How to read predictions and results
Group Stage
Quarter-finals
Finals
Semi-finals
Champion
Round of 16
How to read predictions and results
Group Stage
Quarter-finals
Finals
Champion
Semi-finals
Round of 16
group A
France
Don’t be fooled by France’s world ranking or its loss in the quarterfinals four years ago. With an experienced roster featuring five players with more than 100 caps, this might be the best team in the tournament. France has made it to the quarterfinals of four consecutive major tournaments since 2013 and it will get an added boost in this one by playing at home less than a year after its men’s team won its World Cup. No country has held both the men’s and women’s titles at the same time. As the host country, France didn’t undergo the demands of a qualifying campaign but proved its mettle by stunning the U.S. in January behind two goals from Kadidiatou Diani.
France
fifa rk4th
Host nation
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('11)
Players to watch
forward
Kadidiatou Diani
forward
Eugenie Le Sommer
midfielder
Amandine Henry
defender
Wendie Renard
Don’t be persuaded by France’s world ranking or its loss in the quarterfinals four years ago. With an experienced roster featuring five players with more than 100 caps, this might be the best team in the tournament. France has made it to the quarterfinals of four consecutive major tournaments since 2013 and it will get an added boost in this one by playing at home less than a year after its men’s team won its World Cup. No country has held both the men’s and women’s titles at the same time. As the host country, France didn’t undergo the demands of a qualifying campaign but proved its mettle by stunning the U.S. in January behind two goals from Kadidiatou Diani.
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South Korea
fifa rk14th
5th place in 2018 Asian Cup
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('15)
Players to watch
forward
Ji So-yun
midfielder
Cho So-hyun
midfielder
Jang Sel-gi
midfielder
Kim Hye-ri
South Korea won the first World Cup match in its history four years ago and advanced to the round of 16, proof that its soccer program is making progress. It might be tough to replicate that this year given the quality of the group. But the Koreans do have a young, dynamic core led by Chelsea forward Ji So-yun -- who made her international debut at 15 and 13 years later is the country’s all-time scoring leader -- and West Ham midfielder Cho So-hyun, who has played a record 115 games for the national team.
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Norway
fifa rk12th
Winner, UEFA qualification group 3
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('95)
Players to watch
defender
Maren Mjelde
midfielder
Caroline Hansen
forward
Isabell Herlovsen
midfielder
Kristine Minde
The 1995 world champion, Norway made it at least as far as the quarterfinals in each of the first six World Cups. But it failed to get past the round of 16 of the last two tournaments, didn’t win a game or score a goal in the most recent European championship and will playing without Ada Hegerberg, the top player in the world last year who quit the national team over a dispute with the Norwegian federation. The roster is a blend of youth – goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth is the only player older than 30 – and experience, with seven players boasting more than 70 caps. Coach Martin Sjogren, a Swede who replaced Even Pellerud in 2016, played at the University of North Florida.
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Nigeria
fifa rk38th
5th place in 2018 Asian Cup
2019 results
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('99)
Players to watch
forward
Asisat Oshoala
forward
Ini-Abasi Umotong
forward
Desire Oparanozie
midfielder
Ngozi Okobi
Nigeria, an 11-time African champion, is the only country from the continent to have played in every World Cup. Nigeria is fast, physical and can score – it collected 22 goals in three games in last month’s West African Football Union tournament. It is led by attacker Asisat Oshoala, a three-time African player of the year. But that speed and talent doesn’t always match up well when Nigeria steps outside Africa; in seven games against non-African national teams this year, the Super Falcons lost four times and were shut out twice. The second group game with South Korea will likely decide which team stands the best chance of moving on.
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group B
Germany
Germany is in a slump, with the 2016 Olympics marking the only time it has gotten past the semifinals of a major tournament since 2013. Since its fourth-place finish in the last World Cup, the team has lost eight top players including goalkeeper Nadine Angerer and forward Celia Sasic. Goalkeeper Almuth Schult played a big part in that Olympic title, allowing just one goal in three knockout-round games and she’ll need to come up big again in France for Germany to have a shot. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, one of the country’s most decorated players, took over the team in November after guiding Switzerland’s ultimately unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign and has yet to lose as Germany’s coach.
Germany
fifa rk2nd
Winner, UEFA qualification group 5
2019 results
outlook
Previous results
2015
best (2x)
Players to watch
forward
Alexandra Popp
midfielder
Dzsenifer Marozsan
midfielder
Sara Dabritz
Goalkeeper
Almuth Schult
Germany is in a slump, with the 2016 Olympics marking the only time it has gotten past the semifinals of a major tournament since 2013. Since its fourth-place finish in the last World Cup, the team has lost eight top players including goalkeeper Nadine Angerer and forward Celia Sasic. Goalkeeper Almuth Schult played a big part in that Olympic title, allowing just one goal in three knockout-round games and she’ll need to come up big again in France for Germany to have a shot. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, one of the country’s most decorated players, took over the team in November after guiding Switzerland’s ultimately unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign and has yet to lose as Germany’s coach.
