Both the United States and Sweden will advance to the Women’s World Cup knockout stage regardless of the result of Thursday’s final group-stage match. So why is it important? Two reasons.
The first is seeding for a potential championship run. One of these teams will win Group F and face Spain, the world’s 13th-ranked team, in the round of 16, followed by the prospect of France, the world’s No. 4 team, in the quarterfinals. The other team will be Group F’s runner-up and face either No. 5 Canada or No. 8 Netherlands, and then likely No.