The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup started the group stage round Thursday. While some of the matchups might not sound very exciting, these matches will determine who has a chance of making a run to win it all.
Desperation and arrogance could lead to some surprising outcomes.
This year, the World Cup expanded from 24 teams to 32. With a total of 64 group stage matches, there will be more games to watch than ever before.
Here are three you won’t want to miss:
Best World Cup group stage matches to watch
U.S. vs Netherlands: July 26 — 7 p.m. MDT
I would say any of the U.S.’s matches are must-watch, and I don’t just say that out of a sense of patriotism. FIFA has the U.S. ranked as the No. 1 team in the world, and the U.S. has won the last two World Cups. But you really won’t want to miss the rematch of the 2019 World Cup final against the Netherlands.
This U.S. squad features 14 players making their World Cup debuts as well as familiar faces like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and former Utah Royals defender Kelley O’Hara. This will also be the team’s first World Cup under head coach Vlatko Andonovski.
While this U.S. team is vastly different than the team that faced the Netherlands in the previous World Cup and Olympics, this Dutch team will also be different. They too underwent a coaching change and will also be without their star Vivianne Miedema, who is recovering from an ACL tear, Just Women’s Sports reported.
This will be the U.S.’s toughest group stage match and its second match of the tournament after coming off their game against No. 32 ranked Vietnam. It will serve as a good litmus test on how this young team will fare against tougher competition.
If the U.S. loses, its ability to become three-peat champions and its status as the No. 1 team in the world will be questioned.
France vs. Brazil: July 29 — 4 a.m. MDT
A match between No. 8-ranked Brazil and No. 5 France will feature Brazilian superstar Marta in her sixth and final World Cup.
Marta has scored more World Cup goals than the legendary Pele and is Brazil’s leading scorer with 117 goals, according to CNN. It’s unknown how many minutes we’ll see from Marta as she continues to recover from a knee injury.
On the French side, fans should keep an eye on captain Wendie Renard, who many consider to be the best defender in the game. Despite being a defender, she has an impressive scoring record. She ranks seventh on the team’s all-time scoring list and has scored 89 goals in her 280 games with her club team Lyon, according to the Women’s Champions League.
Renard has had a decorated career with Lyon, having won eight UEFA Women’s Champions Leagues titles, but now, she is looking to add to her resume and win France their first major tournament.
Canada vs. Australia: July 31 — 4 a.m. MDT
As the host nation, Australia is under immense pressure to make a run and stay in the tournament as long as possible after disappointing early exits in the last World Cup and Olympics. This match will feature two of the best players to play the game in Australia’s Sam Kerr and Canada’s Christine Sinclair.
Sinclair is the all-time top international goal scorer — man or woman — with 190 goals, according to GOAL.com, and will continue to add to her tally throughout the tournament. She will be tasked with defending Canada’s crown as the reigning Olympic gold medalists.
In April, Kerr became the ninth woman and only non-European to score 50 goals in the English Women’s Super League, Forbes reported. The 29-year-old has also scored 70 goals in the Australian League and still holds the NWSL record for most goals scored (77) despite not having played in the league since 2019.
As the final group stage match for both teams, this will most likely decide which team will win the group and who will play the runner-up or winner of Group D. Look for Kerr and Sinclair to be difference makers.