Women’s World Cup 2023: fans around the globe preview the tournament
With the home crowd cheering them on, it would be great to see the Football Ferns win their first match against Norway. I’d be thrilled to see them reach the last 16. It’s so exciting to see the ripple effect this tournament is already having on women and girls participating in football more widely – both in Australia and New Zealand.
The media coverage of women’s football has also improved massively. The focus is now mostly on the players’ on-field achievements rather than their personal lives or what they wear. The potential for this tournament is huge.
Danene Norway
Having had to go through a bit of a rebuild after the disastrous performances at Euro 2022, I expect them to survive the group stage – but not go much further than that.
Philippines
For us, just being at the tournament is something of a miracle given the state of the game in our country. If we score a goal or two, kept a clean sheet, or managed to get at least one point, that would be another miracle. If we win one match, that would be an even greater one.
Our key player is defender Angela Beard. She has previously played in Denmark before transferring to Australian team Western United where she has become a vital player for them at the back. She’ll be even more vital for the Philippines.
Chino Switzerland Sander
We haven’t been in the greatest form under coach, Inka Grings, and are still finding our feet in this era. The opening match against the Philippines will be an indication of where we are, and we’ll relish the chance to play against co-hosts New Zealand. Reaching the knockout stage is the expectation, making it to the quarter-finals would be a dream.
Euro 2022 was underwhelming. We absolutely could have reached the knockout stages and competed with Sweden and Netherlands in our group, but a lack of concentration and clinical finishing was our downfall. This summer is a chance to set the record straight.
Lia Wälti is the captain of the team and her return from injury is crucial. We are a totally different team without her. The experienced heads of Ramona Bachmann and Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic will nicely complement rising star Alisha Lehmann in attack, though cohesion will be key if we want to get on the scoresheet. Watch out for Coumba Sow in midfield, looking to build on her impressive Euros campaign last summer, and Gaëlle “Gaga” Thalmann, this being the veteran goalkeeper’s last dance before she hangs up her gloves after the World Cup. Nischal
Australia
The head says semi-finals is probably the expected result but the heart says we go all the way with the nation behind us. The ticket sales and advertising already make it seem like we have what could be a landmark event in store for the world, one that moves the needle for the women’s game even further.
This will surely be striker Sam Kerr’s tournament – Australia’s GOAT. Cream rises to the top and I’m not the only one who expects her to be the Golden Boot winner. James
Canada
It depends on whoever we meet after getting through the group stage. If we draw the right opposition in the last 16, I’m expecting an improvement on our 2019 World Cup performance when Sweden proved too strong in the second round. We are the reigning Olympic champions though, so who knows? Callum
Nigeria
We reached the last 16 at the 2019 tournament despite comfortably losing to Norway and France. I really expect them to perform better this time around and go further.
Keep an eye out for Asisat Oshoala. The Barcelona forward will be key for Nigeria up front. Olalekan
Japan
Japan should be one of the favourites to advance from Group C. I expect us to beat both Costa Rica and Zambia, so Spain will be our strongest rivals. But the Spanish team are still recovering from a conflict between their coach and the players, which has been going on since last September, so they might still not be at their best. The Japanese team could defeat them if we take our chances – the solidarity within our squad will be as strong as ever.
I am looking forward to seeing attacking midfielder Yui Hasegawa. Currently at Manchester City, she is a highly experienced player. She’s the closest we have to a playmaker with her quick movement and accurate passing. She’ll be joined by West Ham’s Risa Shimizu, another very exciting player. Eiko
Spain
I think Spain will put on a great show. Women’s football in Spain is getting stronger and stronger. The continuing growth of Liga F is bringing more quality to our game and that will be very apparent in this competition.
I want Alexia Putellas to have a great tournament after all the injury struggles she has been through. She’s our best player. But also, since I am a Real Madrid fan, I can’t wait to see the exciting young forward Athenea del Castillo on the big stage.
Denmark
My expectations for the Danish team is to get out of the group. Denmark are in a transitional phase and might not invest as heavily in women’s football as other countries, so I am a bit anxious to see how we fit in at this World Cup. But qualifying second in the group would be expected, if all goes well.
The players I’m most excited to see are Pernille Harder, Josefine Hasbo, Nicoline Sørensen and Janni Thomsen. Amalie
England Miriam
Brutally my expectations are low (ish). Despite the success of last summer, and it was a true and golden success, we are without two of our key players who made such a huge impact last year – Leah Williamson and Beth Mead. Missing our top goalscorer and captain is probably going to alter England’s final outcome.
When it comes down to it, you need luck to win a tournament (and we certainly had some extremely lucky moments last year) as well as talent and, this year, it feels like the cards are stacked against us. I’d consider reaching the semi-finals a success. But in reality I think we might go out in the quarter-finals – probably against Australia. Christie
Netherlands
Modestly, I think we’ll reach the last 16. The Dutch women were on an upwards trajectory under Sarina Wiegman, but the uninspired appointment of her successor, Mark Parsons, was a big mistake.
After a disappointingly inconsistent Euro 2022 showing, Parsons has since been replaced with the more likeable and experienced Andries Jonker, who worked alongside Louis van Gaal for years.
But we have a long way to go to the days when only the USA could beat us (Euro 2017, World Cup 2019, Tokyo Olympics). Losing Vivianne Miedema through an ACL injury hasn’t helped.
USA are favourites to win our group and Portugal are a potential banana skin. But finishing second in the group is doable and it would mean possibly facing an under-par Sweden in the first knockout round. Win that and the draw could open up nicely for us. Eric
USA
My expectation is to make at least the semi-final. But another World Cup win is the ultimate goal.
In the past people have said the two best team’s in the world are the USA’s first team and the USA’s second team. I don’t think that is true anymore, but that adage will definitely be tested with the squad being beset by so many injuries, both short and longterm; Becky Sauerbrunn, Catarina Macario, Mal Swanson, Sam Mewis and Christen Press are all missing.
Despite the injuries, we can field an extremely strong squad with plenty of young talent like Sophia Smith. I think that makes us third favourites behind Germany and England.
A special mention should go to midfielder Julie Ertz. Returning from an injury and the birth of her son, she is a destroyer in the best sense of the term. A suitable replacement was never found, so her surprising return was a godsend. Chris
Vietnam
I hope we’ll score at least a goal against the USA or the Netherlands and manage a draw against Portugal. That would be enough for me because I know we have no chance of advancing to the knockout stage.
If we were to score a goal, it would be a surprise not to see Huynh Nhu on the scoresheet. She has won five Vietnamese Golden Balls and is our star player.
Binh France
I’m hoping that with our new coach, Hervé Renard, we can go further than in 2019, when the US proved too strong for us in the quarter-finals. The last eight has been our limit in the past, but hopefully this time we can go further.
I’m worried about injuries affecting some of our most important players. I hope Renard can build a strong team and find some team spirit that has been severely lacking in the past. There needs to be a game plan for next year, when we’ll be playing in the Olympics as hosts.
Sophia Argentina
The earthly expectation of this Argentina team is to win their first game in World Cup history. After that we can hope that this win will be enough to advance into the knockout stages.
Andres Colombia
I’m optimistic. Nelson Abadía, who has been the Colombian women’s coach since 2017, has put together a very strong group over the last six years. Progress has been steady and participation in tournaments should now become a regular thing.
Despite being in a strong group with Germany as the favourites, I think Colombia will qualify to the second round – as group winners!
Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo’s performances will be vital. Our defence is usually strong, giving us a platform to push on and get the results we need.