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Women’s World Cup 2023: 5 favorites to win it all down under

By Caden Charpentier

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 06: Chloe Kelly and Leah Williamson of England celebrate victory after the Women´s Finalissima 2023 match between England and Brazil at Wembley Stadium on April 06, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 06: Chloe Kelly and Leah Williamson of England celebrate victory after the Women´s Finalissima 2023 match between England and Brazil at Wembley Stadium on April 06, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) /
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France’s head coach Herve Renard gestures during the women’s international friendly football match between France and Canada at the Marie Marvingt Stadium, in Le Mans, northwestern France, on April 11, 2023. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
France’s head coach Herve Renard gestures during the women’s international friendly football match between France and Canada at the Marie Marvingt Stadium, in Le Mans, northwestern France, on April 11, 2023. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images) /

4. France

Manager: Herve Renard

FIFA World Ranking: No. 5

Similar to the Spanish national team, the French have been going through their fair share of off-the-pitch issues. In early March of this year, the French Football Federation sacked manager Corinne Diacre who has been at the helm of the national team since 2017. Some of the team’s most talented players including Kadidiatou Diani, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, and most prominently captain Wendie Renard publicly stated they would no longer play for the team if there is no change within the current system.

The federation took action, unlike the Spanish, promoting former Saudi Arabian men’s national team manager Herve Renard into the head coaching position months before the World Cup. Wait, remember him? Yes, it is the same man. After competing in Qatar with Saudi Arabia and leading the only team to beat the eventual champions, Renard now has another large task in front of him. The team has not finished higher than fourth in the competition, failing to make it out of the quarterfinals in each of the last two World Cups.

The manager on the sideline should give this team an edge and confidence going into Australia and New Zealand. Whether it is all-time leading scorer Eugénie Le Sommer, or the threat of Grace Geyoro, and Kenza Dali in the midfield, Les Bleues should be looked at as one of the teams to beat. Bringing in a new manager this close to the World Cup has to be challenging, but with that comes the return of some of France’s top talent.