FIFA Women’s World Cup Preview, Outright Odds
Defending Champs USA Favorites Again
Australia and New Zealand Host
The biggest event in Women’s soccer is set to start late next month in Australia and New Zealand. Thirty-two teams will compete for the title of World Champion at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Defending champions USA are favorites to win back-to-back titles, while 2022 UEFA Euro winners England aren’t far behind. We’ll take a look at all of the groups in our FIFA Women’s World Cup preview. Note that the group stage is played as a round robin, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the single-elimination knockout stage.
| Group A | Country |
|---|---|
| New Zealand |  |
| Norway |  |
| Philippines |  |
| Switzerland |  |
New Zealand couldn’t have asked for a much better draw. Sure, Norway are ranked number 12 in the world but England destroyed the Norwegians in last year’s Women’s Euro. The Philippines are making their debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and show the joint-longest odds to win the tournament. Punters can take them at +200000 odds.
Of the four teams, Norway have the shortest outright odds, at +5000. In the all-time World Cup standings, Norway are one of just four teams to win the tournament. However, their only triumph was back in 1995. Norway and Switzerland may be the most likely teams to move on but don’t discount the home field advantage for co-hosts New Zealand.
| Group B | Country |
|---|---|
| Australia |  |
| Canada |  |
| Republic of Ireland |  |
| Nigeria |  |
This could shape up to be a tricky group to progress from. Canada are the reigning Olympic champions and all-time international top scorer Christine Sinclair is still on the roster. Co-hosts Australia also reached the semifinals of the Olympic tournament but have no trophies outside of the AFC confederation. Republic of Ireland are another top-25 team, while Nigeria could cause some problems.
Sure, Canada and Australia are the favorites to advance but don’t discount an upset or two here. As hosts, Australia are priced at +1200 odds to go on and win the tournament. Canada have just under a three percent implied probability to win the tournament, at +3300. Both Republic of Ireland and Nigeria come in at longer than +10000 odds to win the World Cup.
| Group C | Country |
|---|---|
| Costa Rica |  |
| Japan |  |
| Spain |  |
| Zambia |  |
Our FIFA Women’s World Cup Preview notes that Zambia are making their first appearance. They’ll find it difficult to advance out of a group with Japan and Spain also in it. However, Spain’s team is in turmoil as many players have declared themselves unavailable for selection. The issue stems from a dispute between the players and the Spanish Football Federation. Still, Spain come in at +600 odds to win the tournament, only bettered by the USA and England.
Japan, the 2011 champions, sit at respectable +2500 odds to win their second FIFA Women’s World Cup. Both Costa Rica and Zambia are looking for their first-ever wins at the tournament. It’d be a big surprise if either squad makes it to the knockout stage.
| Group D | Country |
|---|---|
| China |  |
| Denmark |  |
| England |  |
| Haiti |  |
China have advanced to the knockout stage in all of their previous appearances at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. However, they’re underdogs to make it out of a group with Denmark and England in it. The Lionesses of England are the defending Women’s Euro champions but they’ll be without star player Beth Mead. Mead didn’t recover from an ACL injury in time to make the squad here. Ellen White also retired following England’s Euro 2022 win.
Still, England come in at +350 odds to win their first Women’s World Cup. Denmark are making their first World Cup appearance since 2007 and expectations are quite high here. CONCACAF side Haiti are making their first World Cup appearance and this is quite a tough draw for them.
| Group E | Country |
|---|---|
| Netherlands |  |
| Portugal |  |
| United States |  |
| Vietnam |  |
Group E features a rematch of the 2019 Women’s World Cup final between the Netherlands and the United States. The USA came away with a 2-0 victory and their squad has been shuffled around quite a bit since then. Still, a bunch of key players from the 2019 side are still around. The USA are +270 favorites to win the tournament.
Portugal and Vietnam are making their debuts as World Cup teams and are big underdogs to advance to the knockout stage. The Netherlands display +1600 odds to win the World Cup but they’ll be missing Vivianne Miedema. Miedema has scored 95 goals in 115 international appearances and her absence is a massive blow.
| Group F | Country |
|---|---|
| Brazil |  |
| France |  |
| Jamaica |  |
| Panama |  |
Panama are making their FIFA Women’s World Cup debut in Group F and show the joint-longest odds to win the tournament. Meanwhile, their Group F mates Brazil and France are expected to advance to the knockout stage. France, at +800 odds, are one of the favorites to win the tournament. Brazil haven’t made the semifinals since 2007 but they stand at +2500 odds to come away with the trophy.
Jamaica made their Women’s World Cup debut in 2019 but lost all three of their matches in the process. Their best chance to get a win will be against Panama on July 29th. France’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto will miss the tournament with a knee injury but France can still go on a run.
| Group G | Country |
|---|---|
| Argentina |  |
| Italy |  |
| South Africa |  |
| Sweden |  |
Sweden have won two straight silver medals at the Olympics and are looking for a breakthrough here. Still, they show just +1600 odds to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup. At the very least, they’re expected to advance in a group with Argentina, Italy and South Africa. Italy reached the quarterfinals in 2019 and are favored to finish second.
Still, Italy failed to advance out of their group at the Euros last year and haven’t been in great form. Meanwhile, Argentina have never previously won a match at the World Cup in three appearances. South Africa also lost all three of their matches four years ago.
| Group H | Country |
|---|---|
| Colombia |  |
| Germany |  |
| Morocco |  |
| South Korea |  |
FIFA Women’s World Cup Previews note that two-time champions Germany have reached at least the quarterfinals in every one of their eight previous appearances. Germany also reached the final of the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro. At the tournament, Alexandra Popp was a joint-top scorer and Lena Oberdorf won the Best Young Player award.
Germany come in at +700 odds to win the tournament and have a favorable draw. Colombia, Morocco and South Korea round out Group H. Morocco are making their World Cup debut here and they’ll take inspiration from the men’s team, who reached the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup. Colombia and South Korea are expected to battle it out for second place in the group.
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