Anticipation is quickly building for the tournament in Canada in what looks set to be the biggest and the best World Cup yet. The Women’s game over recent years has grown rapidly with many countries having professional leagues, most notably the United States, Germany, France, Sweden and in the last few years England. This year sees the tournament expanded from 16 teams to 24 teams, which of course means a lot of new names in the World Cup to get our heads around. There will be 8 teams making their tournament debut this summer representing each of the confederations (bar Oceania) with a few debutants from Africa, Thailand from Asia, Costa Rica from Central America (CONCACAF) Ecuador from South America and a couple from Europe (UEFA). The current defending champions are Japan who won the tournament for the first time back in 2011 after victory over pre-tournament favourites United States in Germany. For the first time in Women’s World Cup history goal line technology will be in place during the tournament with UK’s Hawk-Eye being used. This decision emphasises just how big the World Cup in the Women’s game has become with record TV audiences set to watch the tournament in Canada, not forgetting the spectators at the game, neither of whom would want to see their team knocked out by a controversial goal. This preview will give a brief history of how the teams have fared in past tournaments, key players to watch out for and each of the 24 Country’s squad in full, so without further ado let’s begin. Group A Starting in group A which on the face of it looks a tight group with all 4 teams in the group having an equal chance of making the knockout rounds. The front runners would have to be hosts Canada along with China, both of whom have appeared in all but one editions of the World Cup since it started back in 1991. However New Zealand will be looking to get out of the group for the first time, while the Netherlands who debut in the 2015 edition have risen up the rankings over the last year and could give the other three nations a test in the group. Canada FIFA ranking: 8th Appearance: 6th Previous best: 4th (2003) Head coach: John Herdman First of all we have Canada who qualified for the World Cup due to hosting it. Currently ranked 8th the Canadians over recent years have proven they can mix it with the best having won Bronze in the London 2012 Olympics as well as good showing’s in the Cyprus cup and a number impressive performances in friendlies against the stronger nations. Canada will be wanting to impress on home soil and have plenty of experience to help them achieve this with the likes of attacker Christine Sinclair, midfielder Desiree Scott and defender Lauren Sesselmann. They also have a range of young players coming through and are set to make an appearance in their home nation. These players include midfield duo Jessie Fleming and Ashley Lawrence who will both be appearing in their first tournament at the age of 17 and 19 respectively. So Canada have a good blend but could they be set for their best ever performance at the finals? China FIFA ranking: 16th Appearance: 6th Previous best: Runners-up (1999) Head coach: Hao Wei China will be looking to bounce back in Canada having failed to qualify for the previous tournament in 2011, thus missing out on their first World Cup. On the way to securing qualification China had an impressive Asian Cup where they claimed a 3rd place position. The steel roses secured wins over fellow World Cup competitor Thailand and Myanmar (7-0 & 3-0 respectively). China recorded a draw against South Korea which sent them through to the knockout rounds where they lost to eventual winners Japan in the semis. Given the Chinese absence from the international stage in recent years (World Cup and 2012 Olympics), it is fair to say their squad is not as strong as it once was, particularly the one that came runners-up in 1999. China does not have any stand out names but have a great understanding of each other with nearly all the squad playing in the Asian Country. The collective team spirit within the team showed at the Asian Cup last year with an excellent defensive record as well as being lethal in attack too. Overall China are capable of achieving great things this summer and can get out of the group, possibly reaching the quarters. Netherlands FIFA ranking: 12th Appearance: 1st Previous best: Debut Head coach: Roger Reijners The Dutch are making their debuts this summer having made the World Cup thanks to play-off victories over Scotland and Italy. It would be fair to say the Dutch are the dark horses of the group and possibly the tournament having been very impressive throughout qualifying. During the campaign to reach Canada the Dutch saw a number of stars emerge like 18-year-old Vivianne Miedema whose goals (19 in 23) helped the Oranje make the World Cup and also earned her a move to Bayern Munich from Dutch side Heerenveen. I really fancy the Dutch to do really well in their first World Cup and could even possibly make it to the quarter-finals. New Zealand FIFA ranking: 17th Appearance: 4th Previous best: 1st round (1991, 