The Week in Women’s Football: World Cup Groups G & H preview; South African despair; Bell is back

This week, we continue our preview of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, looking finally at Groups G and H, after previewing Groups A and B three weeks ago (see: The Week in Women’s Football: World Cup Groups A & B preview; Calgary Foothills exclusive – Tribal Football) and Groups C and D two weeks ago: (The Week in Women’s Football: Kaylan Williams exclusive – a USA star playing for Dinamo Moscow – Tribal Football) and Groups E and F last week (The Week in Women’s Football: World Cup Groups E & F preview; pressure on Marta – Tribal Football).

We also look at the FIFA individual and team distribution payments for the 2023 Women’s World Cup Final participants.

2023 Women’s World Cup Groups Previews

Group G New Zealand—Argentina, Italy, South Africa, Sweden

This should be another tight group that could see only one European side move onto the next round. Sweden—Silver Medalists at the Olympics in Japan with third place World Cup finishes in 2019 in France, 2011 in Germany and 1991 in China and were runners-up to Germany in the U.S. in 2003—should finish top of the group but there are concerns about their collective age and some injuries that some players are overcoming. Argentina has done some serious warm-up matches and wants to win their first ever game in four finals and move on to the knockout stage (see our interview with Sophia Braun—below).

This writer is a huge admirer of Desiree Ellis, the head coach of South Africa, but this group may be too difficult for her reigning Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title-holders, plus they recently have been handicapped by a player dispute with the federation over pay and other issues, and had to quickly call on a local makeshift team at home against Botswana just before leaving for New Zealand, losing 5-0 (see below). Italy will be the wild card side and, unless Barbara Bonansea (32)—who has won seven Serie A titles with Brescia (2) and Juventus (5)—supplies goals a plenty, which she is certainly capable of as she has 28 goals in 67 internationals, they could go out at the Group Stage in only their fourth WWC Finals in nine tournaments, as they did at the EUROs in 2017 and 2022, though they did make the Quarterfinals in France at the Women’s World Cup in 2019.

For Sweden’s final 23 player roster, eight play in the WSL in England, two each are based in Italy and Spain with one each in France, Germany and the U.S., while eight currently play at home in the Damallsvenskan:

Sweden – Final 2023 Women’s World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers: Jennifer Falk (BK Hacken), Zecira Musovic (Chelsea/ENG), Tove Enblom (KIF Orebro)

Defenders: Linda Sembrant (Juventus/ITA), Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea/ENG), Jonna Anderson (Hammarby IF), Amanda Ilestedt (PSG/FRA), Nathalie Björn (Everton/ENG), Hanna Lundkvist (Atletico Madrid/SPA), Anna Sandberg (BK Hacken)

Midfielders: Caroline Seger (captain – Rosengard), Kosovare Asllani (AC Milan/ITA), Olivia Schough (Rosengard), Elin Rubensson (BK Hacken), Filippa Angeldahl (Manchester City/ENG), Hanna Bennison (Everton/ENG), Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Chelsea/ENG)

Forwards: Sofia Jakobsson (San Diego Wave/USA), Stina Blackstenius (Arsenal/ENG), Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona/SPA), Lina Hurtig (Arsenal/ENG), Madelen Janogy (Hammarby IF), Rebecka Blomqvist (VfL Wolfsburg/GER)

Seger was a surprise selection for her fifth WWC Finals as she hasn’t played since being injured at the UEFA Women EUROs last summer. She is an inspirational leader for the side and has 232 caps but how many minutes will she be able to play is the question. Similarly, attacking midfielder Kosovare Asllani has dealt with a number of injuries, but at least she played 90 minutes in the last regular season match between her AC Milan club and city rivals Inter (a 1-0 win for AC Milan) at the end of May. Forward Lina Hurtig only played nine WSL regular season games with Arsenal this season due to a foot injury. There have been reports that Frida Rolfo of 2022-23 UEFA WCL Champions Barcelona (who scored eight goals in 21 regular season matches) is carrying an injury and will need surgery after the World Cup.

A key missing piece is Hanna Glas of Kansas City Current, who has yet to play this season and missed the 2022-23 season at Bayern Munich through injury.

