This Thursday, the Women’s World Cup will have its starting point. New Zealand and Norway open the tournament playing for the first round of Group A, at 4 am (Brasília time), at Eden Park Stadium, in New Zealand.
Where to watch: The match will be broadcast on Cazé TVno YouTubeand the streaming platform Fifa+.
Norway has players that stand out in European football and, because of that, are the favorites to win the duel and also to lead Group A. Striker Ada Hegerberg, elected the best player in the world in 2018, wingers Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten, along with attacking midfielder Emilie Haavi, are looking for victory.
The Norwegian team is one of the record holders for participation in the Women’s World Cup, with nine, already counting this year’s tournament. Brazil, United States, Germany, Nigeria, Japan and Sweden have the same participations as the Norwegian ones.
However, in its last participation in an elite tournament, Norway did not do well: it fell in the group stage of the Euro 2022. In addition, in the last two friendlies before the 2023 World Cup, it did not win any of them. It lost to Spain 4-2 and drew 3-3 with Sweden.
New Zealand, in turn, has the home factor to make a good tournament. The team has five World Cup appearances, but is looking to get past the group stage for the first time this year. In addition, playing against Norway, the team will go after its first victory in a World Cup.
The phase of the New Zealanders is not good either. Of the nine games the team played in 2023, it won only one. The victory, however, took place on the last day 10 against Vietnam, a team that also competes in the World Cup. This can increase confidence for the duel against the Norwegians.
In addition to Norway and New Zealand, Group A of the competition also features the Philippines and Switzerland.
australia vs ireland
In the other game this Thursday, another hostess of the Women’s World Cup makes her debut. Australia faces Ireland in Group B, at 7 am (Brasília time), at the Accor Stadium, in Australia.
Where to watch: Cazé TVno YouTubee o streaming FIFA+ broadcast the match.
The Australians, in addition to having a qualified squad, are still playing for the World Cup in their own country and with the supporters in their favour. In the last three friendlies they played before the start of the tournament, they lost one and won two. The victories inspired confidence, as they came against France and England, two of the favorites for the title.
With top scorer Sam Kerr, Australia will look to win against Ireland to start their World Cup campaign well. They also have Tony Gustavsson, a trainer who was once an assistant to the Brazilian TeamPia Sundhage, during the period that the Swede coached the United States in 2012.
On the other hand, Ireland is making history: it is going to its first participation in the Women’s World Cup and wants to do well in the championship. In this way, they will go after the three points in the debut against the Australians. Despite having good names in international football, the strength of the Irish lies in the collective.
The refereeing quartet for the confrontation between Australia and Ireland will be completely Brazilian. Edina Alves Batista officiated the duel, with Neuza Back and Leila Cruz as assistants. Daiane Muniz will be the VAR commander.
In Group B, in addition to Australia and Ireland, there are also Nigeria and Canada. The group is balanced and any point can make the difference in the final classification.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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