It has been barely four months since the 2022 FIFA World Cup concluded. In Qatar last December, we saw Lionel Messi cement his legacy as the greatest male footballer of all time. He led Argentina to the famous gold trophy for the first time since the days of the maverick Diego Maradona. However, this upcoming summer, women will take centre stage.
Based in Australia and New Zealand, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup gets underway on July 20th. Both host nations will be raising the curtain on the grandest spectacle in women’s sports. The Matildas will be facing off with tournament debutantes, the Republic of Ireland. The Kiwis, meanwhile, will be battling against 1995 World Champions Norway. The opening matches will be taking place in Sydney and Auckland respectively.
Last season saw a number of record-breaking attendances across the women’s game, most notably with 91,600 fans cramming into the Nou Camp this time last year to see Barcelona’s women destroy German outfit Wolfsburg by five goals to one in the UEFA Champions League. As such, excitement has never been higher for a women’s football tournament. Last summer, England hosted the highest-attended women’s European Championships in history, and this year’s World Cup hosts will be hoping to follow suit.
With excitement already reaching a fever pitch, let’s take a look at the contenders to lift the crown this summer.
USA
When it comes to frontrunners, look no further than the United States of America. The Americans have a squad full of global superstars and have players that are arguably more recognisable than their male counterparts. The likes of Alex Morgan and Alyssa Thompson have become household names in recent years, as has Megan Rapinoe, who was the star of the show four years ago. While she will be in the squad this summer, her powers have waned somewhat in recent years, and she is expected to be more of a squad player in the tournament Down Under.
But even though Rapinoe isn’t the match-winner she once was, it would take a brave punter to back against the USWNT. They have lifted the Women’s World Cup in each of the last two tournaments, and that is precisely why OddsChecker, which compares football odds and offers, have made them the favourites for the crown once again this year.
Four years ago, they defeated a murderer’s row of opponents en route to glory. In the knockout stages alone, they beat Spain, hosts France, former World Champions Norway, and future European Champions England. They then dispatched the Netherlands in the final in Lyon. Don’t be surprised to see them on the top step of the podium once again this summer.
England
It’s common knowledge that English football has only known pain in recent decades, both in the women’s game and in the men’s. Since 1990, England’s men have been eliminated from tournaments via penalty shootouts on no less than seven occasions. They have also suffered heartbreaking defeats at the hands of Croatia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup semifinals, before losing on penalties to Italy in the final of UEFA Euro 2020, at Wembley no less. The women have known their fair share of heartache as well.
They were defeated in the semifinals of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup by the USA, despite giving a great account of themselves as huge underdogs. They were eliminated at the same stage four years prior by hosts Japan. But the Lionesses ended 56 years of hurt for their country last summer, and they did so in scintillating fashion.
England hosted last year’s women’s European Championships and, following victories against Spain and Sweden, they set up a mouthwatering final against archrivals Germany at Wembley Stadium. An extra-time goal from Georgia Stanway was enough to seal a 2-1 victory and secure the first major piece of silverware for the nation since the 1966 men’s FIFA World Cup. The Lionesses have since backed up that win by defeating Brazil on penalties to claim victory in the inaugural women’s Finalissima.
If anyone can knock the Americans off their perch, it’s England. And after Alex Morgan famously celebrated her semi final-winning goal against the Lionesses four years ago by pretending to sip a cup of tea, their motivation to secure a maiden women’s world championship has never been higher.