What to know before the tournament kicks off this week.
My sleep schedule’s about to get real messed up. I’ve already told my boyfriend that until *checks notes* Aug. 20, I’ve got a standing appointment almost every night and many woefully early mornings. The Women’s World Cup kicks off this week in Australia and New Zealand and, despite the brutal time difference, I plan to soak up as much top-tier soccer as possible — even if it means absolutely ripping through my Nespresso pods to catch those 6 a.m. matches.
This year’s Cup boasts the largest number of teams ever. The field is absolutely stacked, eight squads will be making their debut, and some favorites (including the U.S.) are hamstrung by injuries. In short, things are definitely gonna get interesting Down Under.
Here’s a quick primer for the uninitiated on the who, what, and when to watch for — plus, a look at Team USA, Megan Rapinoe’s last rodeo, and their odds of bringing home a fifth title.
When is the Women’s World Cup 2023?
The tournament officially began early Thursday morning. The host nations kicked things off: New Zealand secured the first 1-0 victory against Norway at *sigh* 3 a.m. ET. This was swiftly followed by Australia and Ireland at 6 a.m. Group play — a frenzy of wall-to-wall soccer — goes through Aug. 3. (Blessedly, the U.S.’s early games will be played at a more manageable hour, with its first game against Vietnam coming this Friday at 9 p.m.) The semifinals are slated for Aug. 15 and 16, with the final Aug. 20.
What’s the format?
This year, 32 teams will fight for the title. After the success of the 2019 competition, which had just 24 teams, FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed adding eight more openings to the event and doubling the prize money, which has ballooned to $10.5 million to be split among the champions.
The bracket has been set. Teams are split up into eight groups (see below). All four teams in a group will play each other once, and the two teams who end up with the most points will advance to the knockout stage — as the name suggests, it’s win or go home from that point on.
How to watch the Women’s World Cup?
In the U.S., games will air on FOX Sports and on Telemundo in Spanish. Here’s a rundown of the schedule so you can plan ahead.
Who are the top contenders at the 2023 Women’s World Cup?
All the usual suspects will be back in action: The top-10 FIFA-ranked teams qualified easily. But there are some fresh faces too, who could be fun to watch. The eight newcomers are: the Philippines, Ireland, Zambia, Haiti, Vietnam, Portugal, Panama, and Morocco. (Zambia, the lowest-ranked squad to make the cut, has surprised in the run-up to the tournament, upsetting Germany earlier this month in dramatic fashion.)
Of course, as the No. 1 team in the world right now, the U.S. is a favorite. But they’re dealing with some upsetting injuries and a squad that’s a little less seasoned than some of their previous championship rosters. (More on them in a bit.)
England has a very strong side this year. The Lionesses won the European Championship last summer, but they’re missing some key players, including Beth Mead, one of their best strikers, who’s out with a torn ACL — a fate that’s sidelined a distressing number of stars this summer.
The Netherlands, who lost to the U.S. in the 2019 final, are in good form, too. The core of their last World Cup team will be back in Australia.
The French are always dangerous, but after some controversy, they recently replaced their longtime coach with Hervé Renard. He managed Saudi Arabia’s men’s side during their impressive 2022 World Cup run, but has absolutely zero experience coaching women — and that might hurt France’s chances. (They do, however, have the sickest World Cup promo.)
Many think Spain is the team with the best odds of dethroning the U.S. Since so much of the roster plays club together at Barcelona, they’ve built up the chemistry and they boast Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.
Germany is sure to impress too, and of course, you can’t count out Brazil. The South American team is hoping to win a title for Marta, 37, a soccer icon, who will be appearing in her sixth and likely last World Cup. The star has never won a Cup, and Brazil is hoping to do for her what Argentina did last winter for Messi — deliver the crown jewel to cap their celebrated careers.
Will the U.S. Women’s National Team win again?
The 2023 World Cup squad is chasing a three-peat, having taken home the hardware in France 2019 and Canada 2015. A few of the players from those squads, including Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz, and Megan Rapinoe, are back to help steer this team toward another title. But there are some notable absences: Becky Sauerbrunn, a longtime captain, is out with a foot injury; Samantha Mewis, a towering midfielder, will miss because of a knee injury; and in a sobering statement, Christen Press announced that she’ll need a fourth surgery to repair her ACL.
Rapinoe made headlines earlier this month when she announced that she’ll be retiring at the end of this NWSL season, meaning that this will be her fourth and final World Cup. She shot to fame in 2019 with her masterful performance in Paris, sporting hair dyed lavender. (This time, the winger’s opted for a cool blue.) The 38-year-old is the most senior member on a team brimming with rookies, who should shine in Sydney. The ones on my radar are Alyssa Thompson, an 18-year-old phenom with some serious speed; fellow striker Sophia Smith, 22; and Trinity Rodman, 21, another gifted forward, who inherited her athleticism from her dad, NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman.
This tournament may be Team USA’s to lose, but the road to another title won’t be easy. For a long time, the U.S. women have been leaps and bounds ahead of most of the world, but over the past decade the competition has caught up. And there are some murmurs that such a young squad, missing some key players, may not have what it takes to go the distance. NYT soccer writer Rory Smith put it this way: “There is a risk that this squad will fail the Goldilocks test: Some players are too old, some are too young, and so perhaps none are just right.”
