From July 20th to August 20th, the ninth World Cup for women will take place in Australia and New Zealand. The German team wants to secure the cup for the third time after 2003 and 2007 and has also clearly formulated this goal. “We want to win the title,” said captain Alexandra Popp. But the competition is bigger than ever. Answers to the most important questions ahead of the opening match between New Zealand and Norway.
Who is the German team playing against?
The team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (55) starts the tournament on July 24 in Melbourne against Morocco (10.30 a.m. CEST on ZDF). The other opponents in Group H are Colombia, who are waiting for the DFB team in Sydney on Sunday, July 30 (11:30 a.m. CEST/ARD), and finally South Korea (12:00 p.m. CEST/ZDF). The favorite to win the group is the DFB-Elf, which is in second place behind the USA in the world rankings. South Korea (17th) and Colombia (25th) are likely to play for second place, World Cup debutants Morocco (72nd) are hoping for a surprise coup like in 2022 with the men who were the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinals in Qatar.
At the latest after the last group game of the German team against South Korea on August 3rd in Brisbane, it will be clear which opponent will be waiting for the European Championship runners-up if they advance in the round of 16. A duel with one of the two top teams France or Brazil is considered likely.
Who else is playing?
32 teams are taking part in this World Cup, more than at any other women’s football tournament to date. At the first World Cup tournament in 1991, which took place in China, just twelve teams played for the trophy. From 1999 in the USA, 16 took part, in Canada it was increased to 24 in 2015. So now for the next increase – which will also benefit eight World Cup debutants: Haiti, Ireland, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines, Portugal, Vietnam and Zambia. “This is a milestone for the development of many nations. I’m curious how the tournament and the level will be. We’ll have to wait and see whether there will be a lot of high results,” said DFB official Joti Chatzialexiou, sporting director for national teams.
In addition to Voss-Tecklenburg, another German head coach is taking part in the World Cup in Inka Grings. The former national player relies on the former Bundesliga professionals Ramona Bachmann, captain Lia Wälti and record player Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic in Switzerland.
Who doesn’t play?
Numerous top players will miss the tournament for various reasons, mostly due to injury. The Bayern professionals Giulia Gwinn and Linda Dallmann, who were unable to recover in time after their injuries, are missing from the DFB squad. The same applies to defender Becky Sauerbrunn, midfielder Mallory Swanson (both USA), England captain Leah Williamson or striker Beth Mead, who scored six goals for the “Lionesses” last year to the European Championship title.
