FIFA Women's World Cup 2023

[Lineker]

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GROUP A

 NEW ZEALAND (co-hosts)
 NORWAY
 PHILIPPINES
 SWITZERLAND

GROUP B

 AUSTRALIA (co-hosts)
 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
 NIGERIA
 CANADA

GROUP C

 SPAIN
 COSTA RICA
 ZAMBIA
 JAPAN

GROUP D

 ENGLAND
 HAITI
 DENMARK
 CHINA

GROUP E

 UNITED STATES
 VIETNAM
 NETHERLANDS
 PORTUGAL

GROUP F

 FRANCE
 JAMAICA
 BRAZIL
 PANAMA

GROUP G

 SWEDEN
 SOUTH AFRICA
 ITALY
 ARGENTINA

GROUP H

 GERMANY
 MOROCCO
 COLOMBIA
 SOUTH KOREA

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List of fixtures + where to watch them!

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Women’s World Cup 2023: Guardian Experts’ Network Team Guides

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2023 FIFA Women's World Cup squads

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[Fitzy]

USA! USA! USA!

 

The one international competition we're actually good at!

[Colly]

Was going to stick it in General Football, but kind of fits here.

 

 

[gunnar hendershow]

It'll be an interesting World Cup for the US with both the general squad turnover and multiple injuries keeping players out. Our women's team is still very, very deep but as much of the other contenders are fielding their top squads I'm not sure I'm expecting even a semifinals appearance.

[Your Mom]

Ok I wasn't sure I was ready but now I'm ready ready  

 

 

[Malenko]

On 15/07/2023 at 15:55, damhausen said:

It'll be an interesting World Cup for the US with both the general squad turnover and multiple injuries keeping players out. Our women's team is still very, very deep but as much of the other contenders are fielding their top squads I'm not sure I'm expecting even a semifinals appearance.

Regardless the US are still the team to beat. I'd be very surprised if they don't reach the semi finals at least. Anything else would have to be considered a failure, imo.

[gunnar hendershow]

5 minutes ago, Malenko said:

Regardless the US are still the team to beat. I'd be very surprised if they don't reach the semi finals at least. Anything else would have to be considered a failure, imo.

I admittedly did misread the way the knockout draws would play out when thinking not making the semis was a possibility. If I've read it right, most of the bigger squads are all in other quarters.

[Szumi]

1 hour ago, damhausen said:

I admittedly did misread the way the knockout draws would play out when thinking not making the semis was a possibility. If I've read it right, most of the bigger squads are all in other quarters.

Having either Brazil or France in the knockouts sure isn't easy though!

[gunnar hendershow]

11 minutes ago, Szumi - A Polack said:

Having either Brazil or France in the knockouts sure isn't easy though!

According to the bracket challenge on FIFA's site the US gets Group G followed by A1/C2. I initially thought it was France/Brazil followed by G1/H2.

[Malenko]

I expect they'll face Italy and then either Norway or Japan. Not terrible teams, but still not to the USWNT level and then you're already in the semis. Then things can get tough but I still think they're the team to the beat.

[Lineker]

1 hour ago, damhausen said:

According to the bracket challenge on FIFA's site the US gets Group G followed by A1/C2. I initially thought it was France/Brazil followed by G1/H2.

[Lineker]

Quote

The Matildas have issued a call to arms in the lead-up to the Women’s World Cup, putting pressure on Fifa to put their money where their mouth is and ensure the tournament leaves a legacy.

All 23 squad members speak in a video from the players’ union, Professional Footballers Australia, reflecting on the rights for which past and present Matildas have fought.

The video is reminiscent of the Socceroos’ human rights push before the men’s World Cup in Qatar.

“Collective bargaining has allowed us to ensure we now get the same conditions as the Socceroos, with one exception,” midfielder Tameka Yallop says in the video.

“Fifa will still only offer women one quarter as much prize money as men for the same achievement.”

The Matildas’ and Socceroos’ collective bargaining agreement with Football Australia guarantees each team the same minimum percentage of prize money from tournaments.

But the overall prize pools sit at US$110m for women and US$440m for men.

“While prize money has advanced, it’s still only 25% of what the men get, and FIFA are championing that that’s equality and there’s still no assurance that there will be equality,” the PFA co-chief executive Kate Gill said.

“There’s a few weasel words in their commentary around the broadcast and the sponsorship mixture having to be right before they can move to that.

“They’ve clearly got $4 billion in reserves, so they can afford to spend and equalise things now.

“So it’s a call to arms and also the players understanding that their power is in their collective and in their solidarity.”

