July 20 – The United States start as the bookies favourites to win a third consecutive Women’s World Cup to cement their dominance in the game in Megan Rapinoe’s farewell finals, but they face real competition from Europe as well as from host nation Australia.
The Americans come into the tournament confident that they can write history, leaning on the experience of veterans like Alex Morgan and Rapinoe, who has announced her retirement from the national team after this tournament.
They will open their campaign with a geopolitical encounter against debutants Vietnam before taking on the Netherlands and Portugal in their other group games.
“I think there are probably people who are thinking about, ‘Oh my gosh, can we do three?'” said defender Kelley O’Hara. “And there are people who are thinking, ‘We can only do three if we win [this] one.’ That’s how I’m kind of looking at it. If we three-peat, it will be because we won this one tournament. So, the past is the past.”
Ahead of the tournament, England, European champions, would perhaps have been the United States’ main challengers, but the Lionesses are without the key trio of Euro 2021 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead, captain Leah Williamson and the attacking playmaker Fran Kirby due to injury.
England’s weakened squad may pave the way for other teams to take centre stage. In Marta’s final World Cup, Brazil could be among the contenders with Swedish coach Pia Sundhage bringing more discipline and organisation to the set-up and governing body, the CBF, finally beginning to understand the importance of the women’s game. Spain could be among Europe’s best representatives.
And what about the co-hosts Australia and their Matildas? They are not the favourites, but peaking at the right time – the 1-0 final warmup victory against France a point in case – and with a golden generation, led by Sam Kerr, riding the waves of public support, this will be Australia’s best-ever opportunity to claim the most coveted prize.
The Matildas have never progressed beyond the last eight, but anything less than the semi-finals will be considered a huge disappointment.
In Group B, they should prevail against Ireland, Nigeria and Canada, who have all faced different problems in the run-up to the tournament. The Matildas don’t have major injuries and will seek to inspire a nation and leave a legacy for the women’s game in the country.
Kerr has said that her side wants to create their own Freeman-style “moment”, referencing how Cathy Freeman became the heroin of a nation after winning the 400 metres at the 2000 Olympic Games.
Ambitions for New Zealand’s Football Ferns will be more limited.
Their record at World Cups has been bad and they find themselves in a tough group with Norway, Switzerland and the Philippines, one of eight debutants at these 32-team finals.
Vietnam, Haiti, Panama and Portugal are among the other first-timers, who will bring their own distinct flavours and styles to the tournament, showcasing the growth of the women’s game. However, they also run the risk of being at the wrong end of mammoth scorelines.
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