With 32 teams, the 2023 Women’s World Cup is the biggest in the tournament’s history. An expanded field comes with tougher competition, but the U.S. will do everything it can to three-peat. What should we expect from the USWNT? Who’s going to win the Golden Boot? And which team has the best kit? The Ringer staff has answers to those questions below:
1. What group stage match are you most excited to watch?
Flo Lloyd-Hughes: USA-Netherlands. A repeat of the 2019 World Cup final. Both teams have changed a lot since that match; there’s been coaching changes, retirements, and injuries, but it should still be a great battle.
Kellen Becoats: Give me Canada-Australia. This game has so much potential to be a banger. Australia could be fighting to top the group, or at least hoping to clinch second place and avoid going out early as hosts. It has a classic unstoppable force (Sam Kerr, looking to do a backflip after scoring on your ass) versus an immovable object (Kailen Sheridan, one of the best shot stoppers in the world). And also, the game will give the Canadians a chance to quiet all the chatter about whether they’re a true contender after winning Olympic gold in 2021. The fact that the match comes on the last match day for the group raises the stakes even further.
Katie Baker: I agree with Kellen. I’ll always be most excited to watch the U.S. women play, but beyond them, I’m intrigued by Canada vs. Australia. Both of those teams are in this tournament’s “Group of Death,” and the crowd will be pulling for their Matildas against the reigning Olympic champions. Should be a fun one to watch.
Rodger Sherman: USA-Vietnam. Four years ago, the U.S. kicked off their World Cup title defense with a 13-0 win over Thailand, sparking a spree of takes about sportsmanship. (Dream Team 116, Angola 48—iconic, game-changing, inspiring. USWNT 13, Thailand 0—classless!) This time, the U.S. is paired against another Southeast Asian team with similar credentials: Vietnam is 32nd in the official FIFA rankings after a fifth-place finish in Asian qualifying; four years ago, Thailand was 34th after a fourth-place finish in Asian qualifying. I think they can convert the extra point and get 14 this time.
Brian Phillips: It’s obviously not the biggest game of the group stage, and I’m not even sure if “excited” is the right word, but I’m really … anxious—or intrigued? Concerned? Some dizzying combination of all those things?—about Spain-Costa Rica. This is partly because Alexia Putellas’s health is a gigantic open question as we head into the tournament, and it’s also because the … drama—horror? Chaos? Institutional lunacy?—surrounding the Spanish squad’s relationship with its manager, Jorge Vilda, makes it hard to know how to read one of the most talented teams in the World Cup.
2. Which star will shine the brightest during the group phase?
Phillips: Hmm … my heart wants to say Sophia Smith, so I’m saying Sophia Smith. Don’t ask me to choose against my own heart!
Sherman: Debinha. Marta is the GOAT playing in her final World Cup—she’ll be passing the torch to Debinha, the stylish and skillful two-time NWSL champ.
Lloyd-Hughes: I would love to say Lauren James, but it depends on whether Sarina Wiegman starts her for England. I think Sophia Smith will be Team USA’s most important player of the tournament and she is all set up to hit the ground running in their opening game against Vietnam.
Baker: Germany’s Alexandra Popp, who has variously been called Poppi, Lady Messi, the “Personality of the Year,” and an “absolute machine.” Her performance at the Euros in 2022 led to jokes that she should join the German men’s team; she showed up wearing a mustache at her next presser. Then, an injury during warm-ups kept her out of the final, which means that in this tournament she will be a woman looking to make up for lost time.
Becoats: This tournament will be all about the forwards, so I’m choosing Sophia Smith here. She lurks in opponents’ heads rent-free and leads the NWSL in goals so far this season. She’s always ready to breach a well-maintained back line to produce something breathtaking. She was voted U.S. Soccer’s 2022 Player of the Year for a reason, and with relatively weak opposition in Group E, expect her to put on a show.
3. Pick an underdog to make the round of 16.
Sherman: ZAMBIA! This is their first time at a World Cup—in fact, it’s the first time any of Africa’s 16 landlocked nations has qualified for a men’s or women’s World Cup—but we know Zambia can create fireworks at an international level. They’re led by Barbra Banda, who scored back-to-back hat tricks two years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, the first woman ever to have two hat tricks in one Olympic tournament. (One of those was in a 10-3 loss to the Netherlands, but, look, shut up.) Banda was held out of the World Cup qualifying tournament because the Confederation of African Football thinks they alone can define what a woman is, but the rest of Zambia’s squad was good enough to beat Nigeria and qualify. Zambia also beat Germany in one of their warm-up games, and could realistically manage a result against Japan—maybe a 4-4 draw with a Banda hat trick—like they did against China at the Olympics.
