The U.S. women’s national team landed in New Zealand last week expected to win a third straight World Cup.
That’s not just the perspective of fans, soccer journalists, or the team itself. The oddsmakers are listing the USWNT as their favorite, and as long as they’re in the hunt to claim a three-peat — something that no team has ever done — the discussion of this tournament will bend inexorably in their direction.
However, a lot of those conversations are not about the USWNT as the field’s lone juggernaut, but rather how they seem more vulnerable than at any point in recent memory. The U.S. has rarely looked imperious over the last two years, laboring in games they were expected to control. On the other hand, several countries have clearly improved since the last World Cup. All of that chatter about this being the most competitive version of this event in the women’s game? It’s accurate.
While the USWNT has made needed improvements after an extremely rare three-game losing streak late last year, the rest of the field has reason to believe they can end this era of American dominance. There is a feeling that nearly any outcome is possible at this World Cup, and as many as 10 of the 32 teams that qualified can argue that they merit respect as an actual contender.
All of which is to say that if the USWNT is going to add a fifth star, they’ll have to overcome the strongest pool of World Cup foes they’ve ever dealt with. These are the top five challengers to their reign as the world’s top dog.