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China
fifa rk16th
3rd place, 2018 Asian Cup
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('99)
Players to watch
forward
Li Ying
defender
Wu Haiyan
midfielder
Wang Shanshan
midfielder
Wang Shuang
Aside from host nation France, China was the first to lock up a spot in this summer’s tournament, winning its group in the Asian Cup 14 months ago. Icelandic coach Sigurdur Ragnar Eyjolfsson left shortly after that, replaced by former national team defender Jia Xiuquan, who had never coached a women’s team before taking over the Steel Roses a year ago. China has made it at least as far as the quarterfinals in the six Women’s World Cups it has played in, getting as far as the final in 1999 where it lost to the U.S. in an epic penalty-kick shootout at the Rose Bowl. That game inspired a generation of girls in China and many members of this team remember watching that match on TV.
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Spain
fifa rk13th
Winner, UEFA qualification group 7
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('15)
Players to watch
midfielder
Victoria Losada
midfielder
Alexia Putellas
defender
Marta Torrejon
forward
Jennifer Hermoso
Spain has made significant strides since its first World Cup appearance four years ago, winning last fall’s U-17 World Cup and reaching the quarterfinals of the Euros for a second straight tournament the year before that. It is also the only European team to go a perfect 8-0 in World Cup qualifying. The core of the team plays in La Liga and 10 are teammates at Barcelona, which helps from a chemistry standpoint. Atletico Madrid’s Jennifer Hermoso, 29, winner of three of the last four La Liga scoring titles, is emerging as Spain’s most dangerous player after scoring all three of its goals in this winter’s Algarve Cup. Coach Jorge Vilda, 37, has been nominated for FIFA women’s coach of the year three times.
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South Africa
fifa rk49th
Runner-up, 2018 African Cup of Nations
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best
Players to watch
defender
Janine van Wyk
midfielder
Refiloe Jane
forward
Thembi Kgatlana
goalkeeper
Kaylin Swart
South Africa, which has not won a game this year, bunkered in front of its net and frustrated the U.S. for more than 70 minutes before eventually conceding two late goals in a 3-0 loss last month. The same kind of defensive posture may be its best hope in France, where it will be woefully outclassed against the likes of Germany and Spain. The team could get a boost from young goalkeeper Kaylin Swart, who played at Menlo College. The backup, she was sensational against the U.S. and could unseat starter Andile Dlamini. Defender Janine van Wyk has captained the team since 2013.
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group C
Australia
No country appears more poised for a breakthrough than Australia, which made it to the quarterfinals of the last three World Cups. Its roster, deep and battle-tested, is led by Sam Kerr, a ferocious finisher and one of 12 NWSL players on the team. Kerr followed her father and brother into Australian rules football before switching to soccer at 12, reaching the national team three years later. The program was thrown into turmoil when longtime coach Alen Stajcic was sacked in January after some players reportedly complained anonymously of a poor culture within the team. Stajcic was replaced by Ante Milicic, a former men’s national team striker, and the Matildas responded well, winning their first three games after the change.
Australia
fifa rk6th
Runner-up, 2018 Asian Cup
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best (3x)
Players to watch
forward
Sam Kerr
midfielder
Elise Kellond-Knight
defender
Clare Polkinghorne
Goalkeeper
Lydia Williams
No country appears more poised for a breakthrough than Australia, which made it to the quarterfinals of the last three World Cups. Its roster, deep and battle-tested, is led by Sam Kerr, a ferocious finisher and one of 12 NWSL players on the team. Kerr followed her father and brother into Australian rules football before switching to soccer at 12, reaching the national team three years later. The program was thrown into turmoil when longtime coach Alen Stajcic was sacked in January after some players reportedly complained anonymously of a poor culture within the team. Stajcic was replaced by Ante Milicic, a former men’s national team striker, and the Matildas responded well, winning their first three games after the change.