A young player to watch is defender Hanna Lundkvist (20), who played in 23 regular season matches in her second season at Atletico Madrid. She was picked largely as a replacement for Glas. Another player who also could have a breakout tournament is Becca Blomqvist (25) of Wolfsburg in Germany; she scored five goals in fifteen regular season matches in her third season with the club. She has won a league title with Wolfsburg in 2021-22 and before that with Goteborg in Sweden in 2020.

Some in Sweden were disappointed that Rusul Kafaji (20), who scored 10 times in 17 matches with Hacken of Gothenburg, was not selected; her club Hacken currently lead the league this season with 44 points from 17 games, six points ahead of Linkoping. She is a youth international and has been into a full camp earlier this year but has not yet been capped.

There is some real skepticism among the Swedish women’s football media for the team’s chances this summer with the number of players who are recovering from injuries as well as the overall age of the squad. One reporter told me: “There are just too many question marks and we don’t see them going very far in this tournament.”

For Argentina, they are definitely targeting moving on to the knock-out stages for the first time. For them to do that, they have to win their first ever Women’s World Cup game in their fourth Finals.

Defender Sophia Braun, who we talked with earlier this year after she joined Club Leon in Mexico after finishing her career at Gonzaga University and not being drafted by any NWSL clubs—in part because her national team duties with Argentina would preclude her from filling in for other national team members away for the Finals Australia and New Zealand—said that her team’s focus thus far has been on their first match against Italy on July 24 in Auckland: “It’s exciting. We have a chance to make history. We’ve never won a game [in the Finals]; that is a goal and getting out of the group is what we want. We’ve already been talking about and watching film on Italy. That is the game that we are really hoping to surprise people on and take that one. We can’t just hunker down in defense like we have in the past. We want to try to attack when we can. Last World Cup [which she did not play in as she was raised in Portland, Oregon and started playing with Argentina’s U-20 national team the next year], it was like, ‘We are here and that is the big deal and we want to do the best we can and hunker back and defend and tie games,’ but now, we deserve to be here and we want to win and prove ourselves.”

In the 2019 WWC, Argentina opened Group D with a scoreless tie against Japan, then lost to England 1-0 and tied Scotland 3-3, coming back from a 3-0 tie within the last 16 minutes of an enthralling game, that this reporter covered live from Paris (see: https://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/live-from-women-s-world-cup-review-of-an-enthralling-group-stage-phase-in-france-4286180). With the exception of the second half of that final group game, Argentina approached their matches very defensively. Braun said that when Argentina played Spain late in 2022: “We tried to play a five back and it went absolutely horribly [a 7-0 defeat—4-0 down at halftime in Melilla, Spain on November 11, 2022]. I don’t think that will be the plan going forward.” She added that: “Spain was insane—they were very, very good.”

As far as their other group matches this summer—against South Africa and Sweden—Braun said: “We are going to do more planning [on them, and the staff will be] trying to make us memorize and learn everything about them but we have time and will get there.”

An attacking player to watch during the tournament is Yamila Rodriguez, who helped Boca Juniors reach the final of last year’s Copa Libertadores. She was a star at the Copa América Femenina in 2022, leading the tournament with six goals. She grabbed the equalizer 12 minutes from the end of the decisive clash with Paraguay, which Argentina won 3-1, clinching qualification for the 2023 WWC Finals. She moved to Palmeiras of Sao Paolo, Brazil this year and started her career there with two goals and two assists on her debut in a 9-0 thrashing of Real Ariquemes, finishing the 2023 Brazilian championship with 3 goals in 17 matches.

In July 2021 German Portanova was appointed the new Argentina head coach; she has won three local women’s league title (2014, 2017/18 and 2018/19) at UAI Urquiza.

South Africa head coach coach Desiree Ellis on June 5 announced a preliminary 36-member squad for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The team went into a local camp on June 12. Banyana Banyana’s highest capped player with over 180 caps, Janine van Wyk, was part of Ellis’ plans for the preliminary squad but was eventually withdrawn from the list due to injury. The captain and defender (who played with the Houston Dash in the NWSL and Glasgow City in Scotland) thanked the Banyana Banyana coach for considering her and confirmed that she would miss the tournament: “I have sustained an injury that I personally feel would impact my chances of performing at the highest level that is required to make the World Cup squad. I have to turn down the call-up with a heavy heart, but also knowing that I am doing what is best for the team.”

