Group A France The hosts are seen as one of the pre-tournament favourites for this competition and that should come as no surprise given the quality of players the French have within their ranks. The team is made up of a majority of players from France’s big clubs with Lyon and PSG players featuring, particularly the league champions Lyon. Despite the strength and depth to the team France has struggled with expectations over recent tournaments and were fairly lacklustre at Euro 2017, finishing 2nd in their group behind Austria. However, since then they have embedded a number of younger players to their team to replace some of the players who have since retired, which will excite many of the fans within the host nation. These include PSG 21-year-old midfielder Grace Geyoro who has firmly established herself in the Paris based side as well as helping her earn 21 caps so far for France. Also Emelyne Laurent, who has spent the season on loan at Guingamp from division rivals Lyon, has been introduced by head coach Corinne Diacre in order to bring through the next generation. In addition to the new young players, they also have a world class players like midfielder Amandine Henry and forward Eugenie Le Sommer, who have tonnes of experience between them and will most probably be in the team of the tournament if they live up to both their own and their country’s expectations. A semi-final spot should be the minimum for France in my opinion. South Korea The World Cup four years ago saw the South Korea record their best ever World Cup result, getting to the last 16 before being eliminated at the hands of France, who they play in the opening game of the tournament. The player to watch for is Chelsea’s number 10 Ji So-yun who offers plenty of creativity as well as being able to chip in with important goals. They are captained by experienced midfielder Cho So-hyun, who has been playing her football in the Women’s Super League for West Ham since January, and she will be essential to South Korea doing well if they are able to advance out of the group. Their weakness heading into the tournament was their ability to match the better teams within their continent, as seen at the 2018 Asia Cup where they finished 3rd in their group and had to rely on a play-off against the Philippines in order to qualify for the tournament. It is a pretty tough group, but if they are able to pickup 3 points from one of their games then getting to the knockout stages again would be seen as a respectable achievement. Norway Having pipped the Netherlands to top spot in their qualification group, Norway look to have recovered from their disastrous showing at Euro 2017 where they finished bottom of their group with three losses and no goals scored. Following on from the tournament, they appointed a new manager with Swede Martin Sjogren taking the helm and he instilled a team spirit which had been lacking the last couple of years and helped some of the players rediscover their form. However, a notable absentee is FIFA Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, who initially took a short break from international football but has decided to continue to focus on her club football for the time being. Nevertheless, Norway do have plenty of talented individuals including attacking midfielder Caroline Hansen, who made her bow in Canada and forward Lisa-Marie Utland, who has established herself over the last year as one of the key members of the squad. It’s also worth mentioning that Norway are only one of two European countries to have won the World Cup before, back in 1995, however they are unlikely to make it number two. Stranger things have happened of course, but a quarter-final place would be respectable, and a semi-final spot would be a great achievement and illustrate how far they have come over the last two years. Nigeria Pretty much the only African side to keep up a consistent presence at the World Cup finals, the Super Falcons will be trying to advance past the group stage, something which they have not done since 1999 when they reached the quarter-finals (albeit in a smaller competition). Nigeria are seen as the most dominant African side in women’s football having won 9 of the last 11 Africa Cup of Nations, their latest coming in 2018 after a penalty win over fellow World Cup finalists South Africa. Furthermore, Nigeria are one of only a few sides to have been ever present at every single World Cup, dating back to 1991, outlining the country’s ability to be able to constantly find the next stars. Former Liverpool and Arsenal player Asisat Oshoala will be pivotal for Nigeria if they are to have a successful campaign and she has the ability to not only score goals, but to set them up too. Other attacking threats for Nigeria include Guingamp’s Desire Oparanozie, who is known for her physical presence and ability to hold as well as being a consistent goal threat with 22 goals in 35 appearances for Nigeria. I believe that the Super Eagles could be one of the surprises of the tournament and providing that their attack can live up to the billing. A possible quarter-finals perhaps? Group B Germany It would be fair to label Germany as a team in transition, after reaching the semi-finals four years ago they put in a disappointing showing at the Euro Championship two years back and only just qualified for the World Cup having nearly lost out to Iceland, who beat them in their group. Since the last World Cup and even since the Euros there have been a number of retirements, most notably Anja Mittag and Simone Laudehr, however they still have plenty of experienced players in their prime like Lyon’s creative midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan and Wolfsburg forward Alexandra Popp who have 32 and 46 international goals respectively. Germany will be keen to live up to past expectations and attempt to win the World Cup for a 3rd