2023 Women’s World Cup: Group D Preview

Moving along the World Cup alphabet we come to Group D - the Group Of Kinda Tricky maybe. England, China, Denmark, and Haiti will all vie for a spot in the elimination matches. The Lionesses look to build on their European Championship last year while China can’t be overlooked as Asian Cup winners. Denmark is talented enough to emerge from the group while Haiti will be looking to play spoiler in their tournament debut.

Schedule (based on Eastern Time kickoffs)

July 22:

England vs. Haiti

Denmark vs. China

July 28:

England vs. Denmark

China vs. Haiti

August 1:

China vs. England

Haiti vs. Denmark

England

FIFA Ranking: 4

Recent Record: 3-3-1

England followed winning the Euros in 2022 by winning all three of their matches in the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup against Italy, Belgium, and South Korea. That was followed by a draw in regulation in the 2023 Women’s Finalissima against Brazil that the Lionesses went on to win. Otherwise, the team has a draw against Portugal and 0-2 loss to Australia along with a 0-0 draw with Canada on July 14th in an unofficial match.

Odds of Winning Group: Co-favorite

One to Watch: England lost several key players prior to the tournament to retirement and injury. The team may have trouble finding the net so Keira Walsh’s role will be that much more important. A world-class deep-lying playmaker, Walsh will be setting the tempo for England. She also has nearly 60 caps for the team and was the player of the match in the Finalissima.

China

FIFA Ranking: 14

Recent Record: 2-2-3

The Steel Roses come into the tournament looking to improve on their Round of 16 showing in the 2019 edition of the World Cup. They have amassed a mixed resume as of late having won the AFC Asian Women’s Cup last summer but have failed to beat tough opposition in 2023. The team has losses to Sweden, Spain, and Brazil along with draws with Ireland and Switzerland, their two wins have come against Russia this year.

Odds of Winning Group: Co-favorite

One to Watch:

Wang Shuang was the team’s leading scorer in the Asian Women’s Cup and will be called upon to lead the line in the tournament. She hasn’t featured much for Racing Louisville in the NWSL but is a key player with the national team.

Denmark

FIFA Ranking: 13

Recent Record: 4-0-2

Denmark enter the World Cup as a team on the rise that is talented enough to come out of the group. The team won two matches in the Tournoi de France against Norway and Uruguay but fell to hosts France. In three friendlies this year, the Red and White have beaten Sweden and Japan while losing to Spain.

Odds of Winning Group: In the Running

One to Watch: Denmark’s leading scorer and captain Pernille Harder is a key player for the team. At 30 years old, she has a wealth of experience from the U-17 World Cup to the most recent European Championship. In addition, she’s won trophies with Chelsea and will be moving to Bayern Munich next seasion.

Haiti

FIFA Ranking: 53

Recent Record: 4-0-2

Haiti began 2023 by winning two matches in the inter-confederation playoffs to qualify for the World Cup beating Senegal and Chile. That was followed by a loss to Nigeria, wins against Malta and Moldova and a loss to South Korea. While the team are not likely to win the group, they might not be far off from mixing it up from some of the bigger teams.

Odds of Winning Group: Dark Horse

One to Watch: Melchie Dumornay is just 19 but is proving to be one of the most important players for Haiti. She scored both goals in the inter-confederation playoff against Chile that sent her team to the World Cup and was selected as the top young player for the Concacaf W Championship.

Who will advance from Group D? What matches are most interesting to you? Let us know in the comments.