Ellis brought in one player each from Spain, Italy, Scotland and the U.S. while two are in Mexico. Most play in the four year old national league but it is not professional.

Just days before South Africa’s WNT was supposed to leave for Australia, a team that had seemed quite stable—with former national team player Desiree Ellis in charge of the team for the second consecutive tournament—a player dispute over pay and other issues with their Federation resulted in their last preparation friendly in the country against Botswana at the Tsakane Stadium near Johannesburg turning into a fiasco, as Ellis had to use replacement players and the side crashed to their northern neighbors 5-0, being down 4-0 by halftime.

The July 2 game was delayed for an hour by the South African Football Association (SAFA) so they could field enough local players. Baynana Baynana had little known players in the game, including a 13-year-old. Ahead of the WWC, we have seen player complaints about pay and support in Canada, Haiti and Jamaica and disputes with coaches in France and Spain, but this was a new low and the question is, can Ellis rally the players to put on a credible performance in the Women’s World Cup? It is so sad as this event undoes so much good work that the South African national team has done in recent years. To add to the embarrassment, the WWC players watched the second half in the stands. Keep in mind that the WWC is less than 3 weeks away and the squad was leaving for New Zealand a few days later. Forward Jermaine Seoposenwe (CF Monterrey of Mexico) told the public broadcaster SABC: “SAFA might feel they have done enough, but I have a different opinion. But at the end of the day, I am a player and my job is to come here, play and then leave.”

South Africa Sports and Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa said in a statement that he would be meeting with the players’ union on Tuesday July 4: “to hear the serious concerns expressed by the team.” Kodwa added that the meeting would be about the players’ “welfare” and issues related to their contracts. Kodwa emphasized the bizarre nature of the situation: “We are 18 days away from the start of the FIFA Women’s World Cup on 20 July 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.” There certainly are better ways to prepare a squad for a major international tournament Finals.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that players were also annoyed that their farewell game before the World Cup was held at the Tsakane Stadium, which held just 5,000 people and is not a high-profile football venue. The players viewed that as a mark of disrespect for them from their national soccer association. Banyana Banyana players reportedly are seeking a payment of about R1-million (about $53,000) each for playing three group games in the World Cup. The players are also due to earn an additional $30,000 each in appearance money from FIFA (see more below after the Group H preview).

For Botswana, they won their first game over South Africa since 2011. They did very well in the 2022 African Cup of Nations Finals in Morocco last summer, making the quarterfinals in their first ever finals—losing 2-1 at that stage to the hosts—and previously had defeated Zambia 2-1 in the semifinals of the 2020 COSAFA (regional) championship, qualifying for their first ever championship final, losing 2-1 to host side South Africa in Nelson Mandela Bay. In their 5-0 win on July 2, Ontlametse Gaonyadiwe (23), who plays with Double Aces at home, had a first-half hat-trick before Mamelodi Sundown’s Refilwe Tholakele (27)—who played last season for Equatorial Guinea’s Malabo Kings in 2022 and just signed with the Pretoria side in May—added a brace. The fact that Botswana had effectively a roll-over game over an unprepared ad-hoc squad does their team a disservice as well and the South African Federation should not have let things come to this stage.

Former Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs iconic star Doctor Khumalo, who also played in Argentina and for Columbus Crew in the early years of MLS in the States, stated that the WNT deserved to lose the game and he was displeased with the players who decided to play amidst the boycott by the players selected for the World Cup; Khumalo told the iDiski Times: “Let’s tell the truth about our football; this is not the true reflection of what we are supposed to be seen as South Africans and unfortunately, it is out there… What I’m looking at is a shame and disgrace, because I did so much to make this flag to be recognized in the world and people come and do this?”

