The 2023 World Cup is here and, once again, the U.S. is favored to win it all. Should the Americans prove oddsmakers right, it’ll be their fifth World Cup victory overall since the women’s tournament began in 1991, and third in a row.
And there’s good reason to believe that the Americans can pull off a three-peat. While some stars like Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd are not with the squad, it is still an extremely roster, featuring seasoned veterans like Megan Rapinoe, in-their-prime players like Crystal Dunn and rising newcomers like Ashley Sanchez. Even without some key players, the U.S. has – on paper – one of the best teams in Australia and New Zealand.
But there’s no guarantee that the USWNT just breezes through this tournament. Especially once the Americans get out of the group stage, challenges could arise. The Americans have shown that they aren’t bulletproof – just last fall, they lost three games in a row, to England, Spain and Germany. And in February, they escaped with one-goal victories over Japan and Brazil.
The rest of the world has started to invest more in women’s soccer, and some countries are catching up with the talent that the USWNT has.
Here’s a handful of teams that could upset the Americans in the knockout stage.
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