The United States takes on Iran at the World Cup on Tuesday with both teams’ fates at the tournament hanging in the balance.
Here are three things to know about the U.S. vs. Iran game:
The U.S. team needs to win to advance
The U.S. tied with England and Wales in its first two games of the 2022 World Cup, putting the team in a precarious position heading into its third match of the tournament.
If the U.S. beats Iran, the team will advance out of the group stage into Round of 16.
But if the U.S. loses or ties with Iran, its time at the tournament will be over. Iran will advance with a win and can also advance with a tie if Wales loses to England.
England has the surest footing heading into Tuesday’s matches, according to NDTV Sports.
You can watch U.S. vs. Iran on Fox
The World Cup match between the U.S. and Iran begins at noon MST on Tuesday. It will be broadcast on Fox and also available on streaming platforms like YouTube TV that include Fox, according to The New York Times.
“Tubi will stream the game for free, but only as a replay, after the game is over,” the article said.
The U.S. team has faced pushback for American policies on Iran
Tuesday’s match between the U.S. and Iran will be contentious — and not just because both countries really want to advance into the Round of 16.
Ahead of the meeting on the field, high-profile representatives of the U.S. and Iran have been sparring over political issues, including protests currently taking place in Iran over women’s rights, as the Deseret News reported Monday.
At a Monday press conference, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter and team captain Tyler Adams were asked a number of politically charged questions, including whether the U.S. would soon remove a naval ship from the Persian Gulf and why Iranians have such a difficult time visiting the U.S.
“I don’t know enough about politics,” Berhalter said Monday, according to USA Today reporter Nancy Armour. “I’m a soccer coach.”