The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is just over a month away, taking place in Australia and New Zealand and starting on the 20th of July, as the ninth edition, it is the first to have 32 nations taking part.
According to the early Women’s World Cup 2023 betting oddsSarina Wiegman’s England will be involved at the business end of the competition, having won the Women’s European Championships on home soil in 2022. And former Lionesses skipper Carol Thomas has told the UK media that England can win the World Cup to make it a historic double. Of course, the USA, Spain, and Germany will have plenty to say about that but Wiegman is a talented coach who will have the big prize in clear focus.
So, as the showcase tournament approaches, let’s take a look at the SBOTOP picks for the qualifiers from Groups A to D (including England and Spain) and the stars we expect to shine.
Group A
Co-hosts New Zealand are in a tough group, alongside Norway, Switzerland, and Philippines, and I suspect the Norwegians and Swiss will proceed.
Ada Hegerberg of Norway is a real class act and a lethal striker who won the Ballon d’Or in 2018. She has since suffered an ACL injury and more setbacks last season but, if she is fit and firing, Hegerberg will hit the target more often than not.
27-year-old Noelle Maritz is in her tenth year as a Switzerland international, previously starring at U17 and U20 levels and she has won plenty of admirers in the domestic game as a cool defender, winning five Bundesliga titles with Wolfsburg and now playing for Arsenal.
Group B
Australia shouldn’t struggle to escape Group B, with Ireland, Nigeria, and Canada also involved. Canada have plenty of experience but they may have a surprise when they face Nigeria.
One star who is sure to make plenty of Women’s World Cup 2023 highlights this summer is Australian star Sam Kerr who, at 29 years of age, is in her fourth World Cup finals tournament and her second as skipper. The Chelsea player won the WSL Golden Boot in 2021 and 2022 and scored 27 goals in all competitions this season.
Barcelona star Asisat Oshoala scored at both the 2015 and 2019 finals and she will be hoping to fire Nigeria to their first quarter-finals. The Super Falcons have reached every finals tournament but they have gone home early, a habit they are keen to break in Oz.
Group C
Highly fancied Spain will surely get through to the knockout phases and, in a group comprising Costa Rica and Zambia, I expect the talented Japan team to join them.
In the men’s international game, all eyes are on the UEFA Nations League and the qualifiers for Euro 2024 where Spain suffered a shock defeat in a recent clash with Scotland. But Spain women have been relentless in their recent form, winning seven from eight and only losing a five-goal thriller against Australia. La Roja’s Aitana Bonmati is a player to watch. She’s a commanding midfield player with a superb range of passing, making 17 assists and scoring 14 goals for Barcelona this season. At 25 years of age, she is coming into her prime and Bonmati is one of Spain’s most important players.
Japan’s versatile star Yui Hasegawa plays for WSL big hitters Manchester City and she will give the dark horses a real touch of quality. She is equally comfortable on the left or right, and playing in a deep-lying position or in an advanced role just behind the strikers. Hasegawa is a dream for her coach but will give opponents nightmares.
Group D
England (4), Haiti (53), Denmark (13), China PR (14)
While the English Premier League clubs can dominate Europe, with Manchester City as Champions League winners and West Ham United winning the Europa Conference League, the women’s national team have shone brighter than the men’s, winning the European Championships in 2022 while the Three Lions last title was the 1966 World Cup. And, ranked fourth in the world by FIFA, I expect the Lionesses to advance from Group D alongside Denmark, with China and Haiti making an early exit.
Aston Villa striker Rachel Daly surpassed everyone’s expectations this season, winning the Golden Boot with 20 goals from 20 games, having played as a left-back during England’s successful Euro 2022 campaign. She can play pretty much anywhere, but I wouldn’t stick Daly in the nets! Denmark’s Pernille Harder is a superstar on the world stage as a creative midfielder with Bayern Munich and her national team. She became the world’s most expensive player when she moved from Wolfsburg to Chelsea in 2020, for a fee of £250k, and now she is ripping it up again in the Women’s Bundesliga.
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