time having done so twice before in 2003 and 2007 (as hosts), which if they do will equal the United States record of 3 World Cups. Personally, I think Germany winning the World Cup this year is pretty unlikely, as while they may look strong on paper they are suspect defensively on occasions. Also, other teams especially from Europe, such as England, France and the Netherlands, have become stronger over the last couple of years and they may find it difficult to beat them should they face one of them in the latter stages. The minimum for Germany should be a quarter-finals spot but I’m sure the semi’s will be their target. Spain Spain will be an interesting team to watch in France given their superb qualifying record where they finished top of their group, above Euro 2017 semi-finalists Austria with 8 wins from 8 and only two goals conceded. As a result, Spain will be unlikely to ship many goals and their excellent defensive record is helped due to that the majority of their defence all play their club football for the same club, Barcelona. María Pilar León and Marta Torrejón make up the core of their defence and will be the players to watch in this department. It is not only the defence where Spain look strong, as they have plenty of attacking options too, mainly from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. These include; Jennifer Hermoso of Atletico Madrid and Mariona Caldentey of Barcelona as well as Athletic Bilboa 20-year-old forward Lucía García. Hermoso at the time of writing has 30 goals for Spain which puts her 4th on the all-time goalscorers list for them, only 8 behind the now internationally retired Verónica Boquete. If Spain show their attacking intent during the tournament, she may well come close to beating it this World Cup. The country will be aiming to make it their best performance at the World Cup by advancing to the knockout rounds for the first time ever. China As former hosts, China can be seen as one of the pioneers of women’s football during the early 90’s having taken part in the first ever World Cup back in 1991. As a result, they are seen as one of the more dominant Asian sides along with 2011 World Cup champions Japan. In 2015 they reached the quarter-finals and do have a couple of talented individuals who will be important if they are to go one better or even repeat their feat of 1999, when they reached the final. China can count on 24-year-old midfielder Wang Shuang who plays her football in France for PSG, having spent her career prior to that in her native China. Wang Shuang is the only member of the squad to play her football outside of China, however it does signal the growth of football in China and the relative success of their previous tournaments. As well as Wang Shuang they do have Yang Li who is impressive in front of goal too and will need to hit the net if they are to get past the likes of Germany and Spain. The 26-year-old does have an impressive goal to game ratio for the national side with 23 goals in 42 games, making her one of the players to watch for the Chinese. I would expect China to get out the group and at least match their 2015 result providing they are able to handle increased expectations placed on them. South Africa South Africa will be an interesting team to watch during the World Cup as they enter the competition on poor form having not won a game since losing in the Africa Cup of Nations last year and have not beat non-African opposition since beating Hungary in a friendly a year and a quarter ago. However, they do have a number of star players including striker Thembi Kgatlana who has plenty of skill and trickery and will cause defenders a problem. Also, South Africa may benefit from underdog status with most viewers expecting Germany and Spain or China to advance to the knockout stages, so Banyana Banyana have nothing to lose. If they are able to record their first ever win then I am sure that many back in their country will count that as progress, especially if other new stars emerge and earn moves to big European clubs, thus helping raise the profile of African football. Whatever happens it is certain that South Africa will enjoy themselves at the tournament and entertain the neutrals. Group C Australia Australia head into this World Cup with arguably their best crop of players that they have ever had and many believe that if the Matildas are to ever win a World Cup then this may well be the year to achieve it. Manager Ante Milicic, who is only the manager on an interim basis, has helped create great team chemistry with a mixture of players from the US and the national W-League. Since the 2015 competition, Australia have introduced a number of young players including 16-year old forward Mary Fowler, who burst onto the international stage last year, and 19-year old defender Ellie Carpenter. Other players such as midfield duo Emily van Egmond and Katrina Gorry as well as defender Alanna Kennedy return as more experienced players from 4 years ago. Their main threat will no-doubt be Sam Kerr who is seen as a global superstar, with there being a reasonable chance of her winning the golden boot in France providing the Matildas can get to the latter stages. As mentioned, they have a number of experienced players, especially in midfield, who will be crucial in linking up the attack with experienced forwards Lisa de Vanna and the already mentioned Sam Kerr in order to give them the best chance of getting far at the World Cup. Will a semi-finals spot beckon? Brazil Unlike their male counterparts Brazil have never won the Women’s World Cup and this is somewhat surprising given the world class players Brazil have among their ranks. Marta, who has been World Player of the Year six times, is considered their best player and will have to shoulder a lot of the burden if Brazil are to achieve a first and win the World Cup. However, at the age of 33 this