8. Canada
KENNETH HEINER-Møller’s side won two of their three group games and their only loss against the Dutch comes with the caveat that they had qualified for the knockout stages prior to the match. Their squad includes Kadeisha Buchanan — a 23-year-old defender who is a two-time Champions League winner with Lyon and scored the only goal of the game in their hard-fought win over Cameroon. The team also includes Man City attacker Janine Beckie and PSG midfielder Ashley Lawrence, though the majority of the players are North America-based. Ranked at 20/1 by the bookies, they are on the easier side of the draw, but will still probably need to beat one of the favourites, Germany, if they get past Sweden on Monday.
7. Australia
An outside bet, their team features talented forward Sam Kerr, who despite only being 25, has already played 80 times for her country and has scored five times at this tournament, including a phenomenal four-goal haul against Jamaica. The Aussies have done well to recover from a shaky start, losing 2-1 in their first match against Italy, thanks to Barbara Bonansea’s last-gasp winner. They came back from two goals down to beat Brazil but were pipped to first place in the group by the Italians, with both finishing on six points. Overcoming Norway in the knockout stages won’t be easy, while they will likely need to upset England if they reach the quarters.
6. Japan
It’s been a fairly underwhelming tournament for Japan so far. They won just one of their three group matches, beating Scotland after a disappointing opening 0-0 draw with Argentina. They lost their final group game 2-0 against England, though created enough chances in that match to earn at least a point. They have a very difficult last-16 match against Netherlands, though should Asako Takakura’s team emerge victorious, they would fancy their chances in the quarters against either Italy or China. One of their key players is 28-year-old captain Saki Kumagai, one of two non-home-based players in their squad, who has won six league titles among several other honours with Lyon in recent seasons.
5. Netherlands
The reigning European champions, the Netherlands boast a number of exceptional players, notably Vivianne Miedema, who scored twice in the win over Cameroon. Miedema is the Dutch side’s all-time top scorer, even if you include players from the men’s team. Now 22, she made her senior debut at 15 for Heerenveen and has gone from strength to strength ever since. She is coming off the back of a superb season with Arsenal, where she finished as the Super League’s top scorer, with 22 goals and 10 assists, as the Gunners won a first title since 2012. Meanwhile, Dutch team-mate and fellow Arsenal player Daniëlle van de Donk was the division’s joint-fourth top scorer, with 11 goals and six assists. For all the talent at their disposal, the Netherlands are another side who have been slow starters to an extent, requiring a last-minute goal to beat rank outsiders New Zealand, while Colin Bell’s Ireland also demonstrated they can be stopped, earning an impressive 0-0 draw against them away from home in the qualifiers.
4. England
With the likes of Steph Houghton, Jill Scott and Karen Carney — all of whom have over 100 caps — England’s squad has plenty of experience within their ranks. In recent years, more highly talented younger players have emerged, such as Man City’s Nikita Parris and Chelsea’s Fran Kirby, who have quickly established themselves among the top players in the FA Women’s Super League. The English women have never won the World Cup before, coming closest four years ago, when they finished third, and were desperately unlucky to lose 2-1 to Japan following a bizarre stoppage-time own-goal from Laura Bassett. Despite starting this year’s competition with three wins, there is a sense that Phil Neville’s side have yet to hit top form, as they edged past Scotland, Argentina and Japan. Overwhelming underdogs Cameroon await in the last 16, before a potentially tricky-looking quarter final against either Norway or Australia.
3. Germany
One of five teams to advance from the group stages with a 100% record, Germany showed why they were one of the pre-tournament favourites, with wins over China, Spain and South Africa. They are one of just four teams to have won the World Cup, with the US, Japan and Norway being the others. Significantly, their domestic league is one of the strongest in Europe, with all but two members of their squad playing there. The exceptions are two players who represent the all-conquering Lyon team that have won the last four Champions League titles on the bounce and six European crowns from the past nine years in total. 27-year-old midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsán — who came third in Uefa’s Best Player in Europe award in 2015, 2016 and 2017 as well as being nominated for the World Player of the Year award in 2016 — and 26-year-old defender Carolin Simon, who joined the French champions last year and has already helped the Germans prevail in 2008 and 2009 in the U17 Euros and 2011 in the U19 Euros. With players of that calibre available, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side are bound to be in with a decent chance.
2. France
The tournament hosts have begun in impressive fashion, winning all three of their opening matches, including a hard-fought 2-1 victory over a Ada Hegerberg-less Norwegian outfit. In 1.87m-tall centre-back Wendie Renard, they have a potent attacking weapon. The 28-year-old Lyon star already has scored three goals in the opposition net and one, unfortunately, in her own. Norway even drafted 6ft 5in press officer Terje Skeie into training in a bid to prepare for the threat of Renard. With seven Lyon stars in their squad overall, they possess several players who are accustomed to consistently winning silverware. Moreover, their coach, Corinne Diacre, is a trailblazer, having previously spent three years in charge of French men’s professional club, Clermont Foot, before taking over the national team in 2017.
1. USA
Signaled their intent with an emphatic and record-breaking 13-0 victory over Thailand, and have continued to impress since, qualifying from the group stages with three wins and a formidable overall tally of 18 goals scored and none conceded. With five goals in the opening game, co-captain Alex Morgan is already a strong contender to be the tournament’s overall top scorer and win the Golden Boot. And with three goals so far, 36-year-old Carli Lloyd might just repeat her feat of four years ago and win the Golden Ball. They won’t face an easy run in their bid to reach the final. Should they get past Spain in the last 16, they will likely play another highly fancied team, France, in the quarter-finals. They also have the advantage of boasting a number of world champions in their side, having won the previous tournament in 2015, while prevailing three times overall — 1991 and 1999 were the other occasions, with Germany (2003 and 2007) the only other side to have won the illustrious trophy more than once.
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