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Hundreds of thousands of tickets have been sold and world
governing body FIFA is banking on the women's game taking a huge step forward
on the back of a successful tournament.
The eighth edition of the Women's World Cup will be contested by
24 teams in nine cities across France, with the hosts facing South Korea in
the opening game at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
The top two in each of the six qualifying groups will advance to
the knockout stages, where they will be joined by the four best third-placed
teams.
The semi-finals and final will be staged in Lyon, home to
powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais, historically the most successful club in
women's football in France, with the final slated for July 7.
With a passionate home crowd behind them and a strong domestic
league, the French will fancy their chances on home soil, while England,
Australia, Germany and Japan will also hope to lift the trophy.
Though France have a tough draw in Group A alongside South
Korea, Norway and Nigeria, they will look to win it outright to give
themselves the best chance of an easy route through the knockout rounds.
Former champions Norway will be without Ballon d'Or winner Ada
Hegerberg, who has declined to play for the national side since the end of
Euro 2017, citing disagreements over how the team is run.
Two-times winners Germany will face off against China, Spain and
debutants South Africa in Group B, while Australia, Italy, Brazil and Jamaica
are set to battle it out in Group C.
Despite their rich football tradition, Brazil have never won a
World Cup or an Olympic gold medal, and with prolific striker Marta now 33,
this may be the last chance for her to grab one of those elusive titles.
There will be no shortage of sparks in Group D where a strong
England side have been paired with Scotland, Argentina and 2011 champions
Japan, while European champions Netherlands take on Canada, Cameroon and New
Zealand in Group E.
The Dutch slipped up in qualifying and needed playoff wins
against Denmark and Switzerland to book their berth, but their potent offence
will be keen to impress an army of travelling fans.
The United States look to have secured a relatively easy draw
with their first two games against Chile and Thailand, but Sweden will pose a
problem in their final encounter, which is likely to decide the outcome of
Group F.
As ever, discussions about gender equality will never be too far
away, and despite the fact that FIFA has doubled the prize money on offer
since the 2015 event in Canada, it has still come in for criticism.
However, fans and players are expected to park those
discussions, at least temporarily, when the action finally gets underway in
Paris.
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Source: NDO
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