African Football Confederation head Patrice Motsepe joined the dialogue a few days later to solve the dispute. Motsepe (61) is a native of South Africa and this was a sign of how serious this event was to football on the continent; a CAF source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “This dispute involving the women’s team was a major embarrassment not just for South Africa, but all of Africa. Something had to be done, and quickly, with some South African players scheduled to leave for New Zealand tomorrow (Wednesday, July 6).” Insufficient business-class seats resulted in the squad, coaches and officials traveling to New Zealand in two groups on Wednesday and Thursday (July 7).

On Wednesday, July 5, the stand-off was resolved when a foundation set up by Patrice Motsepe, a billionaire businessman and CAF President, ensured that the South African Women’s World Cup players will receive $320,000 to be shared between the 23 players going to the Women’s World Cup ($13,900 each) and they indeed will travel to the tournament.

South African Soccer Association president Danny Jordaan, whose organization came under stinging criticism over the last few days for not looking after its women players, conceded there was still “a massive gap” globally when it came to pay for men and women players despite world body FIFA’s efforts. Jordan added: “Clearly the issue of contract negotiations started too late.”

Jordan didn’t want to take responsibility for his or his federation’s role in it but most of the blame must sit with SAFA. The South African Players’ Union said that the players had no proper contracts or written agreements that stated exactly what they would be paid to play for their country at the World Cup ahead of this agreement.

This Botswana international friendly mess follows news last year that former national captain Portia Modise, who was nominated for FIFA’s World Player of the Year award in 2005, spoke about how she was sometimes paid $20 a game to play for the national team. She claimed she was living in “a shack” while playing for South Africa at times during her career. Modise retired in 2015 after 15 years on the South Africa team and had 101 goals in 124 internationals. She played professionally for Fortuna in Denmark for two years and played men’s soccer outside of South Africa, but tried to keep it quiet. Modise described about her treatment as a national team player as: “At the end of the day, they abused me.”

Before the farewell match debacle, in friendlies since October of 2022, South Africa beat Uzbekistan (3-0) in Turkey, drew with Slovenia (1-1 in Turkey) and lost to both Australia (4-1 in England) and Serbia (3-2 in Stara Pazova, Serbia) in warm-ups, with friendlies against Venezuela and Turkey both cancelled. Of these six sides, only Australia is playing in the WWC finals, so the Federation could have done a better job with preparation matches, as with booking flights for their team.

We can only hope that productive changes take place for the women’s game at the national team, league and grassroots level, in a country where women players have struggled mightily for acceptance. The SAFA has to commit to improvements and follow through or Danny Jordan—who led the effort for South Africa’s hosting of the men’s World Cup in 2010—and the federation hierarchy should leave after inflicting so much damage on their women’s national team.

For Italy, their Serie A league has improved immensely over the past 4-5 years and become a destination for top players from abroad (particularly Scandinavia), so the Italian national team players (with only one import based abroad) are getting tested on a weekly basis against very good talent. For Italy’s 23 player WWC Finals roster, that single player comes from the Spanish second division—16-year-old midfielder Giulia Dragoni:

Goalkeepers: Rachele Baldi (Fiorentina), Francesca Durante (Inter Milan), Laura Giuliani (AC Milan).
Defenders: Elisa Bartoli (Roma), Lisa Boattin (Juventus), Lucia Di Guglielmo (Roma), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elena Linari (Roma), Benedetta Orsi (Sassuolo), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus)
Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Juventus), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus), Giulia Dragoni (Barcelona B/SPA), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Giada Greggi (Roma), Emma Severini (Fiorentina).
Forwards: Chiara Beccari (Como), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus), Sofia Cantore (Juventus), Valentina Giacinti (Roma), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Benedetta Glionna (Roma), Annamaria Serturini (Roma).

Group G Prognosis:

This group should see only one European team advance and I think it will be Sweden, though with their older roster and injury concerns, we do think that they will go no further than the Quarterfinals, unless they are upset in the Round of 16. Argentina will build off of their impressive 2019 WWC Finals performance by winning a game and making the knockout stage for the first time. Italy is too unpredictable at major finals and I think will not do well and fail to make the Round of 16. South Africa will have to overcome their recent dispute with their Federation (see above), which may be too much to ask for.

