WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Countdown to Women’s World Cup: Debutants come with surprises up their sleeves
Eight teams will play their first Women’s World Cup when the expanded tournament kicks off next week and a couple of recent shock results indicate that they might not just be in Australia and New Zealand to make up the numbers.
Critics of the expansion from 24 to 32 teams raised concerns that inexperienced newcomers might be trampled beneath the feet of the traditional powerhouses from Europe and North America.
Zambia, however, showed that no team should be underestimated last week when the World Cup first-timers shocked twice world champions Germany 3-2 in a pre-tournament friendly.
Zambia striker Barbra Banda grabbed a brace, including the winner deep into stoppage time, after making a pre-match pledge that her 77th-ranked side could make inroads Down Under.
“It’s a dream come true so I need to showcase my talent there,” the captain told reporters.
“We have set a target of progressing to the next round and do well there and maybe go all the way to the finals.”
Zambia, who open their campaign against 2011 winners Japan on July 22, will be joined at the tournament by fellow newcomers Haiti, Ireland, Morocco, the Philippines, Portugal, Panama and Vietnam, compared to just four first-timers seen in 2019.
“There most likely will be some lopsided scorelines just given the fact that some of these teams have not been able to be on the world stage or be in an environment like this,” said retired U.S. great Carli Lloyd.
The Fox Sports analyst nonetheless predicted the tournament would be “the biggest, best and most competitive World Cup to date”.
“It’s just amazing – a team like Ireland being able to come in and play in their first World Cup and Vietnam and Portugal even,” she told Reuters. “The expanded field is going to be great.”
The 21st-ranked Portuguese are the highest ranked among the newcomers and earlier this month held the European champions England to a goalless draw.
“I think anyone can beat anyone on any day,” said England defender Jess Carter.
“I think obviously we are constantly improving but the quality of international teams now is just getting better and better.
“The World Cup is so open for so many teams to go and win. Everyone wants to be challenging for the same thing.”
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Portugal face a big test in their opener against 2019 losing finalists the Netherlands, while England play newcomers Haiti in their first match.
Haiti’s goalkeeper Kerly Theus hopes their debut can inspire the next generation and put her country on the map for the world’s most popular sport.
“I’ve been to tournaments where people said ‘Haiti? What’s that?’” she told the BBC. “We want the world to know about Haiti and the talent we have.
“Oh, and we want to get past the group stage.”
Ireland, a dark horse that analysts are keeping an eye on, suffered a scare after captain Katie McCabe rolled her ankle during a friendly against France two weeks before their debut campaign.
The Irish begin the tournament against Australia’s Matildas next Thursday and will be out to crash the co-host’s opening party.
After reigning champions the United States beat Wales 2-0 in their farewell match on Sunday, coach Vlatko Andonovski said that the top-ranked teams could not afford to take any side for granted.
“The top ten have always been there. The world that is catching up is Wales, is Vietnam, is Zambia, Portugal,” he told reporters.
“You know, the 7-0, 8-0 games are gone and we can see that. I mean, Germany plays against Zambia (and) loses 3-2. Those games are going to happen.”
The Americans had not been held goalless in the first half since January but were utterly flummoxed against 30th-ranked Wales before finally breaking through late into the affair.
While Wales did not qualify for the quadrennial tournament, the lower-ranked squad had sent a message to any of the favourites in Australia and New Zealand.
“No game is going to be easy,” said Andonovski. “It doesn’t matter who is in front of us.”
-Reuters
Spain thrashed England 4-0 to move a step closer to automatic qualification for next year’s Women’s World Cup finals, with Germany booking their spot thanks to a comfortable 2-0 home win over Norway in the penultimate round of European qualifiers on Friday.
With the top teams from each of the four A groups qualifying automatically, Germany’s win gave them an unassailable four-point lead over Norway in Group A4 with one game left, while Spain and England are both locked on 12 points at the top of Group A3.
England’s hopes of securing a spot with a win in Mallorca were quickly snuffed out, with Patri Guijarro giving the Spaniards the lead in the 19th minute and Alexia Putellas making it 2-0 before the break.