2007, 2011) Head coach: Tony Readings This is New Zealand’s fourth tournament (third consecutive) they’ve reached and will be looking to get out of the group stage this year having failed to do so on any other previous occasion. The football Ferns may find it tough in this group but they do have some useful players as well as experience heads who have partaken in the World Cup in Germany four years ago. These include Zurich’s Katie Hoyle who is a combative midfielder looking to break up play as well as create chances for her team mates. Others who will don the all-white of New Zealand include striker Amber Hearn who has been a key part of the setup since making her debut against Australia in 2004 and has earned nearly 100 caps scoring 45 in the process. A tricky group for the Fearns to navigate but they have every chance of advancing to the knockout rounds. Group B A slightly more predictable group than group A with current European champions Germany one of the tournament favourites, so bar any hitches they should win the group with either Norway or Ivory Coast finishing runners-up. However you can’t completely rule out Thailand as both them and Ivory Coast will be looking to make a statement on their debut. There is also potentially a third team to go through so the group could be more open than if only two teams had a chance of advancing, all I’m sure is that Germany will be one of them. Germany FIFA ranking: 1st Appearance: 7th Previous best: Winners (2003, 2007) Head coach: Silvia Neid Germany will be looking to make it a triple crown as they go in search of their third World Cup. They were one of a number of European teams who kept a 100% record in qualifying having won all 10 games and scored more than any other team (62). Die Nationalelf also only conceded 4 goals in the process meaning they had one of the tightest defenders, thus showing that they’re as great defensively as they are clinical in attack. The Germans do have a number of past and present FIFA World Player of the Year’s in their ranks with Captain and goalkeeper Nadine Angerer who won the award in 2013, while Nadine Kessler won it for 2014. Germany will be wanting to make up for what they considered a poor showing in the 2011 edition they hosted, but go into the tournament on the back of 6 consecutive Euro Championship wins. Ivory Coast FIFA ranking: 67th Appearance: 1st Previous best: Debut Head coach: Clementine Toure A team that I think many including myself don’t know what to expect having never qualified for the World Cup before and go into it as the lowest ranked team (67th). In fact it was a slight surprise they made it having qualified through the African Championships, which was only their second time competing in it. Les Elephantes beat South Africa in the winner takes all play-off having seen Nigeria (tournament winners) and Cameroon (knocked Ivory Coast out) advance in front of them. Ivory Coast’s game is built on team play due to them lacking any star or flare players, however it is this team spirit that saw them reach their first World Cup so I wouldn’t put it past them to leave a lasting impression. Norway FIFA ranking: 11th Appearance: 7th Previous best: Winners (1995) Head coach: Even Pellerud Women’s football in Scandinavia has grown rapidly in the past decade and this is partly down to Norway who like their Scandinavian counterparts (Sweden in particular), have thoroughly impressed on the international stage. They are in fact the only Scandinavian team to have won the World Cup when they lifted the trophy in Sweden back in 1995. In the group Norway will be facing some familiar opponents in the shape of Germany who they beat in the final to win their only World Cup, while Germany turned the tables on Norway and beat them in the final of Euro 2013. Norway do have tons of experience they can rely upon with players like Captain Trine Bjerke Ronning who could possibly be playing in her last World Cup at the age of 32. They do have a lot of youthful options too including the Hegerberg sisters, Ada and Andrine who play as a striker and midfielder respectively. I’m expecting another good showing from Norway and could reach the semis. Thailand FIFA ranking: 29th Appearance: 1st Previous best: Debut Head coach: Nuengruethai Sathongwien The second debutants in the group having secured fifth and the last remaining World Cup place at the 2014 Asian games where in the process they recorded vital wins over Vietnam and Myanmar. Thailand’s game is built of quick passing and good team chemistry with all but 3 of the squad members playing in Thailand, while the others play in Sweden. Also the majority of the team do play for one sole club in the Country (BG-Bandit Asia) which adds to the chemistry. Changsuk, which translates as the War Elephants have a huge attacking presence in the team, most notably 25-year-old Nisa Romyen who is the team’s biggest goal threat having bagged 14 goals in her 9 appearances she has made for the senior side. There is plenty of experience within the ranks too, so I believe Thailand have what it takes to be competitive and could be one of the surprises