Women’s World Cup Group C Preview
Group C of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup looks like one of the easier groups to split with two powerhouses of women’s football, Spain and Japan. Our sportsbook offers the best markets and soccer live betting in the Women’s World Cup.
Spain Third Favorite to Win World Cup
Spain enters the tournament in great form, winning their last four fixtures and only losing one of their last 12 games, stretching back to Euro 2022. Their only defeat was a 2-1 loss to Australia at the Cup of Nations earlier this year, but they were without many key players due to the dispute between the squad and Spain’s football federation over head coach Jorge Vilda.
Last fall, 15 players sent identical letters to the Royal Spanish Football Federation informing it that, while they remained committed to the team, they were removing themselves from selection for national team duty. They wanted Jorge Vilda to be removed, but the RFEF backed Vilda, citing the players’ letters as unprofessional.
Three of them, Barcelona duo Mariona Caldentey and Champions League Player of the Season Aitana Bonmati and Manchester United Ona Batlle have been named to the World Cup squad.
Also on the squad is Barcelona midfielder and back-to-back Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas. Among the players who have withdrawn include Guijarro, Mapi Leon, Claudia Pina, Leila Ouahabi, and Sandro Panos. Spain is still fully packed with world-class players, and we expect them to easily win this group, so we will include them in our soccer picks and parlays.
Japan Should Easily Qualify
Japan’s 2019 World Cup ended in the Round of 16 with a loss to the Netherlands. They were very lucky to qualify in the knock-out stages four years ago, winning just one game, a 2-1 victory over Scotland. They have only won two of their last six games. At the She Believes Cup, Japan lost against both USA and Brazil but knocked off Canada 3-0 to round out the tournament.
The results haven’t been spectacular for Japan since the beginning of 2023, but they have been impressive in victories over talented teams such as Portugal and Canada. If you’re betting online, you should expect them to qualify further in the competition. Their problems will definitely appear in the knock-out stages.
Japan won the FIFA World Cup in 2011 and finished runner-up in the very next edition, so the country is one of the most successful in the tournament’s history. Japan often excels from a technical standpoint. They’ve got plenty of pace, and disciplined players who control the tempo and score goals.
Zambia Making World Cup Debut
Zambia is the only Group C team making their World Cup debut. The country also competed in its first Olympic Games in Tokyo. The goal now is to use the momentum for a prestigious performance in New Zealand and Australia.
Bruce Mwape has been the manager of Zambia since 2018, leading the nation to the Tokyo Olympics, along with the African Cup of Nations and the COSAFA Women’s Championship. Their star player, Barbra Banda, netted consecutive hat-tricks at the COSAFA Cup. She continued her great scoring form, firing 10 goals in five appearances en route to Zambia winning the trophy. Getting out of Group C will be extremely difficult, but this side remains unknown.
Costa Rica Out of Form
Costa Rica made it all the way through to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship but was beaten 3-0 by the USA. Since then, it’s been a difficult patch over the last year or so for Las Ticas, who have only won two of their previous 17 games across all competitions.
Costa Rica will enter their second World Cup with Amelia Valverde as their coach, who led them in their maiden appearance eight years ago. Prior to taking over as senior head coach in 2015, she served as an assistant and U20s coach of Costa Rica. The team has nothing to lose, but they don’t have the necessary skills and quality to progress past the group stages.
