The 2023 Women’s World Cup is the 9th edition of the quadrennial international women’s football championship. The hosts this year are Australia and New Zealand, who are joining 30 other nations in the fight for ultimate glory.
Find out what teams are the favourites to win the cup and teams that failed in the competition.
England’s The Lionesses
From the start of the tournament, the Lionesses were among the most favoured nations to go all the way. In the beginning, the odds were slightly more favourable towards the USA. The Lionesses, the current Women’s Euro 2022 champions, easily earned the title of the contenders for the throne.
Despite the somewhat rocky start of the competition, England managed to overcome all challenges. At the summit of the competition, the Lionesses remain one of the biggest contenders for the title. Moreover, the consistency has many marking the Lionesses as the new supreme football force.
Australia’s Matildas
One of the two hosts of the tournament, Australia, were not the most favoured team to go all the way. At first, the Matildas were somewhat underdogs, but with potential thanks to their home-field advantage. Nonetheless, Australia have proven to be among the top contenders, with well-fought games and outstanding usage of the home fields.
As one of the hosts of the tournament, Australia earned a free spot in the competition. With that, many underestimated the overall quality of women’s football in Australia. The Matildas used this to their advantage and easily surprised anyone who went into the matchup easy-minded.
Spain’s La Roja
If there is one team that can stop England’s incredible streak, it is Spain. La Roja are easily among the five strongest teams worldwide. With that in mind, they deserve recognition as one of the contenders for the championship.
Before the tournament, Spain had numerous internal struggles and disputes between players and management. After an early exit in the Women’s Euro 2022, the issues only escalated. Nonetheless, with a fresh start and the disputes seemingly resolved, Spain remain one of the leaders in the race for the World Champions title.
Sweden’s Blagult
Sweden entered the competition as a potential dark horse. While the odds didn’t favour them as much as the other top-flight teams, they were among the top potential contenders. Moreso, the later arrival of the Blagult in Australia and the time difference were serious scare factors for the team.
Nonetheless, Sweden have proven why they should not be underestimated. Starting in a challenging group, the Blagul managed to stay ahead and win many unfavoured matchups. With that, everyone understands they can’t afford to continue underestimating Sweden.
Favoured Teams’ Unexpected Exits
Lastly, one of the biggest surprises in this World Cup was the early exit of the USA. The issues started early on as they barely managed to go past their group. Finally, Sweden ended their unbecoming performance and dropped the biggest contenders for the title, The Stars and Stripes team.
At the same time, another top contender for the championship was Germany. The DFB-Frauen Team failed to go past their group, giving way to Columbia and Morocco. After the USA, Germany’s early out was one of the biggest surprises.
However, we have to mention France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and Denmark as some additional potential contenders. While they are not as favourable as the aforementioned few, they easily had a chance to fight for the trophy.
