Women’s World Cup analysis: Groups G and H
Here’s a breakdown of the four teams comprising each Groups G and H in the Women’s World Cup, which starts late Wednesday night PT.
GROUP G
SWEDEN
Previous World Cup appearances: 8
World Cup record: 23-5-12
Best finish: Runner-up in 2003
Coach: Peter Gerhardsson
Key players: Stina Blackstenius, Kosovare Asllani, Caroline Seger
What to know: Sweden is a highly experienced team, led by team captain Caroline Seger with 233 appearances. Kosovare Asllani and Stina Blackstenius are the primary scorers for Sweden. Asllani has 44 goals in 170 international appearances, while Blackstenius has 28 goals in 88 appearances. Sweden won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, falling in the final to Canada. Sweden has never lost to South Africa in the four games between the two countries, with three wins and a draw. Against Italy, the Swedes are 3-2-1. Sweden has only played Argentina once, which resulted in a 1-0 victory in 2008.
SOUTH AFRICA
Previous World Cup appearances: 1
World Cup record: 0-3-0
Best finish: Group Stage in 2019
Coach: Desiree Ellis
Key players: Hildah Magaia, Jermaine Seoposenwe, Thembi Kgatlana
What to know: South Africa won the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with a 2-1 victory over Morocco. But the team has won only three of its subsequent nine matches. The South Africans have only participated in only one other World Cup, in 2019, and are still searching for their first win at the tournament. They are led by longtime Coach Desiree Ellis, a former national team player who led the team to the World Cup four years ago and several Cup of Nations finals. This will be the first meeting for South Africa with Sweden, Argentina and Italy.
ITALY
Previous World Cup appearances: 3
World Cup record: 6-5-1
Best finish: Quarterfinals in 1991 and 2019.
Coach: Milena Bertolini
Key players: Cristiana Girelli, Barbara Bonansea, Arianna Caruso
What to know: Italy made a run to the quarterfinals at the 2019 World Cup, but Le Azzurre has since faltered. The Italian women went winless at Euro 2022 and lost two of three in the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup. Italy must strike a balance between prominent names from the 2019 World Cup run and younger talents. Cristiana Girelli scored a hat trick in the group stage in 2019 against Jamaica. Arianna Caruso, 23, became the youngest woman to reach 100 appearances with Juventus and debuted with Le Azzurre immediately following the last World Cup. Italy has a 1-2-1 all-time record against Sweden. It will face South Africa and Argentina for the first time.
ARGENTINA
Previous World Cup appearances: 4
World Cup record: 0-7-2
Best finish: Group Stage in 2003, 2007 and 2019
Coach: Germán Portanova
Key players: Estefania Banini, Vaina Correa, Yamila Rodriguez
What to know: The appointment of Germán Portanova as coach in 2021 allowed for the return of Estefania Banini, who was among the players who declined call-ups under the previous coach, Carlos Borrello. Banini and Yamila Rodriguez guided their team to a third-place finish at the 2022 Copa America. Rodriguez finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with six goals. Argentina’s best World Cup showing was in 2019 when it held former champion Japan to a 0-0 draw and clinched a 3-3 draw against Scotland with a 94th-minute equalizer. Goalkeeper Vanina Correa, 39, will be among the oldest players at the World Cup. In their only meeting, Sweden beat Argentina 1-0 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This will be its first match against South Africa and its first time playing Italy.
GROUP H
GERMANY
Previous World Cup appearances: 8
World Cup record: 30-9-5
Best finish: Champion in 2003 and 2007
Coach: Martina Voss-Tecklenburg
Key players: Alexandra Popp, Lena Oberdorf, Kathrin Hendrich
What to know: The German national team comes into the tournament ranked No. 2 in the world. The Germans are the only team besides the United States to win more than one World Cup title. Germany won the 2016 Olympic gold medal, defeating Sweden in the final. Germany lost to England, 2-1 in extra time, in the Euro 2022 final and was knocked out of the 2019 World Cup quarterfinals by Sweden. Alexandra Popp missed the Euro 2022 final after a muscle injury in the warm-ups. Germany has not faced Colombia, Morocco or South Korea before.
MOROCCO
Previous World Cup appearances: 0
World Cup record: 0-0
Best finish: N/A
Coach: Reynald Pedros
Key players: Ghizlane Chebbak, Rosella Ayane, Fatima Tagnaout
What to know: Morocco became the first Arab nation to qualify for the Women’s World Cup last year by beating three-time defending Women’s African Cup of Nations champion Nigeria in the WAFCON semifinals. Morocco hosted the tournament, defeating Nigeria in a penalty shootout in front of 45,562 spectators. Captain Ghizlane Chebbak was the 2022 WAFCON Player of the Tournament and has scored 21 goals in 56 appearances. Forward Rosella Ayane, with nine goals in 19 matches, is the team’s only player in the Women’s Super League. Morocco has never before played any of its group opponents.
COLOMBIA
Previous World Cup appearances: 2
World Cup record: 1-4-2
Best finish: Round of 16 in 2015
Coach: Nelson Abadía
Key players: Catalina Usme, Daniela Montoya, Linda Caicedo
What to know: Colombia is often overlooked in favor of neighbors Brazil and Argentina. But in the 2022 Copa América Femenina, Colombia went 4-0-0 in the group stage and finished with a plus-10 goal differential. Colombia beat the Argentines, 1-0, in the semifinals before losing to Brazil, 1-0. Caicedo, only 17 at the time, won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s top player. In 2015, Colombia beat France, 2-0, in the group stage, making it the first Spanish-speaking country to win a match at a Women’s World Cup. Colombia has never played any of its group-stage opponents in a World Cup match.
SOUTH KOREA
Previous World Cup appearances: 3
World Cup record: 1-8-1
Best finish: Round of 16 in 2015
Coach: Collin Bell
Key players: Ji So-yun, Lee Geum-min, Cho So-hyun
What to know: South Korea has struggled in its three World Cup appearances, with its only victory a 2-1 win against Spain in 2015. In 2019, South Korea was outscored 8-1 in the group stage, with the lone goal coming from Yeo Min-ji. Ji So-yun is first all-time on South Korea’s scoring list, with 66 goals during her 17-year tenure. The first South Korean to play in the Women’s Super League, she helped Chelsea win five WSL titles. Collin Bell, the team’s first foreign coach, took over in 2019 and led South Korea to a best-ever, runner-up finish at the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup. This will be South Korea’s first time playing Colombia, Germany and Morocco on any stage.