The long-anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup started this June in France. This is the eighth edition of the World Cup for ladies, and there are 24 teams from six different confederations that will compete against each other until the big final that is scheduled for July 7th.
At the moment of writing this article, the group stage is well underway, and some teams already booked their ticket to the knockout stage. Nevertheless, there haven’t been that many upsets so far, and all of the top favourites are still there.
That brings us to the big question – who has the most chances to lift the trophy and become the new football world champion?
We chose several top teams that have the best chances according to analysts and betting sites’ predictions, and here is what we came up with. Read on!
The United States of America
The United States is the most successful nation in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. They won the title three times, including the first World Cup in 1991, as well as the last one which was held four years ago. Not only does the US have the most titles, but they also finished in the top three on all seven tournaments thus far.
The USA is the team to beat again this summer, and they are by far the biggest favourites alongside the hosts France. The United States women’s national team is currently riding on a 10 game winning streak, and they even opened up this year’s competition with a convincing victory over Thailand 13:0.
They are also in the group with Sweden and Chile, and neither of those two teams is likely to stop them from securing the first place. Even the sportsbooks give the team USA the best odds to win the tournament.
The biggest stars of the team are Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Allie Long. The veteran forward and co-captain Carli Lloyd is in the squad as well.
France
France is hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time, and the ladies are looking to repeat what the men’s team did a year ago. France never finished in the top three before, and they only reached the semifinals once, eight years ago in Germany.
Football analysts are putting France as the second favourite right after the United States. They are placed in group A alongside Norway, South Korea, and Nigeria. The team had the odds of 7/2 to win the competition before the group stage started, but after they secured a place in the knockout stage, their chances are even better.
The two best players Corrine Diacre can count on are the vice-captain Eugénie Le Sommer and Gaëtane Thiney, who have scored the most goals for the national team thus far. The trouble for France, however, is the fact that they might face the United States in the quarterfinal.
Germany
Many consider Germany to be the third best team at this year’s World Cup. While the men’s sides had an embarrassing performance just a year ago, the women’s team is looking fairly decent at the start of the tournament. Germany were back-to-back champions in 2003 and 2007, but they failed to reach the final in the last two World Cups.
They avoided being drawn in a group with any of the other big names, as they only have to face Spain, China, and South Africa, none of which are considered favourites by any stretch. Right now, Germany is given the odds of 7/1 to win the competition.
England
There are plenty of expectations from Phil Neville’s squad to go far at this year’s tournament. England’s women’s national team had the biggest success at the last tournament when they beat Germany in the third-place match in overtime.
England is placed in one of the most exciting groups of the cup. Namely, they will have to overcome some solid opponents like Scotland, Argentina, and Japan, before being able to book their place in the knockout stage.
The confidence of the squad is at an all-time high, as they managed to beat team USA at the SheBelieves Cup this year and lifted the trophy.
Japan
Finalists from four years ago and champions in 2011, Japan is always shooting for the highest goal at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This time around it will be no different for the Japanese ladies, as they have a strong boost of confidence after winning the Women’s Asian Cup last year.
Japan will play in group D against Scotland and Argentina, before facing England in round three in a match that is likely to decide the winner of this group.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands almost seem to do well in the European championships, where they’ve reached the final for three straight times and finally won in 2017. However, they are yet to make their mark in the World Cup, and it will be fairly difficult considering how well the teams we mentioned above are playing.
The Dutch ladies are placed in group E with Canada, Cameroon, and New Zealand.
