Fansided

Women’s World Cup 2023 predictions: Picking every country to advance to knockout stages

By Caden Charpentier

SAN JOSE, CA - JULY 9: Alex Morgan #13 and Lindsey Horan #10 of USA during a send-off celebration after an international friendly game between Wales and USWNT at PayPal Park on July 9, 2023 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Bob Drebin/ISI Photos/Getty Images).
SAN JOSE, CA - JULY 9: Alex Morgan #13 and Lindsey Horan #10 of USA during a send-off celebration after an international friendly game between Wales and USWNT at PayPal Park on July 9, 2023 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Bob Drebin/ISI Photos/Getty Images). /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Denmark’s Pernille Harder and Spain’s Ivana Andres vie for the ball during the friendly international match between Denmark and Spain at Gladsaxe Stadium on July 5, 2023, ahead of the upcoming women’s World Cup. (Photo by Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by LISELOTTE SABROE/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
Denmark’s Pernille Harder and Spain’s Ivana Andres vie for the ball during the friendly international match between Denmark and Spain at Gladsaxe Stadium on July 5, 2023, ahead of the upcoming women’s World Cup. (Photo by Liselotte Sabroe / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by LISELOTTE SABROE/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images) /

Groups C and D 2023 Women’s World Cup predictions

Group C: Costa Rica, Japan, Spain, Zambia

With Spain still under a whole lot of turmoil off the pitch, cruising past the opposition in Group C may not be as straightforward as it could be. The controversial Jorge Vilda is still at the helm for his second World Cup as the manager of the Spanish national team. La Roja has won just one game all-time at the Women’s World Cup, and are coming off a quarterfinal elimination last summer in England. Even with the obvious absences, Alexia Putellas is back in the midfield accompanied by Salma Paralluelo among others in the attacking third of the pitch. The European side recently competed against Japan back in November where Alba Redondo scored the winner in the first eight minutes.

The Japanese have competed against the Spanish four times in the past with the European outfit winning three of those contests. The Asian side is by far the most decorated team in this group, having won the World Cup back in 2011.

Zambia, and Costa Rica are two wild cards that have combined for one total World Cup appearance. The Copper Queens have challenged themselves against three talented European sides ahead of the tournament down under. They drew Switzerland, and shocked the Germans on their home soil in early July. Las Ticas and Zambia are sides that can challenge the frontrunners in Group C, but on the world stage, the soccer powerhouses should pull through in this case.

Nations to advance: Spain, Japan 

Group D: Denmark, China, England, Haiti

Group D arguably has some of the best all-around individual talents of any group in this World Cup. Even the teams that are not the favorites to come out of this group of four have world-class talents.

Youngster Melchie Dumornay is the sparkplug for Haiti while Wang Shuang and Wang Shanshan run the show for the Chinese. Those two nations don’t have the recent success of the English, but exciting players like that make those contests ones fans do not want to miss.

Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses are strong favorites to win this group with Pernille Harder’s Denmark a tough challenger right behind them. Haiti is just content to be there given its remarkable story to the World Cup. While the Steel Roses have history in this competition, their opponents in Asia on a regular basis do not match up with the likes of the two European outfits within this group.

Nations to advance: England, Denmark