Previewing the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Group H
Colombia, Germany, Morocco, South Korea
The favorite: Germany is a heavy favorite to advance and take on the runner-up in Group F, which could be Brazil or France. Germany finished as runner-up in the European Championship (2022) and has one of the most dynamic players in the entire event with striker Alexandra Popp. South Korea could be a serious contender but last escaped this stage in 2015.
Best matchup: Germany vs. Colombia. South Korea may be the second favorites, but Colombia’s squad is an intriguing one that reached a Copa America final and played admirably in a 1-0 defeat to Brazil. That kind of effort suggests at least a puncher’s chance at earning a result against the Germans. If they do so, it will throw the group expectations out the window and create potential chaos on the final day. If not, Germany may meet South Korea with both teams’ fates already sealed.
History lesson: This is the first World Cup for Morocco and the Atlas Lionesses drew a difficult group for a debut. Consistency has been a challenge, with a pair of losses in friendlies to the Czech Republic and Romania creating doubt of a massive upset in Group H.
Players to watch: Even at 32, Popp rates among the top forwards in the World Cup and scored a pair of goals in the 2022 Euros semifinal win over France. Daniela Montoya (Colombia), also 32, found the net in the 2015 World Cup match with Mexico and has pure passing ability few can match. Morocco is carried by Rosella Ayane, who opted to play for her father’s home country rather than England and scored seven goals in her first 15 matches in international play. Ji So-yun, another 32-year-old, has legend status in South Korea and international soccer with 67 career goals. She won six WSL titles in eight years with Chelsea.
Up next: There are several groups in this tournament that make the expansion to a 32-team field feel like too much, too soon, but this is not one of them. Three sides credibly have a chance to advance, and Morocco is the best of the tournament’s fourth seeds. It’s hard not to see Germany moving on, but you could envision a second-place finish. Either way, they could be in for a mouth-watering second-round match against France or Brazil that would feel more like a quarterfinal.
–Field Level Media
