Women’s World Cup | Five things to know

The biggest and most prestigious women’s soccer competition, the World Cup, gets underway on Thursday. Canada has big ambitions after winning gold at the last Olympics in Tokyo, but the Worlds are a different story altogether. Here are the essential points for this tournament which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.

A more ambitious format

For the first time, the Women’s World Cup will be contested with 32 teams, unlike 24 in the past. It will therefore be the same format as the male formula; the top two ranked teams from each of the eight groups will advance to the knockout stage. The group stage, which will begin overnight from Wednesday to Thursday (Montreal time), will conclude on Thursday, August 3. The tournament will come to an end on Sunday August 20 with the final in Sydney.

A well-known Canadian version

Canada decided not to change a winning formula too much. He will offer a formation very similar to that which won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021. There are absentees, midfielder Janine Beckie, injured, Desiree Scott, unselected, and the goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé, retired, but we will be in the presence of familiar faces. The eternal Christine Sinclair, the top scorer in history on the international scene, will be in her sixth World Cup. Despite her 40 years, she will have a role to play in this team. She will be joined by Canadian team star Jessie Fleming, rising star Julia Grosso and experienced defenseman Kadeisha Buchanan.

Canada and “the group of death”

It’s a term sometimes overused, but this time, Canada is indeed part of the group of death. He will first have to face Nigeria on Thursday evening, historically the best African team. The country which has won 11 of the 14 editions of the African Cup of Nations will count on its prolific striker Asisat Oshoala, star of FC Barcelona. The Canadian team will continue its journey six days later against Ireland. This nation proved earlier this year that it can hold its own with two hard-fought duels against the Americans. Finally, the Canadians will finish the group phase against Australia, which in addition to hosting this World Cup, can hope to win the tournament thanks to its scorer Sam Kerr.

Powers to follow

Would it really be a Women’s World Cup if the players from the United States did not begin the defense of their two titles as favorites? It will be the same story for this World Cup while the Americans are in a transition phase. Experienced players like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe will try to pass the baton to younger players like Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman. Some European nations will be followed including Germany, Spain, France and England. The English, reigning European champions, however, will have to do without three of their best players: Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and captain Leah Williamson.

The headliners

The World Cup is perfectly timed to shine the star of the Australian team, Sam Kerr, in front of his public. The Chelsea striker, at the height of her career, will want to do what she does best: fill the net. The young American Sophia Smith, player par excellence of the circuit of the country of Uncle Sam, will be at her first appearance at the World Cup and should leave a strong impression. Finally, the Spanish duo Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas should allow Spain to surprise. Putellas, winner of the last two Golden Balls, is recovering from a ruptured cruciate ligament and will have to rely on her FC Barcelona teammate to lead the Spaniards to the promised land.