Of the 32 slots, 29 teams qualified directly with 3 additional teams earning their place through playoffs held in February 2023 in New Zealand. Twelve of them are from the UEFA confederation, six of them are from the AFC, another six are from the CONCACAF, four of them are from the CAF confederation, three are from CONMEBOL and only one team from OFC has qualified to the World Cup finals. The teams competing in this prestigious tournament include a mix of familiar faces and first-time participants, further adding to the intrigue of the tournament.
Co-Hosts
Australia and New Zealand, the co-hosts of the tournament, automatically secured their places in the World Cup finals. The tournament will be the first Women's World Cup to be hosted in multiple countries. Furthermore, it will also be the first FIFA tournament to be hosted across multiple confederations. Australia is part of the AFC confederation while New Zealand is part of the
OFC.
UEFA
The European national teams to feature in the tournament account for one third of the total number of teams. The European teams to feature include Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. It represents the first time that Portugal and the Republic of Ireland feature at the World Cup. Portugal secured qualification through the inter-confederation play-offs.
AFC
The teams from Asia to feature in the competition include Australia, China, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam. Australia was granted a spot without having to play any group stage games. The Philippines and Vietnam will be making their debut in the World Cup Finals.
CONCACAF
The CONCACAF Women’s Championship saw the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti and Jamaica secure their spots. The United States are the current holders of the World Cup and have won it a record four times. They won all three of their qualification matches to secure a spot in the 2023 World Cup Finals. It is a first-time appearance for Panama and Haiti at the finals, with both nations securing a spot through the inter-confederation play-offs in New Zealand.
CAF
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations added Zambia, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa to the tournament line-up. It will be debuting appearances at the World Cup tournament for Zambia and Morocco.
CONMEBOL
The teams to feature from the CONMEBOL include Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina. The Copa América Femenina teams finished in the top three positions of the qualification groups and knockout stages to qualify for the tournament.
OFC
As mentioned before, only one team from OFC will appear in the Women’s World Cup. The one team is co-host nation, New Zealand. The national side were guaranteed a spot as they are the hosts of the tournament.
Recap of the Qualifiers
Qualifying to the Women’s World Cup is a strange process, as it differs from one confederation to another. As European teams dominate the selection of spots for the Women’s World Cup, let’s take a look at how well the teams did through the qualifiers.
UEFA
The UEFA teams were drawn together in nine groups of six teams, accounting to a total of 54 teams. Only two national teams, England and France, were able to win all ten of their fixtures.
England won the 2022 Women’s Euros, defeating Germany in the final. The team boasts a diverse crop of talent, with many young players coming through the ranks and more experienced veterans that understand the responsibility and have the experience to keep a level head.
The French national team were the only other team to win all ten of their matches. Captained by Lyon’s Wendie Renard, Les Bleus have qualified for the World Cup on five separate occasions.
The other teams to qualify automatically from their respective groups include Norway with 28 points, Germany and Italy with 27 points apiece, both Denmark and Spain with 24 points, Sweden with 22 points and the Netherlands with 20 points.
The Republic of Ireland, Portugal and Switzerland all finished second in their groups, requiring them to compete in the play-offs for an alternative route to Australia and New Zealand. Switzerland and Ireland qualified to the tournament based on their points while Portugal secured their qualification by defeating Cameroon 2-1 in the inter-confederation play-off round match.
AFC
The AFC qualification process was rather unusual, as Australia featured in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. However, the nation had already qualified, as it was the co-host of the tournament. Due to this, the format of the play-off round depended on when Australia was eliminated from the competition. Australia was eliminated in the quarterfinals, meaning all four teams of the semi-finals had automatically qualified to the Women’s World Cup. The final team, Vietnam, won two of the remaining matches against Chinese Taipei and Thailand to secure qualification to the World Cup finals.
CONCACAF
The CONCACAF qualification was divided into two groups of four teams. The top two teams of each group automatically secured a spot in Australia and New Zealand. The United States and Canada won all of their matches, securing top spot in Group A and Group B, respectively. Jamaica and Costa Rica won two of their three matches, securing the runner up position in their respective groups. The third-place finishers in both groups were Haiti and Panama, who qualified to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Haiti defeated Senegal 4-0 and Chile 2-1 in Auckland to secure a spot in the World Cup finals. Panama, playing their matches in Hamilton, defeated Papua New Guinea and Paraguay 2-0 and 1-0, respectively.
CAF
The CAF confederation secures qualification to the World Cup Finals by reaching the semi-final stage of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia and South Africa all defeated their respective opponents in the quarterfinals to secure a place in the World Cup tournament. Incidentally, the two finalists were Morocco and South Africa, with the latter winning the tie 2-1.
CONMEBOL
The two finalist of the CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina automatically secured a place in the World Cup finals. Brazil defeated Colombia 1-0 in the final, however, both teams could walk away knowing they have a chance to display their talent on a global scale. The third-place team also secured an automatic route to Australia and New Zealand, with Argentina pipping Paraguay to the spot with a 3-1 win in the deciding match. Two more teams could have qualified if they had won their respective inter-confederation play-off matches, however, they were defeated by one of Portugal, Haiti or Panama.
Players to Watch
During the qualifiers, several stand-out players from each confederation lead their nation to glory. We have a short list of players that you may want to keep an eye out for.
- Lea Schüller – the German striker, who plays for Bayern Munich, scored a staggering 15 goals in 10 matches. She could be the key for Germany to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
- Roselord Borgella – the Haitian forward is the sole reason why Haiti is making a debut appearance at the World Cup. The Dijon FCO player scored 14 goals, aiding her national team secure qualification.
- Khadija Shaw– the Jamaican Manchester City forward scored an astounding 12 goals to help her team qualify for the World Cup. The 26-year-old currently has a record 56 goals in 38 appearances for ‘The Reggae Girlz’.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
The 2023 Women's World Cup promises to be a showcase of global talent, with returning champions, such as the United States, looking to defend their title, and new teams eager to make their mark on the international stage. For the first time, teams like the Philippines, Vietnam, Morocco, Zambia, Haiti, Portugal, and Panama will have a chance to prove themselves against the world's best.
The tournament will not only serve as a platform for showcasing the skills and talents of the world's top female footballers but will also provide an opportunity to promote and advance the status of women's football globally. With the tournament now expanded to 32 teams, this edition of the Women's World Cup represents a significant step forward in the development of the women's game.
How to Bet on the 2023 Women’s World Cup
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