The Women's World Cup Is Underway

Don't look now, but an epic, global sports tournament has begun, and it's worth your attention: the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup started Saturday, held in Canada. Odds are you remember all the hoopla of last year's World Cup on the men's side, the pomp, celebration, sweat and tears, and of course, the occasion act of biting. Well, now it's time to do the whole thing over again, for the most elite female footballers in the world!

Make no mistake, it's a slightly... odd time, let's say, to be an international soccer fan. That's because the governing body of soccer worldwide, FIFA — or the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, for those of you who like to sound official — is embroiled in a destabilizing, high-profile corruption and bribery scandal, with a slew of high-ranking officials facing charges, and freshly reelected president Sepp Blatter having resigned amid the ongoing investigation. If you're a fan of women's soccer, you may have heard of Blatter — he infamously had some pretty crude opinions on how to attract more viewers to the women's game.

But that's all the more reason to not let the scandal overshadow what figures to be an exciting tournament! So why not take a look, if you've got the time?

The Women's World Cup basic format will look familiar if you watched the men's tournament in Brazil last year, even though the men's side continues to boast a larger number of teams. This year does mark the largest ever field for the Women's World cup, however — teams representing 24 different countries are competing, including the good ol' United States of America.

Simply put, you've got six groups of four teams each, and they'll be competing in group play through June 17. On Saturday, the tournament opened with host nation Canada defeating China in a tight match, and New Zealand subsequently faced off against the Netherlands. If you're interested in watching some of the action, you should take a glance at this handy broadcast schedule, courtesy of the New York Post — the games are varying aired on FOX, FOX Sports 1, and FOX Sports 2.

Of course, if you're particularly interested in the American team, that's an easy question to answer.

• Team USA plays their first match on Monday, June 8 at 8 p.m. EST, against Australia. It'll be aired on FOX Sports 1.

• Their second game will be on Friday, June 12 at 8 p.m. EST against Sweden. It'll be aired on FOX.

• Their third scheduled game will be on Tuesday, June 16 at 8 p.m. EST, against Nigeria. It'll be on FOX.

Unfortunately, that's all the matches that the U.S. is guaranteed. From there, it proceeds to the knockout stage, and whether Team USA will even get there depends on their performance in those first three matches. So don't miss them! Regardless of which countries ultimately move on, though, you'll have women's soccer aplenty for the next month — as the tournament's final match isn't until July 5.

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