When the Women’s World Cup finals start in just over a month, there will be one team every other nation is trying to beat, and that’s the USA.
Never rated lower than second since the start of the FIFA World Rankings, four-time winners of the World Cup and four-time Olympic champions, the USA women’s team is simply better than all the rest.
And the Americans’ recent form has been impressive, winning the SheBelieves Cup in February as part of an eight-match winning run.
So who can beat Vlatco Andonovski’s Stars and Stripes?
Here at SBOTOP, we have already taken a look at the players and teams to watch in Groups A to D, and now we’ll run the rule over the remaining four groups and pick out the teams and players we think will make the most Women’s World Cup 2023 highlights starting with the reigning champions.
Smith can star for relentless USA
Skippered by Becky Sauerbrunn, capped 216 times, the FIFA top ranked women’s team have an embarrassment of riches in their ranks, and the USA just seem to keep on producing with the 22-year-old Sophia Smith the latest rising star.
She burst onto the scene in 2022 with 11 goals in 17 international appearances and won the US Soccer Female Player of the Year. Smith’s early form with Portland Thorns in 2023 has been impressive too with four goals and five assists in the opening six games.
The pre-tournament Women’s World Cup 2023 betting odds reckon this is USA’s tournament to lose, and with the likes of Smith in their ranks, they will take some beating.
Netherlands, ranked ninth in the world, will hope to take the second qualification spot from Group E, though Portugal will not be easy to beat.
Vietnam have the biggest task of all, but the outsiders are on a four-match winning run, so they aren’t short of confidence.
French resistance will be hard to break down
Group F sees France and Brazil brought together alongside Jamaica and Panama, and I expect Les Bleus and the Selecao to safely navigate the group.
One of the big players of the tournament will marshal the France defence. Lyon’s Wendie Renard is widely considered to be the best defender in the world.
She is standing 6’2”, and she’s an imposing figure with a superb reading of the game. She’s a defencive powerhouse and an aerial threat in attack, scoring 34 goals in her 144 caps.
Alongside rising star Selma Bacha, Renard will lead the highest-quality defence in the tournament.
It will be interesting to see how Les Bleus cope with the fast movement and clinical finishing of Brazil star Debinha. The 31-year-old helped the Selecao to a 2022 Copa America win with five goals and has been in good form for Kansas City Current.
Experienced Swedes can dominate Group G
Ranked third in the world, Sweden have been grouped with three strong opponents in Italy, Argentina, and South Africa. But a squad with well over 1,000 caps has bucket-loads of big tournament experience and that will surely see Peter Gerhardsson’s team through.
Captain Caroline Seger is a classy midfielder, while Manchester City’s 25-year-old star Filippa Angeldahl could be a standout performer in New Zealand.
I think the second spot will be fought out between a relatively inexperienced Italy and the tough Argentina side, and they meet in their group opener on 24th July.
Popp is top for Germany
Germany are the only team to knock the USA off the top of the FIFA rankings since 2003 and Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s currently team sits proudly second in the current list.
And 32-year-old Alexandra Popp, who has been talismanic for Germany over the past decade, is still as good as ever. She scored six goals at Euro 2022 and was sorely missed by her team when she missed the final through injury.
She’s now back to full fitness, and Popp has scored 15 goals and made five assists in 18 matches for Wolfsburg this season.
With 61 goals in 127 caps for Germany, this is Popp’s fourth World Cup and, if she hits form then this could be the team to stop the USA.
Who else will make it out of Group H? Well, I don’t think Morocco can emulate the heroics of their men’s team at Qatar 2022, so I believe it will be between South Korea and Colombia.
One exciting player to watch out for is Brighton’s attacking midfielder Lee GeumMin, and she could swing the group in Korea’s favour.
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