World Cup semifinals: Spain vs. Sweden, Australia vs. England kickoff times, TV schedule, star players

SYDNEY, Australia — This thrilling women’s World Cup has reached its final four. Here’s what to know about the two semifinals on deck this week, before the third-place game and final at the weekend.

All of the remaining games in the tournament will be televised on Fox29 in English and Telemundo 62 and Universo in Spanish. Live streaming is via FoxSports.com in English (with TV provider authentication) and TelemundoDeportes.com (with authentication) and Peacock (via its own subscription) in Spanish.

JP Dellacamera and Aly Wagner will have the call for Fox; Andrés Cantor, Natalia Astrain and Manuel Sol will have the call for Telemundo.

4 a.m. ET Tuesday at Auckland, New Zealand

Spain: Finished second in Group C with a 2-1-0 record — a 3-0 win vs. Costa Rica, a 5-0 win vs. Zambia, and a 4-0 loss vs. Japan. Then beat Switzerland, 5-1, in the round of 16 and beat the Netherlands, 2-1 in extra time, in the quarterfinals.

Sweden: Finished first in Group G with a 3-0-0 record — a 2-1 win vs. South Africa, a 5-0 win vs. Italy, and a 2-0 win over Argentina. Then edged the United States on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie in the round of 16, and upended Japan, 2-1, in the quarterfinals.

» READ MORE: The USWNT’s long era of success is over, but a new one could be on the horizon

Spain: F Alexia Putellas. La Roja’s superstar playmaker still hasn’t started a game in this tournament, only coming off the bench. It’s getting to a point where outsiders suspect it’s not just about the ACL injury she overcame this summer. Will she finally start in this game?

Sweden: D Amanda Ilestedt. It’s wild to think that a centerback could win the Golden Boot award as the tournament’s top scorer, but Ilestedt is a legitimate contender. She has four goals in five games.

6 a.m. ET Wednesday at Sydney, Australia

Australia: Finished first in Group B with a 2-1-0 record — a 1-0 win vs. the Republic of Ireland, a 3-2 loss vs. Nigeria, and a 4-0 win vs. Canada. Then beat Denmark, 2-0, in the round of 16 and edged France on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie in the quarterfinals.

England: Finished first in Group D with a 3-0-0 record — a 1-0 win vs. Haiti, a 1-0 win vs. Denmark, and a 6-1 win vs. China. Then edged Nigeria on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie in the round of 16 and beat Colombia, 2-1, in the quarterfinals.

» READ MORE: England shows its championship mettle with a comeback win over Colombia

Australia: Sam Kerr. It’s not just that she’s the Matildas’ biggest star. When she stepped up to the spot in the penalty shootout against France, she was thinking about the shootout kick she missed in the quarterfinals against Norway four years ago — coincidentally on French soil in Nice. This time, she buried it and finally cast those demons off.

Will Kerr make her first start of this World Cup in this game? Australia manager Tony Gustavsson, a former U.S. assistant, has been coy about Kerr’s health throughout the tournament, and that surely won’t change now. But whenever she takes the field, she’ll be the center of attention, and will draw huge roars from the crowd of nearly 80,000 at Stadium Australia.

England: Alessia Russo. She scored the winning goal against Colombia with a terrific finish, and, in doing so, answered the Lionesses’ biggest current question: Who would step up on the front line with Lauren James suspended?

Russo knows how to deliver in the big moments. The 24-year-old former North Carolina Tar Heel has two goals at this World Cup, and had four goals and an assist for the winners of last year’s European Championship. It will be no surprise if manager Sarina Wiegman, another Carolina product, turns to Russo again in this game.

» READ MORE: Jamaica’s magical women’s World Cup run ends with optimism and the world’s respect

Third-place game: Saturday, 4 a.m. ET at Brisbane, Australia

Final: Sunday, 6 a.m. ET at Sydney

Nope, sorry, not this time. I genuinely have no idea who’s going to win either game.

Spain and England are the best teams on paper, but that doesn’t matter right now. Sweden is in great form, and Australia will have the backing of a nearly 80,000-strong crowd against the country it loves to beat in every sport more than any other.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the drama, whether you get up early to watch it live or record it for later in the day.

» READ MORE: Women’s World Cup TV schedule, live streaming, kickoff times on Fox and Telemundo

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