will probably be Marta’s last World Cup so she will be wanting to create one last hooray. Although it is worth mentioning that Marta is by no means the oldest in this Brazil team with that honour going to tough-tackling midfielder Formiga, who at the age of 41 will be appearing in her 7th World Cup. Not very many will be expecting Brazil to win the competition but in a country that lives and breathes football, the nation will be expecting a good showing from the “Girls in yellow”. Brazil’s personal target will probably be a semi-final spot, although with an aging squad they may struggle with the younger legs of some of their opponents. My view is that they may only make it as far as the last 16, but certainly no further than the quarter-finals. Italy The Italians have undergone somewhat of a renaissance in the last couple of years after failing to qualify for the last World Cup. Since then Italy qualified for Euro 2017, where they finished bottom of their group with star players like Melania Gabbiadini retiring and new players have been introduced into the reckoning. Since the beginning of this year they are unbeaten in their nine games so far in 2019, so Azzurre head into the tournament with considerable momentum. Italy finished their qualifying campaign with 7 wins and one loss and make only their third ever World Cup appearance, with their previous World Cup appearance coming back in 2003. One of the reasons for Italy’s recent change in fortune recently can be attributed to the change in their national league structure with major teams such as Juventus, AC Milan and Fiorentina investing in the women’s game. These three teams also supply the majority of the players for the World Cup squad with experienced defender Sara Gama captaining the side while Cristiana Girelli, who also plays for Juventus, leads the line up front and will be looking to add to her 27 goals for her country this tournament. Other players of note for Italy include forward Ilaria Mauro of Fiorentina who adds even more experience in attack and young AC Milan midfielder Manuela Giugliano, who is able to chip in with goals as well as assist the attack. This is a tough group for Italy but if they continue their form then getting out of the group will be no problem, the real test will come in the knockout stages. Jamaica The Reggae Girlz are making their tournament debut after qualifying ahead of 2015 representatives Costa Rica, which raised a few eyebrows. However, they were very impressive racking up 53 goals with only two loses and have the top scorer in the entire qualifying with Khadija Shaw who scored 19 during qualification. Shaw will certainly be Jamaica’s big threat during the competition given her clinical eye for goal and will be the player to make the difference if Jamaica are to cause any upsets during the World Cup. It is not only Jamaica’s attack that should not be taken lightly as their defence is not to be underestimated too as they only conceded 14 goals in the entire process, with captain Konya Plummer at the heart of their defence. With the team being ranked 53, they are the lowest ranked country in the World Cup so are huge underdogs heading into the tournament. However, being underestimated will work to Jamaica’s advantage as it is quite feasible that they could get something against either Australia or Italy or even an aging Brazil team who have failed to live up to expectations at recent World Cups. Whatever happens the Reggae Girlz are here to have fun. Group D England After surpassing expectations in Canada by reaching the semi-finals, and somewhat cruelly and undeservingly missing out on the final, England return with added expectation after reaching the final of Euro 2017 along with plenty of changes. Since the last major tournament, a number of key individuals have retired including Alex Scott, Casey Stoney (now Manchester United Women’s manager) and Laura Bassett as well as departed manager Mark Sampson, who left under somewhat of a dark cloud. In came former player Phil Neville who has rejuvenated this team and integrated many youngsters including Manchester City duo Kiera Walsh and Georgia Stanway as well as Arsenal striker Beth Mead, who was somewhat unfortunate not to be considered 4 years ago. Neville has got the Lionesses playing attractive, attacking football with multiple formations to suit the various players selected in the 11. There is plenty of depth within the squad which highlights England as one of the pre-tournament favourites. Can they live up to it? Scotland Making their debut this year having just missed out in the play-offs four years ago and fresh from putting in a respectable showing at Euro 2017, their first major tournament, Shelley Kerr’s women will be no pushovers this tournament. Scotland secured top spot over Switzerland in the qualifying with 7 wins from their 8 games with 19 goals scored and only 7 conceded. The Tartan Army have quality and experience throughout the squad with defensive duo Rachel Corsie (Utah Royals) and Jennifer Beattie (Arsenal) having over 230 caps between them. In midfield their most important player is Kim Little who missed out on the team for Euro 2017 due to injury. Little provides great link up play with the attack, playing just behind the forwards, and has 53 goals so far for her country. Then in attack, the Scots have multiple options to choose from with young duo Claire Emslie and Erin Cuthbert providing plenty of pace to get behind the oppositions defence. With this being their first ever World Cup the expectations are low for Scotland but the belief that Shelley Kerr has instilled will make her players believe that they can at least get to the last 16. Argentina The South American side are making their return to the World Cup having missed out qualifying for the 2011 edition in Germany and the 2015 edition in Canada. Argentina qualified for the tournament