The biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup of all with 32 nations is finally home for New Zealand jointly hosting it with Australia. Without a domestic league for women’s football in the country and players having their careers abroad, this will be a chance for them to showcase their skills in front of family and friends.
That will bring pressure in itself placed in a tough group with Norway, Switzerland and tricky debutants Philippines. Before this, the Black Ferns have appeared in five tournaments but failed to win a single game so far. They have drawn three games in the previous 12 occasions. Jitka Klimkova’s side will be hoping for a point in the curtain-raiser as a victory against Norway is a little too far-fetched.
A win in any of the next two games might give them a chance for the knockouts for the first time. However, looking at their competition record and their form of just one win in 12 matches it will be hard to come by. Optimism could be made about the record of hosts in the past tournaments where each have at least made it out of the group stages. Therefore, the 26th-ranked nation are knotting the strings in the hope of that.
For Norway, it will be a battle to match the same or better the standards set in 2019 where they reached the quarterfinals upsetting now co-hosts Australia in the last-16 stage. The 1995 winners have not got past the last eight stages though since 2007 having competed at every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. First of all, the Grasshoppers have to address their forgetful Euro campaign last summer, winning just one in their group stage exit, where they suffered an 8-0 destruction in the hands of England. The same team whom they were eliminated against four years ago.
While moving to the knockouts is a guarantee for the side with top place battle with Switzerland only the real test till now, Norway does not want lingering issues in their defence to pop up again. Otherwise, the team is more than capable to ask questions of the opponent with a mind-blowing front three and a stacked midfield. Gaining three points against New Zealand to start their campaign on a high should not be an issue for the competition winner as a player, Hege Riise and her side.
