10 themes to look out for at the 2023 World Cup
It's not less than a week until the action kicks off down under, so what are some of the main talking points and topics to keep an eye on when the football starts on Thursday?
How injuries will affect the top sides
Every major women’s tournament becomes more and more competitive by the mere fact most nations are getting stronger and stronger through investment during these four-year cycles. With or without key injuries, this would likely be the most open World Cup to date anyway, but the absence of so many big names only feels like it has opened up the playing field even more.
Apart from in-form co-hosts Australia, who picked up an injury scare themselves in the final warm-up games, everyone else seems to have lost at least one player, with Germany the latest through Carolin Simon’s ACL injury last week. European champions England are without Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby, while world champions USA are missing Mal Swanson, Catarina Macario and Becky Sauerbrunn.
France has also been hit in key areas and more than most, with Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Delphine Cascarino, Amandine Henry and Griedge Mbock all missing and now Selma Bacha’s tournament also in doubt. Canada is missing midfielder Desiree Scott and defender Jade Rose, while Netherlands is without star forward Vivianne Miedema. Spain is also missing key players such as Patri Guijarro and Mapi Leon, though not through injury.
It means all the top teams have a chink in the armour, and the question of who is going to win this World Cup becomes an impossible question to answer.
Could a Pot 2 side win the whole thing?
The above therefore begs the question of where the winner is going to come from. Seven of the right Pot 1 sides realistically have a good chance and it would not be any sort of shock if one of them is the winner, but with the competition showing more quality than ever, could someone else win the World Cup?
Not to say Pot 2 is filled with minnows. It includes the current Olympic champions, 2019 finalists, Copa America winners and Asia Cup winners, as well as former world champions in Japan and Norway. All have their various strengths and weaknesses, but it doesn’t feel completely out of the question this could be a tournament for the dark horse.
Canada’s solid defence always gives them a chance, as we’ll come on to, while Brazil in particular is in good form under Pia Sundhage, as is Japan’s exciting new era of players, particularly in attacking areas.
It might be a stretch for some of the others, but role out these teams from a charge to the final at your peril.
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Flailing European nations need a big tournament
There are though some teams in that Pot who need a big tournament, particularly from Europe. In different ways, all three of Norway, Italy and Netherlands endured tough Euro 2022, with two of them now under new management heading into the World Cup.
Norway in particular got drawn into a group they’ll be happy with and with a front four of Caroline Graham Hansen, Ada Hegerberg, Guro Reiten and Frida Maanum, there can be no excuses if they don’t breeze through Group A and into the second round as group winners.
Italy too flopped last summer but have stuck with head coach Milena Bertolini, not that results have necessarily improved since. With Sweden in their group, Italy is already up against it and in Argentina and South Africa have two sides capable of picking up a result on their day. Another group stage exit would likely prove terminal for Bertolini.
And what of the Netherlands? Andries Jonker has replaced Mark Parsons and things seem to have picked up a little, even if it’s still some way off the level required to reach a second consecutive final. No Miedema adds to the toil, so the lack of either Fenna Kalma and Romee Leuchter in the squad raised some eyebrows. Drawn with the world champions is hardly ideal, but Netherlands are another team who need to show some bounce back ability.
Emergence of Africa, Asia and The Americas
Beyond Europe, this is a big tournament for various other continents. Africa has four teams at the World Cup, while CONCACAF has a record-breaking six nations involved for the first time, as both Haiti and Panama make their debuts.
Zambia and Morocco are debutants from CAF while AFC also has two debuting nations in Philippines and Vietnam, all of whom arrive with their varied journeys and unique stories along the way. But within these federations there are plenty of talented players and nations ready to spring a surprise if the chance arises, as Zambia showed with their win over Germany last week.
Europe and North America has for so long ruled the roost in the women’s game, but there’s no reasons the quality and results won’t be wider spread over the course of the next month. When you have players like Jamaica’s Khadija Shaw, Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay, Zambia’s duo of Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, you will not be short of quality throughout the tournament.
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