African quartet land in tough 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup groups
The four African nations at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup have landed in tough groups at the tournament with nine-time African champions Nigeria pitted against host nation Australia, while reigning champions South Africa will play 2003 runners-up Sweden.
2022 African bronze winners and COSAFA champions Zambia will take on 2011 world champions Japan in Group C with Morocco drawn in Group H to play two-time world champions Germany.
Africa’s biggest favourites to advance will be Nigeria, who have featured at every edition of the tournament, as they will play Australia, Republic of Ireland, and reigning Olympic gold winners Canada.
The Super Falcons, will be led by captain Onome Ebi of Spain’s Levante Las Palnas, at 40, for her sixth record-extending African appearance and star forward Asisat Oshoala of Barcelona, having won a record fifth African Women’s Player of the Year in July 2022.
Banyana Banyana, who won their first African title in the recent TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, will face tricky opponents in Group G as they will battle Sweden, Italy and Argentina.
First-timers Zambia are in Group C to face European giants Spain, former world champions Japan and Costa Rica, while debutants Morocco slug it out with Germany, Colombia and Korea Republic in Group H.
On the other hand, Senegal and Cameroon will look to snatch two of the three playoff spots in the 10-nation tournament in February 2023 and, should they advance, will face tough oppositions in Group D, E or F.
Group D hosts European champions England, Denmark and China, and Group E got reigning world champions USA, Netherlands and Vietnam, while Group F houses France, Brazil and Jamaica.
Overall, the draw set up a global tasty clash between world title holders USA and runners up Netherlands in what will be a repeat of the 2019 Women’s World Cup final at this year’s tournament after they were put in Group E.
Another interesting tie in widely touted ‘group of death’ is in Group F where France will face South American champions Brazil in a repeat of a tightly-contested 2019 Women’s World Cup Round of 16 duel.
The draw in Auckland, New Zealand, on Saturday was attended by more than 800 guests, including at least three representatives each, from the four African nations participating in the competition along with some other African federations leaders.
The draw conducted by Carli Lloyd, a two-time Women’s World Cup winner with the USWNT also featured an African legend Geremi, as one of the draw assistants as well as Ian Wright, Brazil’s World Cup 2002 winner Gilberto Silva.
It is the first time the Women’s World Cup will be jointly hosted across two countries, in 10 match venues, with six in Australia and four in New Zealand.
The tournament will also feature 32 teams for the first time, including three expected to join from the Playoff event and will get underway on 20 July, with the final scheduled for 20 August, 2023.
Australia/New Zealand 2023 Women’s World Cup groups in full
Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
Group B: Australia, Republic of Ireland, Nigeria, Canada
Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan
Group D: England, Group B play-off winner, Denmark, China
Group E: USA, Vietnam, The Netherlands, Group A play-off winner
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Group C play-off winner
Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
Group H: Germany, Morocco, Columbia, Korea Republic
