With the FIFA Men’s World Cup coming to a close, many football fans are clamoring for more. The 2022 World Cup drew in a huge crowd, many of whom elected to stay and dig a little deeper into the sport. For those fans, the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup will certainly be a treat.
Scheduled to take place between 20 July and 20 August in 2023, the 2023 Women’s World Cup will be hosted in Australia and New Zealand, spread across 10 different cities in the two countries. Play-offs are already well underway, to determine the Groups, and quite a few of the teams have already been placed. England, for example, have been placed in Group D, and two of their rivals have already been decided.
With excitement as high as it is, and a larger portion of the world population being interested in football than ever, new bookmakers are popping up with increasing frequency, offering different odds, promotions and bonuses to would-be punters. So, in this article, we are going to go over the contestants placed in Group D and go over their chance for moving on in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
England
The English Lionesses have qualified for the 2023 FIFA World Cup, and have been placed in Group D. They will have to play against the three other teams that have qualified, and should they finish in the top 2 of the group, they will carry on to the Round of 16.
Ordinarily, the World Cup demands that a team represent a sovereign state. However, England is permitted to play as a member of the United Kingdom’s Home Nations. This factor lets the Lionesses compete in most international tournaments, except for the Women’s Olympic Football competition.
Thus far, the English team have not won a World Cup. Though they have managed to reach the quarter-finals on two occasions, place third in 2015, and fourth in the last iteration of the World Cup, which took place in 2019.
However, the World Cup is not the only measure of success. In 2022, the Lionesses’ roar was heard throughout the world, as they won the UEFA European Championship, defeating Germany in the finals. This achievement places them as one of the two undisputed favorites to win the 2022 iteration of the Women’s World Cup, alongside the US team, who have won four out of the nine Women’s World Cups.
Denmark
Denmark’s Red and White are not a huge favorite in 2023. They did not manage to qualify for the World Cup in the past three tournaments, and their track record for the Olympic Games has not been much better. In 2017, they were the runner-ups for the UEFA Women’s Championship, though they ultimately lost the match to the Netherlands.
The Danish team are not really favorites in terms of the 2023 World Cup, with many doubting that they will even qualify. However, the Red and White might just prove us all wrong. Their first match will be held on 22 July, where they will go up against England, and the odds are not in their favor.
China
The last team that we are aware will participate in Group D is China. The Steel Roses have definitely done a lot better for themselves than the Danish team. They have won 9 titles at the Asian Cup, 3 Gold medals at the Asian games, two silver Olympic medals, and they have been the runner-ups at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Certainly, one of the top ranking Asian women’s football teams, China are the current Asian Cup champions, having won the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, held in India. Though by no means a favorite to win the World Cup, they certainly have a shot, and they are certainly more likely to advance to the Round of 16 than the Danes.
Final Contestant in Group D
The final Group D contestant is yet to be determined. The Group B play-offs are still going on, and their winner will be facing off against England, Denmark and China in the World Cup. So far, the candidates for the coveted spot are Chile, Senegal, and Haiti. The Group B play-off finals will be held on 22 February. At the end of the game, we will finally have the final Group D contestant.
The Schedule
Finally, let us take a look at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup schedule for Group D. As we said before, the tournament will begin on 20 July. However, Group D will get to shine on 22 July. Starting on that day, England will face off against whoever wins the Group B play-offs. Meaning the Lionesses will either go up against the Senegal team, the Haiti team, or the Chile team. On the same day, the Red and Whites will clash with the Steel Roses. The favorites here are definitely England and China, though the outcome remains to be seen.
The second match in Group D will take place six days later, on 28 July. England will play against Denmark and China will face off against the as-of-yet unknown fourth contestant. Once more, odds are in the Lionesses favor, their morale significantly boosted by the UEFA championship title. The odds are a bit trickier for China in this match, as we need to be aware of the team to make an accurate assessment.
On 1 August, the final set of Group D matches will take place. China will clash with England, and Denmark will go against the winners of the Group B play-offs. Once this final set of matches concludes, we will know which two teams have progressed to the Round of 16.
Final Thoughts
While we can make predictions and determine odds, ultimately a lot can change when it comes to the games themselves. The outcome of a match relies just as much on revolutionary tactics, prior records, and fantastic players, as it does on luck. Still, those past statistics can help us make an educated guess about a match’s outcome. So, we hope this article has helped you catch up to anything you missed in regards to Group D and the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