Group H Australia—Germany, Morocco, Colombia and Korea Republic.

Germany and Korea Republic advancing on from Group H would seem the logical picks in Group H, but I think Morocco could be the surprise of this WWC, as the men were in Qatar last winter by being the first African and Arab team to make the semifinals. We watched this team closely at last summer’s Africa Women’s Cup of Nations and they are solid and well coached by ex-Olympique Lyon’s two-time French league winners and two-time Women’s Champions League winning coach Reynald Pedros. Are they going to mirror the men and make the semifinals?

That is probably a reach but if they make the knockout stage, depending on their draw, they could make the Quarterfinals as they are a talented side with a very strong and disciplined defense. Korea Republic has done better than expected under English coach Colin Bell but a lack of players in leagues abroad and mixed results in friendlies (in 2023, they have lost to England 4-1, Belgium 2-1 and Italy 2-1 before beating Zambia 5-2 and 5-0 in April at home; they looked positively dreadful in the first half of a home friendly against Haiti on July 8, losing 1-0 at the half but winning unconvincingly 2-1 in large part due to Jang Sel-Gi’s 81st minute long range, looping winner from distance that was a thing of beauty) could spell trouble for them in this tournament, their fifth Finals. Sel-Gi (29) plays for Hyundai Stell Red Angels at home and previously spent time with Madrid CFF in Spain and INAC in Kobe, Japan and is approaching a century of caps for her country.

Germany’s head coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg named a 28-player preliminary squad on May 31 which reflects the strong local Frauen-Bundesliga league, with only three players joining from clubs abroad, with two based in England and one in France: goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and midfielder Melanie Leupolz of Chelsea in the WSL and midfielder Sara Dabritz of England of Olympique Lyon. Nine of the 28 players are from VFL Wolfsburg, who were the 2022-23 WCL runners-up to Barcelona this season, while six each come from Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayern Munich, three are with 1899 Hoffenheim and one plays with MSV Duisburg:

Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea/ENG), Merle Frohms (Wolfsburg), Stina Johannes (Ein. Frankfurt), Ena Mahmutovic (Duisburg)
Defenders: Sara Doorsoun (Ein. Frankfurt), Marina Hegering (Wolfsburg), Kathrin Hendrich (Wolfsburg), Sophia Kleinherne (Ein. Frankfurt), Sarai Linder (Hoffenheim), Sjoeke Nusken (Ein. Frankfurt), Felicitas Rauch (Wolfsburg), Carolin Simon (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: Sara Dabritz (Lyon/FRA), Chantal Hagel (Hoffenheim), Svenja Huth (Wolfsburg), Paulina Krumbiegel (Hoffenheim), Lena Lattwein (Wolfsburg), Melanie Leupolz (Chelsea/ENG), Lina Magull (Bayern Munich), Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)
Forwards: Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg), Nicole Anyomi (Ein. Frankfurt), Jule Brand (Wolfsburg), Klara Buhl (Bayern Munich), Laura Freigang (Ein. Frankfurt), Lea Schuller (Bayern Munich), Tabea Wassmuth (Wolfsburg), Sydney Lohmann (Bayern Munich)

Korea Republic surprised many by finishing runners-up to China at the Asian Women’s Championships last year, losing only on penalties. Their head coach Colin Bell is the ultimate mercenary and guided 1 FFC Frankfurt to a UEFA Women’s Champions League title in 2014-15, before coaching the Republic of Ireland WNT—for a while. No matters what happens at the tournament, we don’t see the English native staying as he is a traveler and likely to head back to Europe for a club—such as a WSL or Championship women’s side—or another national team job in Europe.

He is not widely remembered with fondness in Ireland—think of the song: Goodbye to You (Patty Smyth) which in Korean is neoege jakbyeol insa—as he jilted the Republic’s WNT after two years to take an assistant job with Huddersfield Town’s men in the English second tier. He left Huddersfield after only four months to take charge of Korea Republic’s WNT—which further honked off Irish fans—after the Taegeuk Ladies lost all three games at the France 2019 finals to France, Norway and Nigeria, scoring once and allowing eight goals. They do have a chance to make at least the Round of 16 but they have a very challenging group. Bell has instituted a high pressing game that was new to the Korea’s traditional but has been effective.