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Italy
fifa rk15th
Winner, UEFA qualification group 6
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('91)
Players to watch
DEFENDER
Sara Gama
midfielder
Barbara Bonansea
forward
Cristiana Girelli
defender
Alia Guagni
The knockout round is the goal for Italy, which will be one of the toughest teams in the tournament to break down defensively. Its back line is experienced with Sara Gama, the team captain, and Alia Guagni coming to France with more than 150 international caps combined. That’s a big reason why Italy, with an entire roster composed of players from the domestic Serie A, hasn’t lost this season in eight games. Whatever offense the Azzurre produces will likely come through Barbara Bonansea, who directs the attack for league champion Juventus. Three women play for AS Roma, where former U.S. national team star Mia Hamm is a board member.
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Brazil
fifa rk10th
Winner, 2018 Copa America
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('07)
Players to watch
Forward
Marta
midfielder
Formiga
midfielder
Andressa Alves
Forward
Cristiane
Brazil has the oldest roster in the tournament, one topped by midfielder Formiga, the oldest player in Women’s World Cup history at 41. Eight other players are at least 30, including Brazil’s two all-time leading scorers: Marta, 33, a six-time world player of the year and 34-year-old Cristiane. This figures to be the last hurrah for Brazil’s Golden Generation, which so far has just a silver medal from the 2007 World Cup to show for its work. The chances for improving on that here don’t look good since Brazil comes to France having lost nine straight since August. Oswaldo Alvarez, who coached the team in the 2015 World Cup, returned for his second turn in charge 21 months ago after Emily Lima, the first woman to coach the national team, was fired.
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Jamaica
fifa rk53th
3rd place, 2018 CONCACAF Championship
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best
Players to watch
forward
Khadija Shaw
forward
Olufolassade Adamolekun
defender
Dominique Bond-Flasza
defender
Konya Plummer
Disbanded nine years ago because of a lack of funds, the Jamaican program has rebounded to its first World Cup berth thanks to Cedella Marley, daughter of singer Bob Marley, whose financial backing revived the team in 2014. There is a distinctly American flavor to the squad with 11 players, headed by USC recruits Olufolasade Adamolekun, coming from U.S. club or college teams. It’s also a young roster with just six players older than 25. Coach Hue Menzies played in Texas at Hardin-Simmons University and is executive director of a youth soccer club in Florida. Former Tennessee star Khadija Shaw is a proven goal scorer with 25 goals in 20 international games but she may not be the fastest player on the team. That honor probably goes to midfielder Chanel Hudson-Marks, the cousin of Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt.
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group d
england
Another team on an upward trend, England made it to the semifinals of its last two major tournaments, finishing third in the 2015 World Cup and second in the 2017 Euro. It then bested three top 10 teams to win this year’s SheBelieves Cup. Led by Lucy Bronze, the best outside back in soccer, England was unbeaten in UEFA qualifying, scoring 29 goals and conceding one in eight games. Coach Phil Neville guided the team through qualifying after replacing longtime coach Mark Sampson, who was fired in 2018 following allegations of inappropriate behavior and remarks. Neville used 34 players in qualifying. Jodie Taylor led the 2017 Euro in scoring with five goals. She plays in the National Women’s Soccer League for Reign FC.
england
fifa rk3rd
Winner, UEFA qualification group 1
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('15)
Players to watch
defender
Lucy Bronze
defender
Steph Houghton
goalkeeper
Karen Bardsley
forward
Toni Duggan
Another team on an upward trend, England made it to the semifinals of its last two major tournaments, finishing third in the 2015 World Cup and second in the 2017 Euro. It then bested three top 10 teams to win this year’s SheBelieves Cup. Led by Lucy Bronze, the best outside back in soccer, England was unbeaten in UEFA qualifying, scoring 29 goals and conceding one in eight games. Coach Phil Neville guided the team through qualifying after replacing longtime coach Mark Sampson, who was fired in 2018 following allegations of inappropriate behavior and remarks. Neville used 34 players in qualifying. Jodie Taylor led the 2017 Euro in scoring with five goals. She plays in the National Women’s Soccer League for Reign FC.
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scotland
fifa rk20th
Winner, UEFA qualification group 2
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best
Players to watch
DEFENDER
Jennifer Beattie
DEFENDER
Rachel Corsie
forward
Jane Ross
midfielder
Kim Little
Church records show women were playing soccer in Scotland in 1628 and the country’s first women’s international match took place in 1881 (The Scots beat England 3-0). Yet it wasn’t until this summer that Scotland qualified for a World Cup, rebounding from a disappointing performance in the 2017 Euro by winning its group in UEFA qualifying under former Scottish international Shelley Kerr, who took over as coach 26 months ago. That was a fitting reward for a hard-working team that features five players with more than 100 international caps. And they may be peaking at the right time having beaten both Brazil and Denmark this year.
