On the road to the Women's World Cup 2023: Group A
The fight for the main trophy will begin on July 20.
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Photo source: Maja Hitij / Gettyimages
Just over a week to go until the start of the main event of the quadrennium in women's soccer - the World Cup. It will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20.
"The future is female, thank you to the fans for supporting what will be the greatest women's World Cup in soccer. The momentum is building in the host countries and around the world and I look forward to seeing the stars of women's soccer shine on the world stage," FIFA President Gianni Infantino expects a lot from the upcoming tournament.
Thirty-two teams will compete for the tournament's top medals. This is the first time such a number of teams will play at the championship. The national teams are divided into eight groups - we will tell you about each group.
In group "A" will play representatives of New Zealand, Norway, Philippines and Switzerland.
New Zealand national team
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Photo source: Stanley Chou / Gettyimages
The New Zealand women's soccer team did not qualify - the team earned a spot in the tournament as the host nation of the Mundial. The team's best results were getting to the group stage - this happened in 1991, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.
The best female soccer player on the national team is midfielder Betsy Hassett. She now plays in her native country for Wellington Phoenix, but she has made appearances for Germany's Zand, England's Manchester City, and the Netherlands' Ajax.
Norway national team
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Photo source: Trond Tandberg / Gettyimages
The Norwegians won Group F in qualification, where they faced Belgium, Poland, Albania, Kosovo and Armenia.
The best result of the Norwegian national team at the mundial was the championship in 1995.
Defender Maren Mjelde, 33, has been playing for Chelsea London since 2016. With the Blues, she won several titles, including the Super League and the FA Cup. With the national team she won bronze at Euro 2009 and silver at the same tournament in 2013.
Philippines national team
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Photo source: Maja Hitij / Gettyimages
This team is a World Cup debutant. Players from the Pacific region won the Women's Asian Cup in 2022, which helped them qualify for the tournament.
Players of the Philippine national team play for clubs not only in their country. They can be seen in the United States, Australia, and Sweden. Striker Quinley Quesada, one of the most effective players of the national team, plays for Belgrade "Crvena Zvezda". In 2021, together with the Philippine national team, she finished third at the Southeast Asian Games.
Swiss national team
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Photo source: Ozan Kose - Pool / Gettyimages
The Swiss women qualified for the tournament through the playoff stage of the qualification round. The nine teams that finished second in the qualifying groups participated. The Swiss national team was one of the top three teams with the best results, so entered the final playoff round to fight for a place in the tournament. Having beaten the Welsh national team 2-1, the players earned the right to play in Australia and New Zealand. The Swiss women missed out on the last tournament, which was held in 2019.
One of the leaders of the national team is 37-year-old goalkeeper Gael Telman. She plays for Spain's Real Betis. Became champion of Germany, Spain, winner of the Swiss Cup, Germany, twice won the Italian Super Cup.
Group stage schedule:
July 20.
New Zealand - Norway
July 21
Philippines - Switzerland
July 25
New Zealand - Philippines
Norway - Switzerland
July 30
New Zealand - Switzerland
Norway - Philippines