Madrid CFF midfielder Lee Youngju said: “I think we changed a lot after coach Bell’s demand for a high-intensity game. This isn’t the type of football we’re used to playing, but it has certainly accelerated the tempo of our game. We’re a completely different team compared to four years ago.”

Bell made a bold move by naming a mixed race diaspora for Korea—a first for either the men’s or women’s national team—16-year-old Casey Phair from New Jersey youth club PDA. Phair has an American father and South Korean mother. Bell said: “I know as the first mixed race player for Korea, men and women, it’s a highlight, it’s something new. But as far as I’m concerned, she’s still a kid and it’s my duty to protect her so she can blossom and really fulfill her potential. We’re taking care of her; she’s taken very well to the team. She’s in the squad on merit. She deserves, on her performance, to be selected.”

Bell’s 23 player roster for the WWC is mostly home based, with 18 players with clubs in Korea Republic, with five imports, including two from England, one each from Spain, Sweden and the U.S.—with Casey Phair still in high school in New Jersey:

Goalkeepers: Ryu Ji-soo (Seoul), Kim Jung-mi (Incheon Hyundai), Yoon Young-guel (BK Hacken/SWE)
Defenders: Shim Seo-yeon (Suwon), Lee Young-ju (Madrid CFF/SPA), Lim Seon-joo (Incheon Hyundai), Kim Hye-ri (Incheon Hyundai), Jang Sel-ji (Incheon Hyundai), Choo Hyo-joo (Suwon), Hong Hye-ji (Incheon Hyundai)
Midfielders: Kim Yun-ji (Suwon), Jeon Eun-ha (Suwon), Bae Ye-bin (Uiduk University), Cho So-hyun (Tottenham/ENG), Lee Geum-min (Brighton/ENG), Ji So-yun (Suwon), Chun Ga-ram (Hwacheon)
Forwards: Kang Chae-rim (Incheon Hyundai), Son Hwa-yeon (Incheon Hyundai), Moon Mi-ra (Suwon), Park Eun-sun (Seoul), Choe Yu-ri (Incheon Hyundai), Casey Phair (PDA/USA).

Starting with the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, Korea Republic have now qualified for three consecutive World Cups, and Ji Sou Soyen (66 goals in 144 appearances) has been crucial. After a spell in Japan, Ji moved to Chelsea in 2014, where she won six Women’s Super League titles, four Women’s FA Cups and two Women’s League Cups. She also was a runner-up in the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2021 and the first Asian to be named PFA Women’s Player of the Year. However, last year she returned home to play for Suwon FC Women, in part to make herself more easily available for national team selection ahead of Australia & New Zealand 2023, which is likely to be her last World Cup.

For Morocco, their 28 player preliminary roster had 16 imports, with seven playing in France, two each from Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, and one each from England, Italy and the Netherlands. From Morocco’s domestic league (12), nine play with reigning African Champions League title holders ASFAR, with one each from SCCM, RS Berkane and Al-Ahli:

Goalkeepers: Ines Arouaissa (Cannes/FRA), Khadija Er-Rmichi (ASFAR), Assia Zouhair (SCCM)

Defenders: Hanane Ait El Haj (ASFAR), Nouhaila Benzina (ASFAR), Siham Boukhami (ASFAR), Ghizlane Chhiri (ASFAR), Nesryne El Chad (Lille/FRA), Rkia Mazrouai (Charleroi/BEL), Yasmin Mrabet (Levante/SPA), Zineb Redouani (ASFAR), Sabah Seghir (Sampdoria/ITA)

Midfielders: Ghizlane Chebbak (ASFAR), Najat Badri (ASFAR), Anissa Lahmari (Guingamp/FRA), Sarah Kassi (Fleury/FRA), Elodie Nakkach (Servette/SWI)

Forwards: Salma Amani (Metz/FRA), Rosella Ayane (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Anissa Belkasmi (Orleans/FRA), Sofia Bouftini (RS Berkane), Kenza Chapelle (Nantes/FRA), Fatima Gharbi (CE Europa/SPA), Samya Hassani (Telstar/NED), Ibtissam Jraidi (Al-Ahli), Sakina Diki (Bruges/BEL), Imane Saoud (Servette/SWI), Fatima Tagnaout (ASFAR)

Captain Ghizlane Chebbak is the metronome of the side and is crucial to Morocco’s success, while Rosella Ayane, a diaspora call-in from England, can do damage upfront and plays in the WSL with Tottenham Hotspur in London.

