July 19 () –
Group F of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is another one that brings together two candidates to go far in the tournament such as France and Brazil, who start as the clear favorites to get the tickets for the round of 16 against Jamaica and Panama .
The French team seems the theoretical candidate to keep the important first place, both because of its status as the fifth best team in the FIFA ranking and because of the level of its squad and the growth of women’s football in their country.
France arrives at the appointment after having suffered turbulence in the dressing room like Spain, with the resignation of ‘heavyweights’ such as captain Wendie Renard if there were no changes in the ‘staff’. In this case, the French Federation, after an internal investigation, decided to put an end to the stage of the criticized Corinne Diacre and appoint the renowned Hervé Renard to attempt the assault on this World Cup.
The ‘Bleues’ arrive at the appointment ready to be once again in the list of favourites, which has resisted them in their last two appearances, where their path was cut short in the quarterfinals. Especially painful was in 2019, when there were high expectations for hosting, a dream that ended with the United States.
In this way, fourth place in 2011 continues to be the best result of a team that is competing in its fifth World Cup, fourth in a row, and that in the last Euro Cup in England was left at the gates of the final, eliminated by Germany in the semifinals, his best result also at the continental level.
Supported by the strength given by clubs like Lyon and PSG, France finally wants to shine in a great international event. Renard’s experience in men’s football could be key for a team with quality in all its lines, with the presence of Real Madrid players Sandie Toletti and Naomie Feller, but also diminished by striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto missing due to injury.
In 2019, the French team finished in the round of 16 with Brazil, a team that has lost some strength in recent years and that will want to recover part of that lost prominence in a World Cup with its new project with the consecrated Pia Sundhage .
The ‘Canarinha’, who has played in all the editions of the championship, was runner-up in the world in 2007, but since then, despite remaining the best in South America, their best performance since then was the 2011 quarterfinals, falling in the round of 16 in 2015 and 2019.
Current number eight in the world rankings, the Brazilian team arrives optimistic in Australia and New Zealand thanks to the work of their new coach, the Swedish Pia Sundhage, who has given greater strength to a team that competed well at Wembley against England in the ‘Finalissima ‘, where he fell on penalties. The veteran Marta, who was one of the best in the world, Debinha or the ‘Spanish’ Geyse Ferreira, Kathellen Souza or Monica Hickmann are some of her references.
French and Brazilian are the clear favorites to win the two tickets for the round of 16 ahead of two modest ones like Jamaica and Panama, who will try to take advantage of their lower pressure to try to surprise one of the favorites.
The Jamaican team has a little more experience as it will participate in its second consecutive World Cup after opening four years ago, where it shared a group with Brazil, with a clear defeat (3-0). The current 43rd in the FIFA ranking did not add any points and only scored one goal, records that she will try to improve under the leadership of Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw, chosen as the best player in CONCACAF.
Instead, Panama, the third American team in the group and 52nd in the FIFA ranking, will make its World Cup debut hoping to gain more experience. Marta Cox or the young Aldrith Quintero, who last season played for Alhama CF, are some of the benchmarks of a team that qualified after beating Papua New Guinea and Paraguay in the intercontinental play-off and was thrashed by Spain last month in a friendly.
