With just a few weeks to the start of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, there are eight groups in the event for the first time in history.
There are some tantalizing fixtures to look forward to early in the tournament before the draining experience of the knockout stages.
The Super Falcons have progressed twice from the group stage in the eight editions they have participated in and finished last on five occasions.
Randy Waldrum’s ladies won’t find it easy again after they were drawn alongside co-host Australia, Olympics champions Canada and the Republic of Ireland.
Making it out of the group will be challenging for all teams. Soccernet.ng analyzes the Nigeria Super Falcons’ group opponents and their chances of progression to the knockout stage.
However, this can tell why the ladies need to be at their best to give themselves a chance to make an impact this year.
Canada
Currently, ranked 7th globally, the Canadian women’s team is a household team when talking about women’s football on the global stage. They are making their 8th appearance for the North and Central America continent, after qualifying for every edition since their debut in 1995. They finished fourth in 2003 as their best result and would be vying to go better this year after a disappointing exit in the round-of-16 four years ago.
Their image as one of the best countries in women’s football was evidenced in the last Olympics, where they beat the likes of the USA and Sweden to win the gold medal.
Cristine Sinclair, the all-time goalscorer with 190 goals in international football, is in their squad, and she’s one of the players that can cause issues for the Falcons in the first game.
Australia
The co-host of the 2023 edition, Australia, are by no means a pushover in world football. They earned the right to participate as one of the host countries.
Australia are also making their eighth appearance, and their best result is the quarterfinal.
Currently ranked 10th in the world, they have Samantha Kerr, one of the best players in the world, to help them cause problems for the Falcons.
Republic of Ireland
The only debutant in this group is the Republic of Ireland, who are a newcomer in women’s football, as evidenced by their first appearance this year.
Currently, ranked 22nd in the world and one of Europe’s representatives. Ireland secured their passage to the tournament through the European qualification path.
They have some good players in their squad who could cause trouble for the Super Falcons, and one of them is Arsenal’s Kate Mccabe.
There is no doubt the Falcons will face a stern test in the World Cup, starting with their first game against Canada on July 21st, but the Falcons are used to rising to the occasion and ready to do the country proud.
