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

Groups G and H 2023 Women’s World Cup predictions

Group G: Argentina, Italy, South Africa, Sweden

The Swedish have finished in the top three at three out of the last five Women’s World Cups. Getting into the knockout round in 2023 should be a smooth journey considering the pedigree among their other three Group G competitors. Italy may have bowed out of the Women’s Euros last summer in the group stage, but within the span of a year, the women’s top flight within that country has grown immensely. Every player but one on the Italian World Cup side currently plays in the Serie A Femminile.

Argentina, the third-place finishers in the 2022 Copa América Femenina are in the same boat as South Africa in this group having not won a single World Cup group stage match before. With the return of a player like Estefanía Banini, Germán Portanova’s Argentina now possess the personnel to put an end to that fact.

The 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations winners led by forward Thembi Kgatlana of Racing Louisville have been here before. Desiree Ellis’ South African side may be far better than they were in 2019, but the competition they face in order to reach this stage is not up to par with the three others in Group G. To be frank, this is Sweden’s group. No question about it. Top to bottom, Peter Gerhardsson has the best array of talent within this group. The only question that remains is if Argentina has enough to surpass an emerging Italian side?

Nations to advance: Sweden, Italy

Group H: Germany, Colombia, South Korea, Morocco

Similar to Sweden, the runners-up last summer in England should cruise through group play. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s Germany had their wake-up call against Zambia before the tournament and should be ready to tackle Group H. Not once has this country not made it out of the group stage in a Women’s World Cup, and in no way is that streak going to stop this time around.

Both the Colombian national team and the South Koreans have once made it out of this part of the competition. July 25 in the Australian capital is going to be a battle. 18-year-old Linda Caicedo has risen into the future of this Colombian national team in a blink of an eye this past year. She has a chance to take this group by storm. With Colin Bell on the sideline and Ji So-yun in the middle of the pitch for South Korea, Colombia is going to have to work to make it out of the group stage for the first time since 2015.

The final nation in Group H, the Moroccans made it into this 32-team pool by reaching the semifinals of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on their home soil. For the Moroccan women’s national football team, this will be a learning experience as it is the country’s first time at a women’s football world tournament.

Nations to advance: Germany, Colombia