of the tournament. Group C An interesting group where 3 of the 4 teams are tournament debutants, while the other are the current champions. Like the previous group it seems to be a one horse race regarding the group winner but then it’s open for any of the other 3 to get the runners-up spot, with Switzerland being my tip to achieve this. However with both Cameroon and Ecuador making their first tournaments they will want to justify why they deserve a place on the grand stage. Cameroon FIFA ranking: 53rd Appearance: 1st Previous best: Debut Head coach: Ngachu Enow Cameroon much like fellow Africans Ivory Coast are making their World Cup debuts this summer after les Lionnes finished runners-up in the African Women’s Championship to Nigeria last year. Compared to a lot of other teams participating in Canada, Cameroon’s strengths are not through their attack play but their defensive displays where they tend to edge games by the odd goal or by keeping clean sheets. During the qualification process at the African Championships Cameroon were a bit inconsistent by beating fancied South Africa, but losing to Ghana, however they did reach the final and as previously mentioned, qualify for the World Cup. Their team is littered with players who play in Europe including some with Champions League experience like goalkeeper Annette Ngo Ndom and young striker Gaelle Enganamouit. It will be interesting to see how they do, as inconstancy may cost them. Ecuador FIFA ranking: 48th Appearance: 1st Previous best: Debut Head coach: Vanessa Arauz Ecuador were the last team to qualify for the World Cup having done so on the 2nd of December last year after a 1-0 aggregate win over Trinidad & Tobago. La tricola advanced to the play-off through reaching the last four in the 2014 edition of Copa América Femenina which they hosted. Ecuador finished 2nd in the group stage behind Colombia and then beat Argentina to clinch an all-important 3rd place in the final group stage behind Brazil and Colombia. Ecuador’s main strengths are the team’s togetherness with all their players playing within the Country and being able to edge games through soaking up pressure before scoring. Interestingly La tricola go into the tournament with the youngest squad with only one player above 30, while the majority are under 24 including attacking duo Amber Torres (19) and Giannina Lattanzio (22). They also have the youngest manager Vanessa Arauz who’s only 26. The youthfulness of the team may play into their favour, not least as their group opponents may not know what to expect. Predicting an interesting World Cup for Guerreras. Japan FIFA ranking: 4th Appearance: 7th Previous best: Winners (2011) Head coach: Norio Sasaki The current champions who have a lot of talent throughout their ranks with a number of players playing across England, France, Germany and the USA. Japan who became the first Asian team to win the World Cup in 2011 will be looking to retain their title having scraped through certain games to win the Asian Cup in 2014, thus securing World Cup qualification. Japan’s squad predominantly play on home soil which does result in great teamwork and work ethic. However some players do play abroad and in some of Europe’s strongest leagues including some names English fans will be familiar with such as former Arsenal defender Yukari Kinga who returned to Japan this season and Yūki Ōgimi who left Chelsea this year in order to return to Germany. My view is that I can’t see Japan repeating the major success of 2011, but I do see the unity within the team helping them to overcome obstacles and maybe reach the semis. Switzerland FIFA ranking: 19th Appearance: 1st Previous best: Debut Head coach: Martina Vost Completing the three debutants in this group are Switzerland who have been on an meteoric rise over the last couple of years under German head coach Martina Vost who’s led the Swiss to their first World Cup. Currently ranked in the top 20, Switzerland will be eager to showcase their ability and test themselves against the best in the World. They were somewhat a bit of a surprise package in their qualifying group storming through the campaign with 9 wins and 1 draw, which came against group favourites Denmark (1-1) who themselves finished 3rd. This was the only goal the Swiss conceded highlighting the strong backbone of the team in what some would see as a tricky group to navigate out of. They were confident in front of goal as well, scoring 53 in the 10 games with the majority of goals coming from Lara Dickenmann, Ana-Maria Crnogorčević and Ramona Bachmann, all of whom will cause defences problems in Canada. I’m pretty confident la Nati will get out the group and could even advance as group winners and I wouldn’t be surprised if they reached the quarter-finals. Group D Along with group F and to some extent group A, this is possibly the toughest group with three of the four teams currently ranked in the top 10 in the FIFA rankings. In Group D there is a wide variety of teams as you have a young, but experienced Australian side who will be looking to build on their 2011 tournament, coupled with a