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Argentina
fifa rk37th
Winner, CONCACAF-CONMEBOL playoff
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best (2x)
Players to watch
defender
Florencia Bonsegundo
forward
Sole Jaimes
defender
Aldana Cometti
Forward
Yael Oviedo
Hard to believe that a country with the soccer pedigree of Argentina has never gotten beyond the group stage of a Women’s World Cup. The last time the Albicelestes did that was 2007, after which the program suffered through a nine-year period in which FIFA records show it played no sanctioned games in five of those years. It regrouped in 2017, endured a brief work stoppage as players sought better pay and working conditions – for a time the team‘s promised $10 stipends went unpaid – then beat Panama in a playoff to clinch its first World Cup berth in 12 years. Its roster is understandably lacking in international experience and it has been drawn into a foursome that includes two top 10 teams in Brazil and Japan and an improving Scotland. Argentina’s weak pre-tournament schedule included games with four U.S. college teams, only two of which it beat.
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Japan
fifa rk7th
Winner, 2018 Asian Cup
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('11)
Players to watch
defender
Saki Kumagai
forward
Kumi Yokoyama
defender
Rumi Utsugi
forward
Mana Iwabuchi
Former midfielder Asako Takakura, the first woman to coach the national team, took over after Japan’s second-place performance in the last World Cup and introduced some new blood to the team, returning just five of the 14 players that appeared in the 2015 final. What hasn’t changed is Japan’s reliance on a quick passing game that leans heavily on the discipline and technique of players like Saki Iwabuchi and Kumi Yokoyama, nicknamed the Japanese Maradona for her ball-control skills. Japan has played a bruising pre-World Cup schedule, losing to England and France, drawing against the U.S. and Germany and beating Brazil.
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group e
Canada
Christine Sinclair has played more than 280 matches for Canada and is poised to break Abby Wambach’s record of 184 international goals. But what she really wants is a major championship after winning two Olympic bronze medals and reaching the World Cup quarterfinals since 2012. In France she’ll be playing in her fifth World Cup, surrounded by a mix of youth and experience. The midfield features Desiree Scott and Sophie Schmidt, both older than 30 with more than 140 caps each, alongside two collegians in Texas’ Julia Grosso and UCLA’s Jessie Fleming. The defense is anchored by former University of West Virginia star Kadeisha Buchanan, voted best young player in the last World Cup.
Canada
fifa rk5th
Runner-up, 2018 CONCACAF Championship
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('03)
Players to watch
midfielder
Sophie Schmidt
defender
Kadeisha Buchanan
midfielder
Jessie Fleming
forward
Christine Sinclair
Christine Sinclair has played more than 280 matches for Canada and is poised to break Abby Wambach’s record of 184 international goals. But what she really wants is a major championship after winning two Olympic bronze medals and reaching the World Cup quarterfinals since 2012. In France she’ll be playing in her fifth World Cup, surrounded by a mix of youth and experience. The midfield features Desiree Scott and Sophie Schmidt, both older than 30 with more than 140 caps each, alongside two collegians in Texas’ Julia Grosso and UCLA’s Jessie Fleming. The defense is anchored by former University of West Virginia star Kadeisha Buchanan, voted best young player in the last World Cup.
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Cameroon
fifa rk46th
Third place, African Cup of Nations
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('15)
Players to watch
DEFENDER
Christine Manie
DEFENDER
Augustine Ejangue
forward
Gaelle Enganamouit
forward
Gabrielle Onguene
Cameroon won over fans with its exuberant play in Canada four years ago, where it beat Ecuador 6-0 in its World Cup debut. It wound up getting bounced in the round of 16 but not before gaining experience that could prove valuable since 11 of the 13 players who appeared in that 1-0 loss to China are back this summer. The core of the team goes back to the 2012 Olympics, Cameroon’s first major tournament appearance outside Africa.
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New Zealand
fifa rk19th
Winner, OFC Women’s Nations Cup
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('4x)
Players to watch
defender
Abby Erceg
defender
Ali Riley
forward
Rosie White
goalkeeper
Erin Nayler
Don’t sleep on the Ferns, who don’t come in with a great ranking or a roster of big-name players -- just a solid, experienced and talented team. Nine players have more than 85 international caps and coach Tom Semanni, a former U.S. women’s coach, was so sure of what he had he named his final roster in April. The draw did New Zealand no favors, however, pairing it with No. 8 Netherlands and No. 5 Canada. Former UCLA star Rosie White, who had surgery last year to repair stress fractures in both feet, leads the attack.
