These are some of the strongest nations heading into the FIFA Women’s World Cup — will any of them live up to expectations?
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is set to be the biggest one in the tournament’s history, with more tickets acquired, more matches sold out, and more attention coming in from all over the world. Indeed, this marks a new chapter for women’s sports and showcases its growth.
And as the excitement builds up, everyone is making their predictions for the tournament. In fact, even EA Sports simulated the World Cup on their popular game FIFA to predict the United States taking it all home.
While we can all conduct our own in-depth analyses, at the end of the day, no predictions will be able to match what goes down on the actual pitch. But until then, here are some of the favorites to win it all in this year’s Women’s World Cup.
5. France
Their country reached the finals of last year’s Men’s World Cup. Will France be able to top that result in the Women’s edition later this month?
France will be entering the Women’s World Cup with a refreshed identity, with their new manager, Herve Renard, leading the team since April, along with several players making a return to national duties. In addition, Renard’s first two matches showed promise, securing two victories against Colombia and Canada.
While in recent years, France’s squad has suffered from controversy, this new era of leadership may mark a new dawn for their women’s team. Will this translate in the World Cup this year?
4. Spain
Although Spain suffered a disappointing exit in the Euro 2022 last year, where their squad was knocked out in the quarterfinals, they remain one of the top teams in the upcoming Women’s World Cup given their players, many of them stars in their respective clubs around Europe.
One of the key losses of Spain was Ballon d’Or winner Alexis Putellas, who was left out of the Euro due to an injury. However, after a successful recovery from knee surgery, she will be back on the field. On top of this, Spain boasts a crop of talented players, including Aitana Bonmati, who is one of the most influential playmakers in the world and is more than capable of leading a team.
3. Germany
Germany’s squad is filled with talent, and this clearly showed when they were able to make it to the Euro 2022 final. Though they were unable to take it all the way, this time around, they will be fighting for an even bigger title.
The advantage that Germany holds is their roster of young players who are equally as talented as they are hungry to compete. Top footballers such as Lena Oberdorf, who was named the best young player at the Euro 2022, and Lea Schuller, who scored seven goals in 10 appearances for Germany last year, will be stepping up to lead the squad all the way to the final stages of the World Cup.
2. England
England is definitely one of the favorites to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup, especially given their recent Euro 2022 victory, where they proved themselves to be the best in Europe.
However, the English ladies will be playing at a slight disadvantage with key players such as Beth Mead, Fran Kirby, and Leah Williamson, influential forces on the field, who will be left out of the World Cup due to injuries. With this, England will be playing with a relatively different squad in comparison to that of their most recent title run.
Despite this, other key players will be expected to step up for the team, including Alessia Russo and Ella Toone, star players for Manchester United.
1. USA
It’s likely no surprise that the United States is the top team among the favorites to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup. After all, they aren’t just the reigning champions — they won the previous two editions and they have the most titles in the tournament’s history, having won four World Cups in total.
This year, the United States have experience as one of their biggest assets, with players who have already lifted the trophy before, such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe. On top of this, their team will also have youthful energy to work with, as debutants including Alyssa Thompson and Sophia Smith will be taking the pitch.
Can the United States go for their third World Cup trophy in a row?
Banner image from Women’s World Cup on Facebook.
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