Fifa’s logic has always been that more football equals better football, and so for the first time the Women’s World Cup welcomes 32 teams rather than 24 for the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand.
For England, it means an unexpectedly varied Group D which begins with tournament debutants Haiti and ends with 1999 finalists China, sandwiched by Denmark’s return to the big stage for the first time since 2007.
At first glance, it ought to be a more straightforward path to the last 16 than in 2019, when England had to navigate Scotland, Argentina and Japan in their group on their way to the semi-finals.
The Lionesses’ build-up has been anything but plain sailing, though, with injuries to Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby, as well as the end of a 30-match unbeaten run under Sarina Wiegman, threatening to dampen the optimism heading into England’s biggest test since becoming European champions last summer.
Here’s who they face.
Haiti
Saturday 22 July – England vs Haiti, 10.30am (ITV or ITVX)
Unsurprisingly, Wiegman has refused to talk down the world’s 53rd-ranked nation. “They have a team that’s very athletic, very opportunistic, transitional and unpredictable”, said the England head coach.
Haiti do not just have to defy the odds, as the fourth-lowest rated team Down Under – they are battling years of national tragedy, culminated in a cycle of devastation following two major earthquakes.
The team has even been moved to the Dominican Republic due to safety concerns – and amidst all that, still they continue to rise. Their World Cup debut is no accident; in a string of upsets they have beaten Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras to get here.
Players to watch: Melchie Dumornay is undoubtedly the nation’s poster girl, recently completing a move to Lyon that is significant for her country as it is for her as an individual. Elsewhere, Kerly Theus is the most unconventional goalkeeper you will find at this World Cup, standing at just 5ft 4.
Denmark
Friday 28 July – England vs Denmark, 9.30am (BBC or iPlayer)
Ever-treading a tightrope between dark horses and disappointment, Denmark have been sorely missed at recent World Cups.
Their failure to qualify for 2019 was a huge shock after they had made the European Championship final two years earlier, but it came amid an ongoing pay dispute that saw the Danes withdraw from several matches in the build-up, including qualifiers.
This will be a final goodbye for manager Lars Sondergaard, who will be hoping to avoid another underwhelming showing like in 2022, when Denmark scored just one goal and crashed out of the Euros at the group stages.
Players to watch: It is a new era for Pernille Harder at club level as she leaves Chelsea after a successful sting which saw her win seven major trophies. She joins Bayern Munich this summer alongside partner Magda Eriksson, but nothing has changed at international level. Denmark are dependent on her for goals, while at the other end their hopes rest on Stine Ballisager Pedersen.
China
Tuesday 1 August – China vs England, 12pm (ITV or ITVX)
Perhaps the trajectory of China’s women’s team might have been different had its sliding doors moment in 1999 gone the other way, losing out to the USA on penalties in the World Cup final of that year. Shui Qingxia, one of their pre-eminent midfielders of that eras, is now in the dugout.
Whereas the men’s Chinese Super League sought to attract the world’s most high-profile stars to the Far East, the women’s side is an exports business – operating with some success, Li Mengwen and Yang Lina both loaned to Paris Saint-Germain until recently. The vast majority of the squad are nevertheless representing the Super League Women.
They head into the World Cup looking to better their run to the last 16 in 2019, and buoyed by their Asia Cup triumph – though they were humbled at the last Olympics in 2021 when they finished bottom of their group after being hit for eight by the Netherlands.
Players to watch: Versatile forward Wang Shanshan was the star of their Asia Cup win in 2022, while Wu Chengshu is arguably their most technically gifted player and is something of a local hero after signing for Canberra United.
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