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Netherlands
fifa rk8th
Winner, UEFA qualification playoff
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('15)
Players to watch
goalkeeper
Loes Geurts
forward
Lieke Martens
midfielder
Sherida Spitse
forward
Vivianne Miedema
The Netherlands has won just one World Cup game, but it comes to France as the reigning European and Algarve Cup champions. It also has Lieke Martens, the 2017 world player of the year, who can carve up opponents by slicing in from the left wing. Martens, who plays for Barcelona, will be joined in the attack by Chelsea’s Vivianne Miedema; combined the two forwards have 99 international goals. The Dutch are led by former national team captain Sarina Wiegman, who was named FIFA coach of the year after going unbeaten in the 2017 Euros. She played at North Carolina alongside former U.S. World Cup champions Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly.
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group f
United States
Sweden showed the rest of the world how to beat the U.S. in the 2016 Olympic quarterfinals by putting as many as 10 women in front of the goal and playing for penalty kicks . Coach Jill Ellis is expecting to see the same strategy somewhere along the line in France because when teams play the U.S. straight up, the Americans have lost just once since August of 2017. That loss came in France to the World Cup hosts last January, by the way. If everything goes to form, the teams could meet against in the quarterfinals in Paris. Since Canada, Ellis has watched a half-dozen key contributors leave, among them Abby Wambach, international soccer’s all-time leading scorer, and goalkeeper Hope Solo.
United States
fifa rk1st
Winner, 2018 CONCACAF Championship
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best (3x)
Players to watch
goalkeeper
Alyssa Naeher
defender
Crystal Dunn
forward
Megan Rapinoe
forward
Alex Morgan
Sweden showed the rest of the world how to beat the U.S. in the 2016 Olympic quarterfinals by putting as many as 10 women in front of the goal and playing for penalty kicks . Coach Jill Ellis is expecting to see the same strategy somewhere along the line in France because when teams play the U.S. straight up, the Americans have lost just once since August of 2017. That loss came in France to the World Cup hosts last January, by the way. If everything goes to form, the teams could meet against in the quarterfinals in Paris. Since Canada, Ellis has watched a half-dozen key contributors leave, among them Abby Wambach, international soccer’s all-time leading scorer, and goalkeeper Hope Solo.
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Thailand
fifa rk34th
Fourth place, 2018 Asian Cup
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('15)
Players to watch
midfielder
Silawan Intamee
DEFENDER
Pitsamai Sornsai
forward
Kanjana Sungngoen
midfielder
Rattikan Thongsombut
Thailand made its Women’s World Cup debut four years ago and proved to be overmatched, getting shut out in two of its three games. This team may not fare much better but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. Forward Taneekarn Dangda, whose childhood team was to be a model, accomplished that when she competed in Thailand’s supermodel contest four years ago. She then followed her father, a former player with the Royal Thai Air Force, into soccer. Tiffany Sornpao, who was born in Georgia and has Danish citizenship, is a back-up goalkeeper at Georgia’s Kennesaw State University. The Thais won the 2018 AFF tournament, outscoring teams like Cambodia and Timor-Leste 37-5 in six games.
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Chile
fifa rk39th
Runner-up, 2018 Copa America
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best
Players to watch
goalkeeper
Christiane Endler
midfielder
Francisca Lara
forward
Maria Jose
forward
Yanara Aedo
Chile, which did not play a game from 2014 through May 2017, qualified for it first Women’s World Cup with a surprising second-place finish, behind Brazil, in last year’s Copa America Femenina. It has struggled since then, however, going winless in its first eight games this year, including a 7-0 thrashing from the Netherlands in April. Chile’s squad is young and inexperienced on the international stage, with no player coming to France with more than 23 caps. But the team doesn’t lack for talent: nine play professionally in Spain while goalkeeper Christiane Endler, a six-time national player of the year, plays for French superclub Paris Saint-Germain. She played collegiately at South Florida.
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Sweden
fifa rk9th
Winner, UEFA qualification group 4
2019 prediction
outlook
Previous results
2015
best ('03)
Players to watch
goalkeeper
Hedvig Lindahl
defender
Nilla Fischer
midfielder
Caroline Seger
forward
Sofia Jakobsson
The Swedes have made it past the group stage in six of the previous seven World Cups, reaching the semifinals twice. The team it will send to France is predictably experienced, boasting six players with at least 100 international caps. That group is led by midfielder Carolina Seger, the team’s captain since 2009, and Nilla Fischer, who recently moved from the midfield to center back. Missing, however, is striker Lotta Schelin, the country’s all-time leading scorer who was forced into retirement by injury. Under coach Peter Gerhardsson, who replaced the legendary Pia Sundhage following Sweden’s run to the quarterfinals of the 2017 Euros, Sweden lost just twice in 2018 and won its group in UEFA qualifying.
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Credits: Sammy Jo Hester (photos)