Group F of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 houses two powerhouses Brazil and France, along with Jamaica and debutants Panama.
The Brazilian team includes one of the greats in football, the FIFA Women’s World Cup highest goalscorer, Marta da Silva (17 goals), who is set to compete in her sixth tournament.
Les Bleues, on the other hand, have put their managerial and player conflicts behind them, by hiring Africa Cup of Nations winning coach Herve Renard, who has turned things around for the star-studded side.
Jamaica and Panama, however, seem to be the underdogs of the group, but the World Cup is full of surprises, and Group F wouldn’t be any different.
Brazil – 8th in FIFA Women’s ranking
The Canarinhas are one of the few teams that have been to all editions of the Women’s World Cup, with this being their ninth appearance at the Mundial.
They came close to winning the tournament in 2007 in China but lost 2-0 in the finals to Germany, making it their best outing at the tournament.
Brazil qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup as the best team from CONMEBOL after a 1-0 victory over Colombia in the final match of their qualification round.
Led by the experienced and accomplished Pia Sundhage, the Brazil team has been in good form, winning the Copa Americana Feminina in 2022 and having won their last two matches this term, hitting two against Germany in a 2-1 win and four unreplied goals against Chile.
Jamaica – 43rd in FIFA Women’s ranking
The Reggae Girlz are in the same group as Brazil for the second World Cup tournament in a row, and they will be in search of their first point after losing all three matches in 2019.
The Caribbean country will be participating in its second tournament after making its debut in France last time out. They sealed qualification for Australia and New Zealand with a third-place finish in the CONCACAF qualifiers.
The Lorne Donaldson-led side is currently going through a rough patch, with five defeats in their last seven games, including a heavy 7-3 loss to Mexico in the Central American and Caribbean Games.
France – 5th in FIFA Women’s ranking
The highest-ranked team in the group, France, is locked in as the favourite to make it to the next round, with many tipping them to triumph at the tournament.
Of the four teams in Group F, Les Bleues have been the most successful in the competition in recent times, with a fourth-place finish in Germany in 2011. In the last two editions, they have progressed out of the group stages and made it as far as the quarterfinals.
France sealed their qualification for the tournament with a 100% record, finishing as the leader of Group I in the UFA qualification rounds. They are in blistering form heading to Australia and New Zealand, as they are currently unbeaten this year with four wins and a draw from five games.
Since Frenchman Renard took over in March, they have scored seven goals and conceded three in two games, with victories over Colombia and Olympic champions Canada.
Panama – 52nd in FIFA Women’s ranking
Panama are one of the surprise packages of this year’s tournament as they prepare to participate in the World Cup for the first time.
The lowest-ranked team in the group needed the inter-continental playoffs to seal their place in Australia and New Zealand after a 1-0 win over Paraguay.
Las Canaleras has recently enjoyed a steady rise in their football, with six wins, three losses, and a draw in ten games since the turn of the year, and they will be heading to the World Cup with a point to prove.
FULL GROUP F FIXTURES LIST
23 July 2023: France v Jamaica – 11 a.m. (WAT)
24 July 2023: Brazil v Panama – 12 p.m. (WAT)
29 July 2023: France v Brazil – 11 a.m. (WAT)
29 July 2023: Panama v Jamaica – 1:30 p.m. (WAT)
2 August 2023: Panama v France – 11 a.m. (WAT)
2 August 2023: Jamaica v Brazil – 11 a.m. (WAT)
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