Norway lead a group with hosts New Zealand, Switzerland and the Philippines

July 19 () –

Group A of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is surely one of the ‘weakest’ of the championship, with favoritism for Norway ahead of lesser rivals such as New Zealand, Switzerland and the rookie Philippines, all of them teams that could be rivals. Spain in the round of 16.

The Nordic team was lucky in the draw and fell framed with the seed that had the worst FIFA ranking, the New Zealander, number 26 in this classification, thus avoiding other rivals with greater potential that could complicate a first place for which it seems the best placed.

Norway, twelfth in the FIFA ranking, can boast of being one of the four countries that have won the world title, in the second edition of the tournament, in 1995, after beating Germany, thus avenging the defeat in the 1991 final against the USA. In addition, she was fourth in 1999 and in 2007, although since then, despite having players of a recognized level, she has not been able to be with the best.

Double European champion (1987 and 1993) and also Olympic champion in 2000, in France 2019 she stayed in the quarterfinals, clearly beaten by England, and in the last Eurocup she did not leave her best image, unable to go beyond a phase of groups where they were shaken by the English (8-0) and where they fell in the decisive match against Austria.

That poor performance led to the resignation of Martin Sjgren and the arrival on the bench of a legend of the country like Hege Riise, a member of the world champion team and who will lead a team with level players like the blaugrana Caroline Graham Hansen, surely the best winger in the world, and Ingrid Engen, Chelsea midfielder Guro Reiten and striker Ada Hegerberg (Olympique), Ballon d’Or winner in 2018.

Norway is the favorite to reach one of the two tickets for the crossings, surely as first, while the other appears very even and with New Zealand and Switzerland fighting for it ahead of the modest Philippines.

The hosts face their sixth World Cup, the fifth in a row, and with the clear aspiration to make history, not only achieving their first victory but also surpassing the group stage for the first time. After 15 World Cup matches, they have only added three draws and scored eight goals, and their preparation has not been rosy either, although the support of the public can give that plus to Jitka Klimkova’s team, led by the veteran captain and defender Ali Riley, who He will play his fifth World Cup.

Switzerland will try to assert its greater competitive quality to be in the round of 16, something it already achieved in its previous participation, in 2015, where it astonished Ecuador 10-1 and where it was eliminated by the minimum by Canada.

The Swiss team, whose favoritism increases for being the second with the best world ranking (20), qualified for its second World Cup through the ‘playoff’, after being surpassed in its qualifying group by Italy. The FC Barcelona player Ana Maria Crnogorcevic is the main reference of the Inka Grings team.

Finally, and in its rookie role, the Philippines, 46 in the FIFA ranking, will try to surprise and continue to gain international experience, taking advantage of the fact that none of the great candidates are in their group.