through a 3rd place finish in last years Copa America, which then secured them a play-off against Panama, that they went on to win 5-1 aggregate. The majority of the squad that Argentina have selected have never played in a World Cup with only a few members of the squad able to recall their last appearance back in 2007. Regarding players to look out for, include Levante midfielder Estefanía Banini who at 28 brings lots of experience to the side, having spent a couple of seasons playing her football in the United States. Their main goal threat is 30-year-old forward Sole Jaimes who in January moved to France to play for champions Lyon. Jaimes is the only player in the team to play her football outside her homeland and Spain, the latter where eight members of the squad play, and is seen as a physical presence up front who is able to use her strength to out pace defenders and score. There is a slight chance that Argentina may get past the group if they can finish as one of the best 3rd place teams, but I think a top two finish may be beyond them due to the quality the other teams in the group possess. Japan The only Asian side to ever win the World Cup, Japan have been the beacon of women’s football in Asia for decades with World Cup champions at various youth levels. The conveyor belt of youth in Japan helped contribute to winning the World Cup in 2011 and getting to the final against the US four years ago with the 2011 cohort featuring Lyon’s Saki Kumagai who now is 28 and has plenty of experience. Japan have 25-year old forward Kumi Yokoyama in their ranks who plays her club football in Japan after spending a year in Germany the previous season. While these players bring experience to the team there are many players within the team who are inexperienced with 17 of the 23-player squad making their debut at the World Cup. Another concern for Japan will be their lack of physicality which could be a major downside should Japan get past the group stage, which many will be expecting they will. Japan have made it past the group stage in their last two World Cups, having appeared at every single one so the same will be expected again. My prediction will that Japan will get to the quarter-finals but may fail to get beyond that. Group E Canada The United States' neighbours north of the border, Canada could surprise a few teams this year with their blend of experience and youth in their team. The Canadians will want to put the memory of 2015 behind them when they were eliminated on home soil by England in the knockout stages. For the likes of experienced pro’s Christine Sinclair and Desiree Scott, this may well be their last World Cup to take part in. Christine Sinclair will be eyeing former USA forward Abby Wambach’s record as all-time leading scorer in the professional game with 184 goals, which Sinclair is only 3 behind with 181. She will be pivotal if Canada are to have a successful tournament as Sinclair is one of the best finishers in the game and her experience at World Cups will be vital for the young players who will be appearing at their first tournament, such as midfielder Julia Grosso and forward Jordyn Huitema who signed for PSG back in January. The Canadians will be in it to win it and I would think that they are capable of getting to the last 8 which I am sure they would be happy with. Cameroon Cameroon were debutants back in 2015 and certainly did not disapoint finishing second in their group behind then holders Japan. During the tournament they showed great attacking flare recording an outstanding 6-0 over fellow debutants Ecuador as well as a 2-1 win over Switzerland. The attacking threat of the Lionesses remains from that tournament with pacey and athletic forward Gaelle Enganamouit leading the line. She will be supported by the experienced Madeleine Ngono Mani, who despite being 35 years of age can still be relied upon and her experience will be invaluable in a group that seems too close to call. Cameroon will be looking to repeat their 2015 showing of reaching the last 16 and possibly going one further to the quarter-finals. My belief is that the Lionesses are certain to advance from the group with their attacking style of play and will cause opponents in the group many problems if they are on top form. I would expect Cameroon to finish as the best ranked African team in the tournament and secure at least a last 16 spot. New Zealand A really tough group for the Ferns and head into the competition on mixed form having beaten Norway in a friendly but then lost to South Korea, so it would be a fair assumption that they are somewhat of an unknown quality. New Zealand did have a seamless qualifying campaign which is not at all surprising given the quality of opposition they faced. Nevertheless, they are not to be underestimated as they will be determined to live up to their maximum potential and will rely on experienced forward Sarah Gregorius and ex-Liverpool forward Rosie White to get the goals. If the Ferns can secure one win and a point then they may advance to the knockout stages which would be some achievement having never made it out of the group stage. The group the Kiwis find themselves in is nearly identical to the one which they were in in 2015, the only exception being Cameroon are in instead of China. Nonetheless it is a tough group for New Zealand to get out of and may struggle to record a win, however they will be up for the fight and aim o prove the doubters wrong. Netherlands The Netherlands may well be one of the dark horses for the tournament, as while they may be amongst the teams to get to the latter stages there are other nations who many think are better placed to win the tournament than the Orange Lionesses. However, having won the Euro’s in 2017, which they hosted, and recorded number of impressive results during qualifying the Netherlands will be looking to create even more success in France. They have many top players too who play their football in the best women’s leagues in Europe including England, France, Germany and Spain. These include the likes of Lieke Martens (Barcelona, Spain), Shanice van de Sanden (Lyon), Vivienne Midiema & Danielle van Donk (Arsenal) and Jackie Gronen (Frankfurt). The Dutch also have a number of younger members of the squad who are based in their own country, illustrating the depth they have to choose from. Having watched the team on a couple of occasions it would be a realistic prediction to say that the Netherlands will reach at least the quarter-finals and maybe the semi’s? Worth keeping an eye out for. Group F