There appeared to be nothing England could do to stop the Spanish juggernaut, with Putellas adding a second goal 10 minutes after the break and Claudio Pina putting the icing on the cake with a goal from a superb pass by Aitana Bonmati to make it 4-0.
England retain a chance of qualifying directly, but they will have to get a better result when they host Ukraine next Tuesday than Spain manage in their final fixture away to Iceland.
There was late drama in Group A2 as Ireland’s Amber Barrett netted a 90th-minute goal to snatch a 3-2 home win over the Netherlands to move above the Dutch and into second place in the group, one point behind leaders France, who beat Poland 2-0.
The Irish play France in their final game in Grenoble, with the Dutch taking on Poland at home.
Earlier, Pernille Harder came off the bench and scored the winner for Denmark as they downed neighbours Sweden 2-1 to end the Swedes’ hopes of qualifying directly.
The Danes top Group A1 on 11 points ahead of their final game against bottom side Serbia, while second-placed Italy, who are three points behind the leaders, next host Sweden.
-Reuters
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s Falconets have been handed a challenging but promising draw for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after they were placed in Group F alongside former champions Spain, China PR and debutants New Caledonia.
The draw for the 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup was conducted in Lodz on Thursday, setting the stage for the tournament scheduled to run from 5 to 27 September across four Polish cities.
Nigeria, one of Africa’s most successful teams at the competition, will face a stern opening-round test against European powerhouse Spain, which won the title in Costa Rica in 2022. China PR also brings a considerable pedigree to the group, while New Caledonia will be making their maiden appearance at the global finals.
The Falconets will be hoping to improve on their performance at the last edition and rekindle memories of their best outings, when they reached the final in 2010 and 2014.
Hosts Poland headline Group A alongside Argentina, Benin and Mexico, while defending champions Korea DPR begin their title defence in Group E against Colombia, Costa Rica and Portugal.
Other intriguing group-stage fixtures include Brazil, England, Canada and Tanzania in Group B, while France, Korea Republic, Ghana and Ecuador make up Group C. Group D features former champions Japan and USA alongside New Zealand and Italy.
The full draw is as follows:
- Group A: Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Benin
- Group B: Brazil, England, Canada, Tanzania
- Group C: France, Korea Republic, Ghana, Ecuador
- Group D: Japan, USA, New Zealand, Italy
- Group E: Korea DPR, Colombia, Costa Rica, Portugal
- Group F: Spain, Nigeria, China PR, New Caledonia
The tournament will mark Poland’s first major global women’s football event, with matches to be played in Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Lodz and Sosnowiec.
Six nations — Benin, Ecuador, New Caledonia, Poland, Portugal and Tanzania — will make their debut appearances, while Korea DPR and the USA are both chasing a record fourth title.
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Nigeria’s Falconets will discover their opponents for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup when the official draw is conducted in Łódź, Poland, on May 15, as preparations intensify for another campaign on the global stage.
The draw ceremony, confirmed by football’s world governing body, FIFA, will take place in one of the tournament’s host cities and will be broadcast live worldwide on FIFA+, YouTube and TikTok.
Nigeria, one of the most successful nations in the history of the competition, heads into the draw with renewed ambition after securing qualification for the tournament, which will run from September 5 to 27 across the Polish cities of Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Łódź and Sosnowiec.
The Falconets remain one of Africa’s strongest representatives at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having reached the final twice in the competition’s history. The Nigerian side will now await the outcome of the draw to know their group-stage opponents among the 24 qualified teams expected to battle for the title.
Former Polish international and current women’s national team coach Nina Patalon and French football legend Laura Georges will participate in the ceremony, underscoring the growing profile of women’s football globally.
Speaking ahead of the event, Patalon described the draw as a defining moment for both participating teams and supporters.
“The draw always brings a special sense of excitement, as it is the moment when the competition truly starts to feel real for both the teams and the fans,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of hosting the tournament in Poland, noting that it could inspire more young girls to embrace football and further accelerate the development of the women’s game in the country.
The 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is expected to showcase some of the brightest emerging talents in women’s football, with Nigeria’s Falconets aiming to make another strong impression on the world stage
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