Only seven months after the close of the men’s competition, the best soccer players from around the globe are gathering again for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, kicking off on July 20, 2023.
This year’s World Cup promises to be the biggest yet. According to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the 2023 Women’s World Cup has already surpassed a milestone of more than 1,032,884 tickets sold prior to the tournament, overtaking France 2019 as the most successful Women’s World Cup to date.
The tournament will be held in Australia and New Zealand this year, with fixtures taking place across several cities in both nations, including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Dunedin, Adelaide, Auckland, Hamilton, and more. The final will be held in the spectacular Accor Stadium (Stadium Australia) in Sydney.
FOX Sports: Home of the 2023 Women’s World Cup
All 64 matches of the 2023 Women’s World Cup will be available on FOX Sports and the FOX Sports App. The FOX broadcast network will air 29 of the 64 matches, including the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. The other 35 matches will be on FS1.
Those without a TV subscription can find World Cup matches available on Fubo, YouTube TV, and Hulu + Live TV. Spanish-language audiences will find games streaming on Peacock Premium.
Will the USA Defend Its World Cup Title Again?
As the two-time defending World Cup champions, the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) will head to Oceania as the team to beat. No team has won three consecutive World Cup titles, so the USA is looking to make history.
USWNT World Cup Roster
The team recently announced its full roster for the tournament. Here are the players who will be making the trip:
- Goalkeepers (3): Aubrey Kingsbury, Casey Murphy, Alyssa Naeher
- Defenders (7): Alana Cook, Crystal Dunn, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Sofia Huerta, Kelley O’Hara, Emily Sonnett
- Midfielders (7): Savannah DeMelo, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Kristie Mewis, Ashley Sanchez, Andi Sullivan
- Forwards (6): Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams
The squad is missing several key stars due to injury, such as long-time captain Becky Sauerbrunn, Sam Mewis, Mallory Swanson, and Catarina Macario.
Women’s World Cup Stages & Groups
The World Cup consists of a group stage and various knockout rounds. The group stage is made up of eight groups of four teams. During that stage, the teams in each group play round-robin matches, and the top two teams from each group advance to the round of 16. From there teams face off in play-off style matches to reach the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place match, and the final, being held August 20.
Below is a quick look at each group and which teams are included. This year’s most difficult group (commonly known as “the group of death”) is considered to be Group F, featuring both France and Brazil — two of the world’s top eight teams.
Group A
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Switzerland
- Philippines
Group B
- Canada
- Nigeria
- Australia
- Republic of Ireland
Group C
- Japan
- Costa Rica
- Spain
- Zambia
Group D
- England
- China PR
- Haiti
- Denmark
Group E
- United States
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Vietnam
Group F
- France
- Brazil
- Jamaica
- Panama
Group G
- Sweden
- South Africa
- Italy
- Argentina
Group H
- Germany
- Colombia
- Korea Republic
- Morocco
2023 Women’s World Cup Results and Highlights
This year’s Women’s World Cup did not disappoint in providing lots of action and plenty of tears. Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand provided the world with an incredible display of women’s athletics. There were two big stories of the games : Spain winning the title for the first time and the US women’s national team’s disappointing showing. The semifinals saw Spain defeating Sweden and England besting Australia. That set up an epic battle with Spain’s first chance at the championship on the line in the finals against England. Spain won in a 1-0 victory, with their goal coming from Olga Carmona in the 29th minute of the match. Spain’s midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the Golden Ball, awarded to the best player in the World Cup finals, with her leadership and impressive game play.
Unfortunately, the win may have been overshadowed by the forced kiss given from Spanish Football President Luis Rubiales to star player Jennifer Hermoso. This came during the celebration of the team’s win and has since sparked backlash throughout the Spanish team and beyond. It builds on the already tense relationship between Spanish players and their coaching staff and leadership.
The other story that gripped headlines was the underwhelming performance of the USWNT. The team has come to be known for elite and unmeasured athleticism and had been atop the FIFA rankings since June 2017. That all changed after the 2023 World Cup, and they have since dropped to third in the rankings – for the first time ever. The team was knocked out in the round of 16 by a Swedish team that went on to compete in the semifinals. The team had plenty of talent but many questioned the coaching tactics. Others have speculated a lack of cohesion amongst a team with many new players.
Now that the games have concluded, many athletes and national teams will be gearing up for qualifying for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The world will be anxiously awaiting more stunning saves and determined defenses from these incredible players and others.
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