2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Kicks Off in Australia and New Zealand; Who are Participating?

The best female soccer players around the world have descended to Australia and New Zealand for the 2023 Women's World Cup. USA is set to defend its title and go for a three-peat, but in its way are plenty of other hungry teams that want to end American dominance.

As Sports Illustrated pointed out, the USWNT continues to be the favorites and might pull off that historic three-peat of World Cups. The team is headed by grizzled veterans like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, along with 14 newcomers who are gunning to be the next generation of Americans defending their title.

There will be 32 teams in total, with ten stadiums across nine cities in the two Oceanian countries participating. There will be eight groups in the group stages, with each group containing four teams. The teams in these groups will play one another, with the top 2 teams of these groups moving on to the knockout rounds.

This edition of the Women's World Cup will focus on the themes of progress and evolution, both on and off the pitch.

2023 Women's World Cup Groups

Hosts Australia and New Zealand are also participating, with the Aussies already beating Ireland in their opener while New Zealand upset Norway on Day One. New Zealand will be in Group A with Norway, Switzerland, and the Philippines, while Australia will be in Group B with Canada, Nigeria, and Ireland.

The first team from the Americas to compete will be Costa Rica and they will open against Spain in Group C. Their group also includes Japan and Zambia. Meanwhile, Haiti will be representing CONCACAF for Group D, defying the odds and the ongoing crisis in their country to give their fellow Haitians hope. However, they will be in the same group as China, Denmark, and favorites England.

Favorites the United States will begin their title defense against the Netherlands, Portugal, and Vietnam in Group E, according to the official Olympics website.

Meanwhile, soccer legend Marta will begin her final World Cup campaign with Brazil against France, Jamaica, and Panama in Group F. This group guarantees that at least one country from the Americas and the Caribbean will go through to the knockout stages.

Argentina, which won last year's Men's World Cup, will aim to emulate their compatriots' success in Group G against Italy, South Africa, and Sweden. Finally, over in Group H, Colombia will face a tough challenge against Germany, South Korea, and Morocco.

What's Next For the 2023 Women's World Cup?

After the opening day matches where both hosts won, Canada is currently taking on Nigeria in Melbourne as of writing while underdogs Philippines, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time in its history, takes on Switzerland in Dunedin. However, the real big game would be Spain, which boasts an all-star line-up. They will be opening against Costa Rica in Wellington later.

As for the rankings, USWNT is still #1, as reported by The Independent. However, the Americans do have a large target behind their backs as teams try to stop the three-peat. The first team to try and unseat the champs will be Vietnam, and that match is happening tomorrow at Eden park, Auckland.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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