Colombia has a talented side, led by forward Linda Caicedo, who joined Real Madrid in Spain this season from Deportivo Cali and scored two goals in ten league matches. This team could cause an upset, particularly of Korea in Colombia’s third Women’s World Cup Finals after 2011 and 2015.

Twenty-five players on Colombia’s most recent roster include eight playing in Spain, five in Brazil and 12 at home:

Goalkeepers: Catalina Pérez (Avai Kindermann/BRA), Sandra Sepúlveda (Independiente Medellin), Luisa Fernanda Agudelo (Deportivo Cali)
Defenders: Daniela Caracas (Espanyol/SPA), Jorelyn Carabali (Atletico Mineiro/BRA), Monica Ramos (Grêmio/BRA), Daniela Arias (América de Cali), Ana María Guzmán (Deportivo Pereira), María Morales (Deportivo Cali), María Fernanda Viáfara (Cortulua)
Midfielders: Carolina Arias (Junior), Daniela Montoya (Atlético Nacional), Diana Ospina (América de Cali), Lorena Bedoya (Real Brasília/BRA), Manuela Vanegas (Real Sociedad/SPA), Marcela Restrepo (DUX Logroño/SPA), María Camila Reyes (Santa Fe), Liced Serna (Valencia/SPA)
Forwards: Catalina Usme (América de Cali), Ivonne Chacón (Valencia/SPA), Lady Andrade (Real Brasília/BRA), Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid/SPA), Mayra Ramírez (Levante/SPA), Leicy Santos (Atlético Madrid/SPA), Gabriela Urueña (Llaneros)

Group H Prognosis

Germany should advance fairly easily from Group H but we think Morocco has the talent, the coaching and the fan support to pip Korea Republic and Colombia for a round of 16 berth. Germany, depending on the draw, has a chance to make the last four at least, while Morocco could make the Quarterfinals. Regardless of the outcome, this group’s game will be a very interesting and entertaining to watch.

FIFA WWC Team and Individual Payment Distribution

FIFA introduced a ground-breaking new player and team payment model for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The 32 Participating Member Associations (PMAs) will receive record distributions to support football development in their countries, while all participating players will receive guaranteed remuneration for their achievements at the tournament. FIFA, in a media release, explained that the initiative marks another concrete step taken to develop women’s football and ensure players receive a fair deal, a commitment FIFA hopes sets a standard across the industry, from broadcasters to governments and beyond. FIFA said that it is part of their: “huge investment in women’s football and, for the first time ever, we are guaranteeing prize money for players.”

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, said: “Under this unprecedented new distribution model, each individual player at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 can now fully rely on remuneration for their efforts as they progress through the tournament. The captain that ultimately lifts the iconic FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy on August 20 in Sydney will receive USD 270,000, as will each of her 22 teammates… The global salary of women’s professional footballers is approximately USD 14,000 annually, so the amounts allocated under this unprecedented new distribution model will have a real and meaningful impact on the lives and careers of these players. Beyond this, all member associations will also receive a record financial distribution based on their performance, which they can use to reinvest back into football in their countries and which we believe will help to propel the women’s game even further.”

FIFA’s total investment in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is budgeted to exceed USD 500 million. Their $110 million pool is more than three times the $30 million prize fund that FIFA had four years ago in France.

This was a great move by FIFA, particularly to pay individual players, but they also must ensure that the players receive what they have been promised from their Federations—see South Africa above but there have been other pay disputes entering the tournament—which we discuss more as we cover the tournament.

Participating Member Association Allocation (Per PMA)

Financial Allocation (Per Player)

Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get yours copy today.

Follow Tim on Twitter: @TimGrainey