England Ready for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup

With the recent special announcement of the 23 World Cup-bound players for England, we look at who Phil Neville’s team will face in Group D.

The Lionesses come into this tournament, which they have never won before as one of the strong title contenders and if their slogan, “We’ve been here before. But, this time it’s different!” is anything to go by, then they are definitely ready.

However if the Lionesses want to conquer, great effort will be demanded as the will face strong competition in-group D that includes 2011 Women’s World Cup champions Japan.

This article will focus on profiling Group D, looking at the number of appearances made by each team, current FIFA rankings, Number of World Cups won, and star players to look out for in this tournament.

Group D

England:

Appearances: The Lionesses are part of the nations that have participated in all the editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This will be their eight appearance.

Current FIFA ranking: They are the highest ranked team in-group D, Currently ranked third on the latest FIFA rankings.

Number of World Cups won: Though they have been part of every edition, the England team is yet to win the prestigious World Cup trophy.

Players to look out for: Experienced Steph Houghton (who will lead the team) and Arsenal youngster Leah Williamson are definitely part of the players to look out for.

Scotland:

Appearances:  Scotland is one of the four team that will be making their FIFA World Cup debut.

Current FIFA ranking:  The team is ranked at number 20 in the latest FIFA rankings.

Number of World Cups won:  zero

Players to look out for: Experienced Kim Little and Manchester City star Caroline Weir are some of the players that will be caring the hopes of the nation.

Argentina:

Appearances: The Argentinian women will be making their third appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. They made their debut back in 2003.  

Current FIFA ranking: Argentina have been labelled as the underdogs of Group D as they are the lowest ranked team in the group, currently ranked 37th in the latest FIFA rankings.

However, Argentina has been faced with a lot of turmoil with a lack of investment for women’s football and support from their country and they will be one of the most determined teams in this tournament.

Number of World Cups won:  Zero

Players to look out for: Star player and Captain Estefania Banini will lead the team and Argentina head coach Carlos Borrello recently added some young talents to the national team to have a balanced squad of experience and young talent. Yamila Rodriguez  is one of the talents to look out for if selected.

Japan:

Appearances: It is impossible to mention the giants of the FIFA Women’s World Cup without mentioning Japan. This will be their eighth appearance in the tournament.

Current FIFA ranking: The Japan National Women’s Football team is ranked seventh in the latest FIFA rankings.

Number of World Cups won: Japan is the most successful national team in the Asian region and one of only four teams that have won the World Cup. They were crowned champions in 2011.

Players to look out for: Rising star, Yuka Momiki and experienced Rumi Utsugi are some of the players that will carry the hopes of Japan.

This promises to be one of the most interesting groups in the tournament with each of the team having a dream to fulfill. England want to clinch their first ever title, Scotland desire to not just add numbers but  make an impact  in their debut tournament, Argentina hope to inspire a generation of upcoming female footballers and continue fighting for equality in football and lastly ambitious Japan wants to claim their second World Cup trophy.

#GoGirls