CBC Sports and Rogers Sportsnet today announced the biggest and best soccer team ever assembled to cover the most games ever broadcast from the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011(tm).

For the first time, every match will be broadcast live in Canada, starting Sunday, June 26. For CBC, Scott Russell will host the FIFA Women’s World Cup(tm) coverage, joined in-studio by Clare Rustad and Jason de Vos. Rustad, a former Canadian women’s national team member, has also played for the Vancouver Whitecaps and currently suits up for the Toronto Lady Lynx of the USL W-League. Brenda Irving will be on-site and provide reports for CBC from Germany.

For Rogers Sportsnet, Gerry Dobson will host the FIFA Women’s World Cup(tm) Today coverage alongside in-studio analysts Craig Forrest and Kara Lang on match days at 11 pm ET, wrapping-up the day’s matches. Lang retired from play in January 2011 after a storied career with Canada’s women’s national team in over 90 matches, including stops in the 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cups, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and recently helped the women’s team qualify for the upcoming 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Louis Jean and Stephen Brunt will be on-site to cover Canada and provide reports for Rogers Sportsnet from Germany.

The action kicks-off from Germany on Sunday, with Nigeria vs. France on Rogers Sportsnet at 8:45 am ET, followed by Germany vs. Canada from Berlin’s Olympiastadion on CBC. Coverage begins at 11 am ET with FIFA Women’s World Cup(tm) Today on CBC.

Commentary for all matches on both networks will be provided by FIFA’s world-class announcers.

Fans can visit the joint website at www.cbcsports.ca/fifawomensworldcup
where they can access all games streamed live, schedules, scores and stats, video, opinion, history, a Team Canada section and a Fanzone. Fans are also encouraged to join the conversation on Twitter using #fwwc.

The partnership will see CBC air all matches involving Canada, including three of four quarterfinals, the semi-final, bronze and gold medal matches, all live. Rogers Sportsnet will air one quarterfinal match live, while also providing encore broadcasts of the quarterfinal, semi-final, bronze and gold medal matches. Additionally, in the early rounds, Rogers Sportsnet will provide live coverage of 18 matches not involving Canada. The complete broadcast schedule for all networks is available now at the joint site, found directly here:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/fifawomensworldcup2011/schedules/broadcast

Fans can also enjoy a public screening of Canada’s first match at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto, starting at 8:30 am ET on Sunday, June 26. The event will also include “Soccer in the City” featuring soccer skills, clinics, freestyle demonstrations, prizes, music and much more. The event is proudly sponsored by the German National Tourist Office, Schenker of Canada Limited, CBC and Rogers Sportsnet.