very attacking Nigerian side who’s not short of pace. Then there are the two favourites to advance from the group with the aging Sweden side wanting to replicate past glories, while the exuberant USA will be hoping for their first trophy for 16 years. A group that quite frankly could be anyone’s! Australia FIFA ranking: 10th Appearance: 6th Previous best: Quarter-finals (2007, 2011) Head coach: Alen Stajcic The Matildas head into the World Cup having failed to retain their Asian Cup crown last year, losing to eventual winners Japan. Although it still meant they did qualify for Canada comfortably with victories over Vietnam and Jordan as well as a draw against the Japanese which could prove a marker of how far they’ve come. Qualification for the World Cup was even more impressive given the turmoil and upheaval of losing their previous coach just before the tournament with Alen Stajcic filling the position on a temporary basis. The Australian team for the Canada this summer is fairly young but a lot of them have had the added benefit of playing at the previous tournament in Germany back in 2011. The 2011 edition also saw striker Caitlin Foord named as the best young player at the age of 16. Australia do have a plethora of attacking options such as 20-year-old Foord and experienced Lisa De Vanna coupled with players who are comfortable on the ball like Katrina Gorry, so it could prove a recipe for success. An added bonus as well is that nearly all the team plays in Australia, so the Matildas may be ones to watch. Nigeria FIFA ranking: 33rd Appearance: 7th Previous best: Quarter-finals (1999) Head coach: Edwin Okon Nigeria are the only African team to have appeared in all of the previous World Cups and will be looking to emulate the success of the team 16 years ago where they reached the quarter-finals. Back home, the Super Falcons have been hugely successful winning the AFCON championships a record seven times with Equatorial Guinea winning the other two tournaments in 2008 and 2010. In the most recent tournament which Namibia hosted Nigeria won all their games on the way to claiming their 7th crown, scoring a total of 16 goals which young attacking duo Desire Oparanozie and Asisat Oshoala who scored 5 and 4 goals respectively. Nigeria also only conceded 3 goals during the tournament, which resulted in them having the best defence. Like the two players previously mentioned Nigeria’s main threat are their strikers who like to run with the ball as well as creating chances. Oparanozie comes into the tournament on the back of a great second half of the season with French club Guingamp guiding them to a comfortable 5th place finish in the process. Meanwhile Oshoala of Liverpool has recently been voted BBC World Player of World thus demonstrating the talent the Super Falcons have. A team to watch out for. Sweden FIFA ranking: 5th Appearance: 7th Previous best: Runners-up (2003) Head coach: Pia Sundhage The Swedes head into the World Cup in Canada as one of the most fancied teams in Europe having impressed in the recent major tournaments. In the European championships which Sweden hosted two years ago they reached the semi-finals while in the last World Cup in Germany Sweden achieved 3rd place. It’s fair to say women’s football in the Country is at an all-time high with their club sides impressing in the Champions League with Umea reaching the latter rounds of the competition on a number of occasions as well as claiming two past wins. Sweden won all 10 of their group games in qualifying finishing 6 points ahead of Scotland, however out of all the group winners the Blue & Yellows finished as the lowest goal scorers with 32. The team has plenty of experience throughout the spine of the team with the younger generation such as Marija Banušić of Chelsea being given the chance. If Sweden are to repeat the success of recent tournaments it is their experience players they will need the most like captain and Paris Saint-Germain midfield dynamo Caroline Seger as well as record goal scorer Lotta Schelin, currently of Lyon. United States FIFA ranking: 2nd Appearance: 7th Previous best: Winners (1991, 1999) Head coach: Jillian Ellis One of the favourites for the tournament who will be wanting to improve on their recent showings in the tournament having fallen at the final hurdle in 2011 while in the other editions they failed to make the final, finishing third on 3 occasions. The United States arguably have the most talented squad with quality in every position. For instance Hope Solo who most would say is the best keeper in the World, while the US are blessed up front as well with attacker Abby Wambach being the most caped player in the team at 241 caps and her strike partner Alex Morgan who will be looking to add to her 51 goals for her Country. The United States are a great side to watch with the talent in the team but the question is can they make it count or will it be a case of falling at the last hurdle again? Group E Group E which glancing at it you would expect Brazil to win it comfortably with the other three fighting it out for 2nd. However it may not be straight