USA The current holders of the World Cup and the pre-tournament favourites (currently ranked World number 1), the United States will be determined to retain their crown having beating Japan comprehensively in a 4-0 win back in 2015. They have the best record out of any other nation at World Cups having won the tournament a record 4 times and will be looking to make it a 5th title with star player Carli Lloyd in their ranks. Lloyd is seen as the World’s best player and it is hard to argue with that with 110 goals in over 270 appearances for her country, including her magnificent hattrick against Japan in the final four years ago. World renowned forward Alex Morgan will also pose a huge threat to the teams at the World Cup with over 100 goals for the United States and still only 29 she will be certain to add to that at the tournament. During the period immediately after winning the last World Cup manager Jill Ellis experimented with the team with over 60 players being called up in the space of two years. As a result of the unsettled squad this saw loses to England and Germany which caused some concern for the USA. However, that seems to be rectified now with the United States going into their first game against Thailand having won their last 6 and not conceded in their last 4. I would expect the USA to meet expectations by advancing at least to the semi-finals and no one will be surprised should they reach the final given the vast amount of quality they have throughout the team. Sweden One of the most advanced nations when it comes to women’s football, the Swedes are always good value when it comes to major football tournaments. The finalists of 2003 head into this year’s competition on the back of a couple of poor tournaments in the last four years, with only one win registered in the Netherlands at Euro 2017 and no wins at the last World Cup in Canada. However, Sweden can approach games with renewed optimism having finished top of their qualifying group at the expense of Scandinavian neighbours Denmark, with 21 points and the only loss coming at the hands of Ukraine. Former Manchester City forward Kosovare Asllani was the top scorer for them during qualifying and her ability to be able to switch from playing on the flanks to a more central position gives added options to the side in addition to the plethora of options they have already. These include Stina Blackstenius who is back playing football in her native Sweden after a couple of years at Montpellier in France, along with Fridolina Rolfo who plies her trade in Germany with Bayern Munich. The concern may be their aging defence with a number of players over 30 including captain Nilla Fischer, who at 34-years of age will most likely play her final major tournament. On balance if Sweden can impress during the group stage, then they might be ones to watch. A quarter-final spot is achievable. Thailand Having made their World Cup debut in 2015, Thailand will be appearing at their second consecutive finals with the appeal of women’s football growing within the country. In the recent Asian Cup (which is used as the Asian World Cup qualification method), Thailand managed to reach the semi-finals, finishing 4th. All but one member of the squad is home based with US-born Miranda Nild (known as Suchawadee Nildhamrong in Thailand) who plays US college football and she will be seen as the key player and the one most likely to unlock opposition defenders. She offers plenty of pace and has the ability to control the ball to allow players around her to break forward into goalscoring positions. Nildhamrong has a very impressive record in front of goal despite her young age with 12 goals in 17 appearances. Others to watch out for in the Thai team are midfielder Silawan Intamee for her set-piece ability and forward Taneekarn Dangda who has a respectable goal record of one every other game. Thailand may fair ok in this group and could sneak through, providing they beat first-timers Chile and secure a shock draw against either Sweden or favourites USA. The knockout stages may be a realistic aim. Chile Making their World Cup debut are Chile who finished an impressive 2nd place in their Copa America competition last year. The South American team have a number of high-profile players who play their football outside of the country including goalkeeper Christiane Endler who is 27 and plays for French league runners-up PSG along with María Rojas, currently of Slavia Prague in Czech Republic. Rojas is Chile’s top goalscorer with over 11 goals for her country and at the age of 31 she offers plenty of experience to the attack. In addition to Endler and Rojas, 25-year-old forward Yanara Aedo brings experience to having played club football in the United States and currently Spain. Chile head to France having not won any of their last 10 games with their last win coming against Australia last November, so the South American side lack any momentum, and many are uncertain what to expect at the World Cup from them. If they can keep a high percentage of possession which is their strength and take their chances, then Chile could cause a few upsets. Don’t write them off.
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