Lloyd-Hughes: I’m going to go with Colombia. They’ve got a really exciting team with some young, raw talent like Linda Caicedo, as well as a proven goal scorer in Mayra Ramírez. They reached the Copa América final last year, bowing out to Brazil. Colombia has made it to the round of 16 before, when they last qualified for the World Cup in 2015. With the talent they have and the fact they’re in an open group, I see them making it through the knockouts.
Baker: How about Argentina? They have yet to reach the World Cup knockout rounds in three tries, but recently they’ve achieved promising results, finishing third at the 2022 Copa América Feminina. And Argentina has played only one game total, ever, against all three of their group stage opponents combined—a 1-0 loss to Sweden at the 2008 Olympics. This gives Argentina the chance to take a couple of teams by surprise.
Becoats: There’s almost no way this happens, but I would be thrilled if the Republic of Ireland made it out of their group. It’s the team’s first Women’s World Cup appearance. If Ireland manage to hold off hosts Australia or take down reigning Olympic champions Canada, it would be a massive story. And frankly, the team needs some positivity. Statements of abuse surrounding manager Vera Pauw during her time in Houston were reported earlier this month, pouring cold water on what should be a joyous time for this team.
All I want is for us to be able to celebrate this super fun team that looked good in the two friendlies they played against the USWNT in April. It’s been so nice to see Sinead Farrelly get back on the pitch, both domestically in the NWSL and for Ireland, and let’s be real, you’re going to want more than three games of Katie McCabe’s shenanigans.
Phillips: Denmark. On paper, China should be the second-favorite team to get out of Group D behind England, but China has really struggled against World Cup–caliber opposition lately.
4. Pick a young player (21 or younger) that will make an impact.
Lloyd-Hughes: Alyssa Thompson, Team USA’s über-talented teenager. She might not start games, but she can be an impact player.
Becoats: I don’t think Alyssa Thompson is going to see significant minutes to make a huge impact for the USWNT, so I’m going Salma Paralluelo here. The 19-year-old is already a standout at Barcelona, scoring 11 goals and recording four assists in 18 games for what is universally recognized as one of the best club teams in the world. Now the former track star, who scored a hat trick in her senior Spain debut in November 2022, has the chance to put her stamp on a team that has the second-best odds of winning this tournament. A player who can do THIS should massively impress when the lights are brightest.
Phillips: Tough to look past Lauren James, but I’m going to say Lena Oberdorf, in part because I have a little more faith in Germany than I do in England right now.
Baker: I was going to go with 17-year-old Dutch gal Wieke Kaptein on the strength of Google translating her name into “Wicked Captain.” But I’m not sure if she’ll actually see playing time, so I’m going to go with Alyssa Thompson, who ought to not only make an impact on the field this summer, but will also be followed around by Netflix cameras while doing so.
Sherman: Trinity Rodman. I’m not going to provide an explanation, I’m just going to link to the clip of her second goal from the send-off game against Wales.
4. Who will be the biggest disappointment?
Phillips: We already know who the biggest disappointment of this World Cup is—the injured muscles and tendons keeping so many elite players from even traveling to the tournament.
Lloyd-Hughes: Sweden. As Brian just alluded to, they’ve already lost a few players through injury before the tournament’s even started, and after a heavy Euro semifinals defeat last summer, it feels like this is a team at the end of its cycle.
Becoats: This is going to come back to bite me in the ass, but I have to pick Spain here. Oddsmakers have this team as third favorites to win this tournament, over the likes of Germany, France, and Sweden. In my opinion, there’s just way too much going on in their camp that could see them make an early exit. Alexia Putellas has gotten some good minutes in her return from a torn ACL, but I’m just not sure how much La Roja are going to be willing to run her out there with so many games in a short period of time.
And I’d be remiss to not mention that last September, 15 members of the squad sent a private email to the Spanish Football Federation saying that they did not want to be selected for the national team until changes were made within Spain’s coaching setup, especially concerning manager Jorge Vilda. Nearly a year later, Vilda still has his job and only three of the players who voiced their thoughts on him have been brought to the tournament. The vibes just seem off in the Spain camp, and even a relatively straightforward group and the return of Putellas might not be enough for them to get as deep into this tournament as many expect them to.