The video cites players earning early CBAs and the right to not have to wash their own playing kit.

“Those that came before us showed us that being a Matilda means something,” Sam Kerr says. “They showed us how to fight for recognition, validation and respect.”

Yallop, Kerr and Katrina Gorry are among current Matildas who went on strike for better pay and conditions in 2015.

“Just like we do on the pitch, we stuck together, refused to back down, and got the result,” Gorry said.

Gill stressed that 2015 gave the Matildas legitimacy when pushing for other national teams to be able to organise and collectively bargain.

The video includes thinly veiled messages to FA and the A-Leagues.

Steph Catley calls for “those who run the game” to provide opportunities for women and girls.

Hayley Raso urges those in positions of power to help “make women’s football as big as it can be, here and around the world”.

The Sydney FC star Cortnee Vine hopes her fellow A-League Women players can become full-time athletes.

Gill said: “They very much understand that they’ve played their role to move the game forward and that they need to leave it in a better place than when they found it, so that those that come after them have even greater opportunity than what they have.”

The current Matildas CBA has been extended until the end of the Women’s World Cup, with discussions expected to pick up post-tournament.

 

[Lineker]

Quote

The first match of the Women’s World Cup will go ahead as planned after members of the New Zealand and Norway teams, who are to open the tournament at Eden Park on Thursday night, were unaffected by a shooting in Auckland earlier in the day.

Norway are one of a number of teams, including the US, Italy and the Philippines, based in hotels close to the site of the shooting in the city centre, which left three people including the gunman dead and six injured.

New Zealand’s prime minister, Chris Hipkins, said the incident posed no national security threat and confirmed the tournament, which is co-hosted with Australia, would get under way as planned with the first game in Auckland kicking off at 7pm local time.

“Clearly, with the Fifa World Cup kicking off this evening there are a lot of eyes on Auckland,” Hipkins said. “New Zealanders are welcoming people. We are excited about hosting the Fifa World Cup … there is no ongoing risk here. “We will have very active police presence to provide that reassurance.”

Norway’s captain, Maren Mjelde, said she and her teammates felt safe throughout the police operation, which took place on a building site in the early hours of Thursday.

“Everyone probably woke up quite quickly when the helicopter hovered outside the hotel window and a large number of emergency vehicles arrived,” Mjelde said. “At first we didn’t know what was going on, but eventually there were updates on TV and the local media.

“We felt safe the whole time. Fifa has a good security system at the hotel, and we have our own security officer in the squad. Everyone seems calm and we are preparing as normal for the game tonight. Then we may have to adapt if there are any instructions from the authorities.”

Italy’s training was delayed as players could not get out of their hotel, while the US team were all accounted for and were proceeding with their daily schedule.

“US Soccer extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims who were killed in the shooting in downtown Auckland today,” a team statement from USWNT read. “We are saddened by the inexcusable loss of life to gun violence, and our thoughts are with the people of Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau and Aotearoa New Zealand.”

The opening of Fifa’s Fan festival, at a nearby location, was delayed. Former New Zealand international Maia Jackson was on the site and said the incident was “pretty scary”.

“They pushed us to the back of the crowd where we are and we’re just trying to keep sane,” she told the NZ Herald. “There’s lots of security and lots of uncertainty.”

New Zealand Football said it was “shocked” by the incident.

“We can confirm that all of the Football Ferns team and staff are safe but we will not be able to comment further while details are still emerging,” a statement said. “Preparations for the game tonight at Eden Park will continue as planned.”

Despite slow ticket sales in New Zealand, a record crowd is expected at Eden Park for the tournament opener, with the host nation’s previous biggest crowd for an international football match likely to be surpassed.

 

[GoGo Yubari]

boy my heart sank when I realized I was in for another long month of Fox coverage of a World Cup. Unmuted the thing and it was some guy talking about sports betting.

anyway let's go Norway c'mon Norway

[GoGo Yubari]

fuck's sake, Norway.

[Lineker]

Nice job NZ!

 

Elsewhere, Sam Kerr is going to miss Australia's first two games through injury. 

[Lineker]

Another penalty that's been either missed or saved!

[Lineker]

I can only assume that we only just beat Haiti 1-0 from the penalty spot because of the ITV curse.

[The Lusophone]

England not picking Maya Le Tissier and refusing to start or give gametime to Beth England will be what loses them the World Cup.

[gunnar hendershow]

Haiti appeared to have a little more interest in trying to win than Vietnam, who tactically seemed to want to concede as few goals as possible.