Everything you need to know about the 2023 Women's World Cup
The USWNT will be seeking an historic three-peat in Australia and New Zealand
The Women’s World Cup is here — and it will be a tournament of many firsts.
It will be held for the first time in two countries (Australia and New Zealand will serve as co-hosts).
The tournament will also feature 32 teams — up from 24 at France ‘19 — for the first time since the inaugural edition in 1991. The teams are separated into eight groups of four. The top two teams from each group reach the knockout stage.
The United States, the defending two-time world champions, are looking to win a third straight World Cup. No team, men or women, has ever achieved such a feat at the World Cup.
Of course, that won’t be easy. The women’s game has vastly improved across the world and many more nations can contend for the trophy.
With less than a week before the World Cup kicks off, here’s a preview of the teams and players to watch for over the next month:
Favorites:
The tournament will open July 20 (check here for the complete schedule) and conclude on Aug. 20 with the final held at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.
Here are the composition of the eight groups:
Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines and Switzerland
Group B: Australia, Canada, Nigeria and Ireland
Group C: Costa Rica, Japan, Spain and Zambia
Group D: China, Denmark, England and Haiti
Group E: The Netherlands, Portugal, United States and Vietnam
Group F: Brazil, France, Jamaica and Panama
Group G: Argentina, Italy, South Africa and Sweden
Group H: Colombia, Germany, South Korea and Morocco
The U.S. are the heavy favorites to win their group. They are in Group E along with Vietnam, Portugal and the Netherlands. It should be an easy group for the Americans. They will have a mix of veterans, like co-captains Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan, and budding stars, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith on the roster. The Dutch could be a challenge after finishing runners up four years ago.
England, the defending European champions, Germany and France are among the trio of teams also favored to win the trophy. Canada, winners of the Olympics gold medal in 2021, and Australia, who will be playing at home and features striker Sam Kerr, could also pose a challenge.
Dark horses:
As noted, the Netherlands could make some noise. This group of outsiders also includes Sweden and Norway, Scandinavian powers once among the favorites in past editions.
Spain, Brazil and Italy — three nations always in contention in men’s tournaments — could also pull off some surprises at this World Cup and go on a deep run.
For the Brazilians, this could very well be the last tournament for 37-year-old striker Marta, a six-time FIFA World Player of the Year/Best FIFA Women’s Player winner.
Players to watch:
The USWNT is loaded with talent. Megan Rapinoe is back for one last World Cup, while Morgan has the most experience of any U.S. players at the Women’s World Cup, having played 18 games while scoring nine goals — six of which at the 2019 tournament.
England’s attack, featuring Rachel Daly and super-sub Alessia Russo, should be fun to watch. At the same time, Spain’s Alexia Putellas is widely considered the world’s best female player and is back at a major international tournament after missing most of last year with a torn ACL.
Finally, Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala is one of Africa’s best players. She scored at both the 2015 and ‘19 Women’s World Cups. At age 28, she is in her prime. Oshoala could very well score again at this tournament, making her another player to keep a close eye on.