Sherman: England. Football Came Home in 2022, but this is barely the same team that won the Euros last year. Beth Mead, who had the most goals and the most assists in the Euros, is out with a knee injury, as is captain Leah Williamson and midfield star Fran Kirby. Throw in the retirement of all-time leading goal scorer Ellen White, and England is without four of their championship 11. England has the second-best odds to win the tournament, but a Lioness letdown is possible.
Baker: Casual U.S. fans have grown so accustomed to the women’s national team being the best in the biz that anything less than total victory will always feel like a devastating defeat. While the Americans may well pull off the three-peat this cycle, the team will have to do so despite the absence of stalwarts like Mallory Swanson and Becky Sauerbrunn.
5. Finish this sentence: The USWNT’s World Cup experience will be …
Baker: … topsy-turvy, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing!
Lloyd-Hughes: … not as easy as times gone by. Expect a roller-coaster ride.
Sherman: … an even rowdier celebratory ride home than last time. You thought they got drunk on the plane from France? Sydney-to-LAX is FOURTEEN HOURS.
Phillips: … so great that it will almost make you forget you’re watching matches at 4 a.m.
Becoats: … exhausting. It would obviously be incredible and historic if the USWNT were to win a third title in a row, but the constant nit-picking in the media—the inevitable questioning of who should start, whether Vlatko Andonovski’s job is on the line, and how “disappointing” it will be if this team doesn’t reach at least the semis—is already giving me anxiety. And that’s to say nothing of the unavoidable questions about the strength of the women’s game from bad-faith actors if Team USA does win. I’m annoyed just typing this, so the next month is going to be tough.
6. Who has the best kit?
Sherman: Japan’s sunset pinks. Although they do have the same color palette as the Washington Wizards’ cherry blossom alternates, which is worrisome, because nobody should emulate the Washington Wizards in any way.
Lloyd-Hughes: The Japan away shirt is absolutely beautiful. Part of a great Adidas collection, this pink and lilac number is stunning.
Baker: Japan, Brazil, and the away kit of Portugal.
Becoats: Adidas seems like it let the artists who designed the away kits go wild, so there’s quite a bit of competition here. I refuse to choose one (sorry to my editor), so it’s a tie between Argentina and Germany’s away kit. The forest-like motif on Germany’s kit works so well with the flashes of gold on the Adidas logo, badge, and shoulder stripes. And as for Argentina’s, I just love how chaotically cool it is! The color blocking, both on the shoulders and the sleeve trim, is a great touch, as well as the whole jersey looking like the landscape of an Expressionist painting. Put them up for sale on your website, Adidas!
Phillips: I’m not a fan of the splotchy kitchen-countertop look that seems to be huge right now, so I’m going to say Jamaica’s extremely clean away kit.
7. Who’s your pick for the Golden Boot?
Becoats: I said it earlier, but this is going to be the tournament of Sophia Smith. Expect her to get plenty of goals in the group stage and keep it up as the USWNT progress through the tournament. Special shout-out here to Sam Kerr, who I would choose if I thought Australia had the goods to make a deep run, but I sadly don’t see that happening.
Sherman: I feel more confident about a USWNT player winning the Golden Boot than I do USWNT winning the tournament, because I think they’re more firmly dedicated to running up the score in mismatches than other teams. Let’s go with Sophia Smith.
Lloyd-Hughes: Sophia Smith. This is her first major tournament, and at 22 she still classifies as a fairly young player, but the expectations on her are much bigger than just a first World Cup appearance. She is going to be leading the U.S. front line and has scored a ton of goals in the NWSL—and won player of the year, too.
Phillips: Hmm … my heart wants to say Sophia Smith, and you know I’m going to listen to my heart.
Baker: Sam Kerr of Australia (and Alex Popp of Germany for the Golden Ball).
8. Which two teams will make the final, and who will win?
Becoats: I have the USWNT vs. England and I’m expecting a highly competitive game. Both teams have major injuries that will affect their roads to the final, but I think they’re the strongest teams in the field. Give me a 3-2 win for Team USA to become the first team in history to win three consecutive World Cups.
Phillips: (whispering please please please please please) USA over England.
Baker: Germany vs. USA in the final, with Germany coming out on top. This is a reverse jinx.
Sherman: USA > Australia. Home-hemisphere advantage and Sam Kerr will get Australia to the brink of a championship, but the best team on the planet wins.
Lloyd-Hughes: I think an England-USA final would be absolutely unbelievable, especially as we’d get a Ringer vs. Ringer U.K. derby. Not sure how everyone’s nerves would cope, but it’s a great rivalry in women’s football and it would be a box office final.