forward for the Brazil national team as the likes of Costa Rica and Spain (both debutants) will want to make a statement at their first World Cup. Meanwhile the resurgent South Korea too will be wanting to make an impression having failed to win a game at their only previous tournament. Brazil FIFA ranking: 8th Appearance: 7th Previous best: Runners-up (2007) Head coach: Vadao A hugely entertaining team with a number of world class stars, but surprisingly have never won the competition before with their best result coming in 2007 when they reached the final. Brazil head to Canada on the back of winning their sixth Copa America Femenina in Ecuador last year, a tournament that also acts as qualification for the World Cup. As Canarinhas cruised through the first stage of Copa America after picking up 3 out of 4 wins in the group of 5 with the only loss coming against Argentina who themselves took second. It is worth noting though that the loss Brazil fielded a much changed team for the loss to Argentina, so don’t let that sway your judgement about how good Brazil are. Brazil won the trophy by recording two wins and a draw from the final stage with influential striker Cristiane being key to the team’s success. For the summer the Country will also be able to rely on five time World Player of the Year Marta who has a very impressive goal record for the national team with her netting 91 goals in 92 caps. Other players who will be key if Brazil are to achieve World Cup glory include captain Bruna and their most capped current player Formiga. Brazil will be looking to get their hands on the trophy for the first time but will need to be at their best if they are to achieve this. Costa Rica FIFA ranking: 37th Appearance: 1st Previous best: Debut Head coach: Amelia Valverde Las Ticas are making their first ever appearance at the finals after securing qualification via the CONCACAF championships where they finished runners-up to current world number 2’s the United States. It was quite a remarkable achievement for Costa Rica to reach the final of the CONCACAF championship on their way to securing a World Cup berth after advancing from the group stages with 9 points from 9 with 3 wins coming against Martinique, Jamaica and surprisingly Mexico. A penalty shoot-out win over Trinidad & Tobago in the semis sealed their place at the World Cup and the CONCACAF finals, which they lost by 6 goals to United States but it didn’t dampen their optimising for Canada 2015. Virtually all the team plays within Costa Rica with a few playing North in America, although they do have one stand out player who plays for Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain. 29-year-old Shirley Cruz has valuable experience and will be looking to help guide her team past the group stage. It will be tough but with the emergence of talent from the U-17’s World Cup then anything could be possible. South Korea FIFA ranking: 18th Appearance: 2nd Previous best: 1st round (2003) Head coach: Yoon Deok-Yeo This will only be South Korea’s second appearance in the World Cup having last appeared 12 years ago where they finished bottom of their group by conceding 10 and only scoring 1, thus failing to record a single point. The South Koreans will be hoping for a better showing this time around and recent statistics show that might be the case. South Korea’s root to a place the World Cup was through last year’s Asian Cup where they finished 4th overall after topping their group with wins over Thailand and Myanmar, the later proved to be a rout (12-0). They secured a draw over China and piped them to first on goal difference before narrowly missing out on a final spot after a 2-1 defeat to Australia. South Korea head to Canada with an experienced squad with a number of players having worked their way up the national setup after appearing at previous youth World Cup’s (under-17’s & under-20’s). Their most well-known player in the side is midfielder come forward Ji-So Yun of Chelsea, who has the best goal scoring record in the team (74 caps/38 goals). Taegeuk Nangja hopes may be raised as all but 2 of the 23 player squad play in South Korea meaning team spirit will be high and I expect this to be a factor if they are to reach the knockout rounds. Spain FIFA ranking: 14th Appearance: 1st Previous best: Debut Head coach: Ignacio Quereda Somewhat surprisingly Spain have never appeared at the World Cup before despite some viewing them as one of the bigger footballing nations in Europe. It would be a fair assumption that la Roja are benefiting from the expanded World Cup format (24 instead of 16), but don’t let that make you think Spain will be pushovers. In their qualifying campaign they won 9 games and drew 1 (a 0-0 in Italy), this resulted them finishing top of their group and 3 points ahead of the Italians. Spain like some of their European counterparts who topped their respective qualification groups kept a tight defence only conceding 2 goals in 10 games (2 in a 3-2 win over Czech Republic) and kept 9 clean sheets. Spain’s strengths are the attacking players they have in their team with Arsenal forward Natalia and FFC Frankfurt’s and national captain Verónica Boquete spearheading the attack. In my view Spain are capable of getting out the group if they are able to utilise their attacking players effectively and keep it as tight at the back as they did in qualification. Group F
