4 minutes Australia and New Zealand have been selected as co-hosts of next month’s World Cup, with some of sport’s most iconic venues to play host to the 64 matches throughout the competition.
We’re now just five weeks away from the start of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and excitement is starting to build ahead of what promises to be a thrilling tournament. As the women’s game continues to flourish, the newly-expanded competition will now feature 32 nations compared to the modest total of 24 nations that took place in the 2019 tournament. Furthermore, the prize money has been doubled compared to the last World Cup.
Australia and New Zealand have been selected as co-hosts of next month’s World Cup, with some of sport’s most iconic venues to play host to the 64 matches throughout the competition. The opening match will see joint-hosts, New Zealand take on 1995 World Cup winners, Norway at Eden Park on July 20th. Exactly one month later, the Sydney Olympic Stadium will host the World Cup final. Ahead of the start of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, here at betting.bet we will provide an insight into the competition, offering expert betting tips, match odds and free bet offers, all courtesy of our betting partners at Coral.
FIFA Women’s World Cup history
This year’s World Cup is the ninth edition of the tournament with the first official women’s World Cup staged in China in 1991. The USA have been the dominant nation throughout the competition’s history, winning four of the eight previous World Cups. Norway, Germany (twice) and Japan are also previous World Cup winners.
One Last World Cup for USA Legends
2023 could be the last time we see the likes of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan at the World Cup. However, Rapinoe has been handed a late injury scare after the 37-year-old limped out of OL Reign’s 2-1 win over Kansas City Current with what looked like a calf injury.
Alex Morgan heads to Australia and New Zealand boasting an incredible record of 121 goals in 206 matches for the USWNT, including nine World Cup goals. Another successful tournament in front of goal would see Morgan move comfortably into the top five for Women’s World Cup goals. At the age of 33, this could be her last appearance on the biggest stage.
At the other end of the career scale, there is plenty of excitement around 21-year-old Washington Spirit forward, Trinity Rodman. The daughter of legendary basketball player, Dennis Rodman could enjoy a breakthrough tournament this summer having impressed since bursting onto the scene as the youngest-ever drafted player in the NWSL.
Challengers to the USA’s Crown
USA were crowned Women’s World Cup winners in both 2015 and 2019 and are the bookies’ red-hot favourites to claim a third consecutive Women’s World Cup title. The USA’s coveted ‘three-peat’ is a real possibility but there are several other nations in with an excellent chance of glory. England’s Lionesses were crowned champions of Europe last year when winning the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Championship. England are likely to pose the biggest threat to the USA’s hopes, but their preparation for the upcoming World Cup has been far from ideal.
Injury Crisis for the Lionesses
No fewer than five members of the Lionesses’ successful European Women’s Championship squad will be missing down under next month. Record goal scorer, Ellen White and 161-cap midfielder Jill Scott retired following their European triumph, whilst the squad has been hit by injuries to several key players.
Beth Mead won both the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament awards at the Euros last year but has failed to recover from a serious ACL injury sustained last November. Captain, Leah Williamson suffered a similar fate less than two months ago as she suffered an ACL injury whilst playing for Arsenal in April. Fran Kirby will also miss the World Cup with the Chelsea forward missing since injuring her knee in a Continental Cup win over West Ham in early February.
Spain are also well-supported in the outright betting and at 6/1 they look excellent value. Spain arrive down under boosted by the return to fitness of their talismanic midfielder, Alexia Putellas. The Barcelona captain was recently awarded the Best FIFA Women’s Player for the second successive year and will be instrumental in Spain’s chances of going deep into next month’s tournament. Since losing to England in their Euro 2022 quarter-final, Spain have lost just once in eleven matches and booked their place at the World Cup with a 100% record in qualification. Jennifer Hermoso will lead the line for Spain.
FIFA Women’s World Cup Odds
- 11/4: USA
- 7/2: England
- 6/1: Spain
- 13/2: Germany
- 10/1: Australia, France
- 14/1: Sweden
- 18/1: Netherlands
- 25/1: Japan
- 28/1: Brazil
- 33/1: Canada
- 50/1: Korea Republic, Norway
- 66/1: China, Denmark, Italy
- 80/1: New Zealand
- 100/1: Portugal
- 125/1: Colombia
- 150/1: Argentina, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland
- 250/1: Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Nigeria, South Africa
- 300/1: Morocco, Panama
- 500/1: Philippines, Vietnam, Zambia
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