the English squad being the lowest-ranked outfit at No. 6. 

While there are no surprises left to be found in this year's World Cup, the drama is reaching new highs. It started on Tuesday with Team USA's tense 2-0 win over Germany. Japan and England are next up, while the final two games over the weekend are going to be off the charts.

World Cup Schedule

Date	Matchup	Start Time (ET)	Network
Wednesday, July 1	Semifinal: Japan vs. England	7 p.m.	Fox Sports 1
Saturday, July 4	Third-Place Match: Germany vs. Japan/England Loser	4 p.m.	Fox
Sunday, July 5	Final: United States vs. Japan/England Winner	7 p.m.	Fox

Title Predictions

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

At this point, it would be an upset if anyone other than the United States walked away with a World Cup title. The Americans have been on fire since the event started, even if some of the early results were ugly. 

One constant for Team USA thus far has been the defense and goalie Hope Solo. Following the victory over Germany, Jeff Kassouf of NBC Sports noted Solo's career achievement and how stingy the Americans have been allowing goals:

The only goal scored on Solo thus far came in Team USA's first game against Australia, when Lisa De Vanna put one in the back of the net in the 27th minute. That's a remarkable streak given the level of competition faced, especially in the knockout stage against Colombia, China and Germany. 

Yet the most encouraging sign from the victory over Germany was how the United States played offensively. Scoring and ball control has been an issue for most of the World Cup, as the U.S. have scored just seven goals through five games. 

Graham Hays and Ben Gladwell of espnW.com noted that it was a total team win against the Germans even though Carli Lloyd and Lauren Holiday were largely held in check:

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Lloyd and Holiday didn't rampage through the opposing team as a result, but that's because the opposing team was Germany. With its best attacking assets available, the United States had the better of possession in the first half, created the best chances and ultimately put itself in position to score goals in the second half.

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Finding the right mix of 11 players in the biggest game of the tournament thus far led to the best-coached game by Jill Ellis and best effort from the team to this point. 

As far as potential opponents go, Japan has the single best player in Aya Miyama. She's been an offensive force, highlighted by her ability to create for herself and teammates, as noted by Opta Sports:

Finding an opponent that is capable of challenging the United States' defense and Solo will be critical for a team to knock them off. Miyama's ability with the ball bleeds into the way everyone else on the Japan roster plays, as noted by Laura Vecsey of Fox Sports. 

"The Nadeshiko are all about passing and ball control, which is aided by the fact that 17 of their players were on the 2011 World Cup-winning team, including midfielders Aya Miyami, Rumi Utsugi and Mizuho Sakaguchi," Vecsey wrote.

Four years ago, Japan winning the World Cup was a big upset. That wouldn't be the case this year, as no one is underestimating what this team is capable of. 

It would also be a fitting conclusion to this year's event, as the U.S. and Japan met four years ago in the final before the Japanese squad took the title on penalty kicks. The U.S. has been on a mission in this year's tournament and will close things out regardless of who they end up playing.