An interesting group to say the least. It involves two European teams who both won every single qualifying game they played, a Central American team who can be a match for anyone and a South American team who has masses of potential having improved rapidly over the last couple of years. England and France would be everyone’s favourites to advance but all it takes is a slight slip up to allow another team in. It is also worth noting that 3rd place may see a team qualify for the knockout stages, so expect Colombia or Mexico to cause a few shocks. Colombia FIFA ranking: 28th Appearance: 2nd Previous best: 1st round (2011) Head coach: Fabian Taborda Colombia who are making their second consecutive appearance in the World Cup were vastly impressive in qualifying through the South American equivalent (Copa America Femenina 2014) where they won all four group games and remained unbeaten throughout despite not winning the tournament. Nevertheless Colombia go into this tournament as an unknown quantity and with plenty to prove in what looks a tough group. Colombia’s brightest spark is 21-year-old playmaker Yoreli Rincon, who ended the Copa America last year as her Country’s top scorer, so will be looking to replicate that form in Canada this summer. Las Chicas Superpoderosas team is fairly young with the majority aged 26 or 25, but don’t think they lack experience with a number having participated at the previous World Cup in Germany including Captain Diana Ospina. Expecting Colombia to have improved since the 2011 World Cup so watch this space. England FIFA ranking: 6th Appearance: 4th Previous best: Quarter-finals (1995, 2007, 2011) Head coach: Mark Sampson The Lionesses go into this tournament with renewed vigour and optimism with manager Mark Sampson after he took the hot seat following England’s dismal showing under previous coach Hope Powell at Euro 2013. The team is much changed from the one that went to Germany four years ago with a number of young players being given their debuts under Sampson. Under the new regime England are far more attacking than they used to be as proving in qualifying after scoring 52 goals in their 10 group games, in which they had a 100% record. New players in the team include defender Alex Greenwood who’s a fantastic crosser of the ball from both open play and set-pieces, meaning plenty of chances will be created for strikers Eniola Aluko and Ellen White to prosper from. This is possibly the first major tournament where the Country and the players themselves believe that they can achieve something special and win the trophy. France FIFA ranking: 3rd Appearance: 3rd Previous best: 4th place (2011) Head coach: Philippe Bergeroo Les Blues will be aiming to win their first World Cup having only ever reached the semi-finals before. A lot will be expected from France with being ranked 3rd in the World as well as having a very impressive qualifying campaign including some standout friendly results, most notably against the United States back in February this year. France dominated their qualifying campaign winning all ten group games and conceding just 3 while scoring 54. The highlight for France’s qualifying campaign would arguably be the 10-0 and 14-0 over group opponents Bulgaria. France’s team has a good blend of experience and youth with Elodie Thomis, Louisa Necib and Eugenie Le Sommer all appearing at previous tournaments, while 20-year-old Claire Lavogez will be wanting to showcase her skills after starring at the U-20 World Cup last year. Definitely a Country to watch out for. Mexico FIFA ranking: 25th Appearance: 3rd Previous best: 1st round (1999, 2011) Head coach: Leonardo Cuéllar Mexico scraped through qualifying in the CONCACAF championships after loses to World Cup debutants Costa Rica and the United States, who won the championship, they managed to secure a 3rd place at the expense of Trinidad & Tobago whom had to settle for a winner takes all two legged play-off against Ecuador which they lost. The Mexicans will be making their third appearance at a World Cup and will be aiming to make it out the group stages for the first time, but they face a stiff test coming up against France and England as well as an ever improving Colombia. For Mexico to have any chance of getting out the group they will need to show the spirit that saw them come back to beat T&T to 3rd place (2-1 down with 10 minutes to go, won 3-2). They will be able to rely on the experience of forward Monica Ocampo to get the odd goal but it will be tough for a side that plays their football scattered across the globe with no professional league in place within the Country. Mexico would have hoped for an easier group as they go in search of their first ever win at the tournament, but they may be able to sneak 3rd place and hope.
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