The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off on Thursday. The ninth edition of the tournament travels to Australia and New Zealand from July 20-Aug. 20 and promises to be the most widely watched one to date. The defending champions, the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) will open their campaign against Vietnam on Saturday, July 22.
There are eight groups consisting of four nations, each country will play every team in their group once. The top two teams in each group will then move on to the knockout stages of the tournament.
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2023 Women’s World Cup: Group H
Germany
- Nickname: Die Nationalelf (The National Eleven)
- FIFA Rank: 2nd
- World Cup appearances: 9th
- Best finish: Champions (2007)
Germany has been a dominant force in the game since their World Cup win in 2003 and their successful defense of the title four years later in China. The eight-time European Champions are expected to progress deep into the competition despite their early exit in the 2019 quarterfinals. German captain, Alexandra Popp is a member of the 2016 Olympic Gold medal-winning team and will lead the team into battle versus Morocco on July 24.
Morocco
- Nickname: Atlas Lionesses
- FIFA Rank: 72nd
- World Cup appearances: 1st
- Best finish: N/A
The first Arab team to qualify for a WWC, this Moroccan side is a group of history-makers. They aren’t heading Down Under to merely “make up the numbers”, says attacker Ghizlane Chebbak. They want to compete with the world’s best. They will get an invaluable opportunity to measure themselves against real quality in their opening fixture against Germany.
Colombia
- Nickname: Las Chicas Superpoderosas
- FIFA Rank: 25th
- World Cup appearances: 3rd
- Best finish: Round of 16 (2015)
Colombia showcased its competitive prowess to the world by reaching the Copa America final last year. Despite being beaten by Brazil, they qualified for the World Cup. Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo has been a star on the global stage since her debut at 14 and Leicy Santos has been crucial in pioneering women’s football in the South American nation. They will open their third World Cup drive against Korea Republic on July 25.
Korea Republic
- Nickname: Taegeuk Ladies (Tigers of Asia)
- FIFA Rank: 17th
- World Cup appearances: 4th
- Best finish: Round of 16 (2015)
Manager Colin Bell has praised the technical abilities of his side, but his primary focus has been making Korea more aggressive in its approach. The team is solid from full-back Jang Selgi to their all-time leading scorer Ji Soyun in attack. Soyun has 66 goals in 144 matches for her nation. Like many teams ranked outside the top 10 in this contest, for Korea Republic the group stages pose a challenge.
“Our first goal is to advance to the round of 16. We’ll play every game as if it were the final. We’ll have that kind of mindset,” Lee Geum-min of the national team said.
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