Best players, fixtures, route to final & more

Australia are co-hosting the 2023 Women’s World Cup looking to break new ground in the competition and go further than they ever have before – potentially all the way.

The recent precedent for lifting silverware on home soil is strong, with England landing their first major international trophy at last summer’s European Championship. But only the United States in 1999 have ever won the World Cup when also serving as hosts.

“If there is any time to do it, it’s at home, with your fans and the whole country behind you. There’s no reason why not,” BBC pundit and former England captain Steph Houghton told 90min.

“I’m not just talking about Sam Kerr. They’ve got some quality players like Caitlin Foord, who had a great season for Arsenal, Hayley Raso is absolutely rapid and always plays well for Australia. There’s no reason why [Australia can’t win it], but I do think this World Cup is going to be really competitive.”

It took Australia 10 attempts to win their first World Cup game, losing nine on the bounce and eventually getting that victory in their fourth tournament. They have been regulars in the knockout stages ever since, but actually winning knockout games has proven difficult – they’ve managed it only once, in 2015. But, like Houghton says, if there is a time to do it, it is now.

Women’s World Cup

OFC Women’s Nation Cup

AFC Women’s Asian Cup

Usually coming through the Asian qualifying route, Australia were granted automatic passage to the final as co-hosts. But they have still had some good tests over the last year or so to keep themselves at a good level, despite not actually playing competitive games.

The Matildas are the only team to have beaten England since Sarina Wiegman was appointed in 2021. They are also the only team to have beaten Spain since Euro 2022, the only team to have beaten France so far this year, while they also thrashed Sweden at the end of 2022.

Sam Kerr

Even though her WSL goal tally was a little down last season, Sam Kerr still finished the campaign with 29 in all competitions. That took her number in three full seasons with Chelsea to 89 and she was absolutely vital as the Blues won a fourth consecutive WSL title and a third straight domestic double.

As Australia’s captain and star player Kerr is the face of this World Cup – she has been a cover star on FIFA 23 all season in the build-up – and will be at the heart of thing if the Matildas do well. Her penchant for coming up with big goals in key moments will also be a huge asset.

Ellie Carpenter

Full-back Ellie Carpenter only turned 23 in April, but she is already an established star and has been playing top flight football since 2015. She made her debut in the NWSL aged 18, then joined Lyon in 2020 and was a Champions League winner in 2022.

Cruelly for Carpenter, her appearance in that European final was ended prematurely with an ACL injury. But she has been back on the pitch since February and is already in top form once again. By her own admission, the defender brings energy and smiles to the dressing room.

Caitlin Foord

Caitlin Foord is among a group of attacking players that Australian fans will hope to see contribute goals to complement Sam Kerr. The 28-year-old is coming off the back of an impressive club season with Arsenal in which she ensured that Beth Mead wasn’t missed quite as might have been.

Like a number of players in this Australia squad, Foord has been around for a long time and has grown and developed with the team. She was named Best Young Player at the 2011 tournament at the age of just 16 and has experience of winning trophies at club level.

Tony Gustavsson

Australia don’t have a World Cup-winning head coach, but they have the next best thing in Tony Gustavsson, who was an integral part of the United States staff as they won back-to-back tournaments in 2015 and 2019.

The Swede has been in charge since 2020 after a spell working in men’s football back in his homeland. He previously led Tyreso to the Women’s Champions League final in 2014 and has brought his blend of defensive solidity with direct attacking to the Australian setup.

Australia face a head-to-head battle with Olympic champions Canada to top Group B, which will then determine their route in the knockout rounds. Finishing first would likely mean a slightly easier last 16 tie against either China or Denmark, followed by a likely quarter-final against France or Brazil and then a semi-final against England or Germany. The United States are expected to be waiting in the final.

Alternatively, finishing second to Canada would throw up a clash with England sooner in the last 16, then perhaps Germany or Brazil in the quarters and maybe France or Canada in the semis.

Just how far Australia go at this World Cup will depend on how they respond to the pressure and expectation, and whether they can build enough early momentum to power them through what is likely to be an extremley tough knockout section. The outcome of an opening group game against first-time qualifiers Ireland will be an important indicator.

With a lot of the squad in their late 20s or early 30s and having been together for some time, this may be a case of now or never for Australia. It will be more straightforward if they top their group and they are capable of pulling off a big result, but the semi-finals might be where the road ends.

Prediction: Semi-finals; third place

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