The draw for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is underway and it hasn’t been kind to the Matildas.
The Matildas have been drawn in Group B alongside Ireland, Canada and Nigeria, close to the worst possible result of the draw and described by Heather Garriock as the “Group of Death”.
Canada is the reigning Olympic champion and recently beat the Matildas in back-to-back games last month down the stretch despite a weak squad. They are the highest-ranked opponent (seventh) that Australia could have drawn from their pot.
The Republic of Ireland were the third-highest ranked team in their pot (24th), but beat the Matildas last year.
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Final opponents Nigeria were the highest ranked team in their pot (45th), they are the most successful team in African history, having won the last three Africa Cup of Nations titles Women’s Nations before losing it this year.
“Obviously the teams are tough,” Matildas and Arsenal star Steph Catley said Optus Sport.
“Ireland are tricky, we only saw them in a few playoff games and they played really well, they defended really well. Canada just won the Olympics and Nigeria also has amazing players and African teams are very difficult to play in major tournaments.
“It’s a tough group, but if you want to win, you have to beat everyone. I think obviously Canada is very tough. We played them recently.
“We didn’t have a full squad, but they have great players who play in some of the best leagues in the world. That’s one we’ll definitely look at early in terms of our preparation.”
Steph Catley admitted the draw is tricky. (Photo by Jan Christensen / Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
Looking beyond the group stage, the Matildas have also had a tough road to glory on home soil.
If the Matildas finish first in Group B, they will face the runner-up in Group D. If the Matildas finish second in Group B, they will face the winner of that group. But Group D includes two potentially brutal opponents in England and Denmark.
Australia will host the showpiece tournament alongside New Zealand, where the official draw took place in Auckland with hundreds of famous faces, including Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
New Zealand will host the opening game of the tournament, against heavyweights Norway. The Matildas will face the Republic of Ireland in their opening game on July 20 at the Sydney Football Stadium.
In other notable matches, two-time defending champions USA have been drawn against the Netherlands in a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final.
Performers take part in the opening ceremony of the Australia-New Zealand 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer draw at the Aotea Center in Auckland on October 22, 2022. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST / AFP) Source: AFP
THE DRAW
Group A
New Zealand
Norway
philippines
Swiss
Group B
Australia
Republic of Ireland
nigeria
canada
Group C
Spain
Costa Rica
zambia
Japan
Group D
England
Group B play-off winner
Denmark
china
Group E
USA
vietnam
Netherlands
Group A play-off winner
Group F
France
jamaica
brazil
Group C play-off winner
Group G
sweden
South Africa
Italy
Argentina
Group H
Germany
the morocco
colombia
Republic of Korea
MATILDA’S PLACES
Australia vs Republic of Ireland, Sydney Football Stadium, 20 July 2023
Australia vs Nigeria, Brisbane Stadium, 27 July 2023
Canada vs Australia, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, 31 July 2023
LIVE BLOG
Follow the draw on our live blog below from 5pm! If you can’t see the blog, click here.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The list of football legends who helped with the draw included Arsenal icon Ian Wright, two-time World Cup winner and former Men’s World Cup winner with Brazil Gilberto Silva, Alexi Lalas of the United States and former Gunners from Cameroon Geremi.
Australia’s Julie Dolan, Matildas first captain and all-time great, was also on stage.
He talked about the “thousand pies in the oven … the endless car washes” to help fund the team in the early days. “Every pioneering player will feel that this is a part of them.”
Australian Olympic champion Cate Campbell spoke of Australia’s “home advantage” and urged all fans to know the words to Waltzing Matilda.
Prime Minister Ardern was the first to speak at the ceremony, promising that regardless of playing in NZ or Australia: “You will be very welcome and very well looked after.”
Australian Sports Minister Anika Wells couldn’t hide her excitement and declared: “What a time to be alive! Here at the Women’s World Cup draw.”
“This World Cup will change lives,” he added to players and fans around the world.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino tried his best Australian accent with a “G-day” before saying: “Football unites the world and next year… we will unite the world.”
“We will unite the world with joy because football is joy,” he added, pointing to the two billion spectators expected around the world and the 1.5 million fans who will attend.
“This World Cup will not only be the best ever, it will turn both your countries upside down.”
Performers take part in the opening ceremony of the Australia-New Zealand 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer draw at the Aotea Center in Auckland on October 22, 2022. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST / AFP) Source: AFP
HOW THE DRAW WORKED
First, there are 32 teams in the World Cup for the first time, which will be drawn from four “pots” based on FIFA rankings to create the four-team groups.
As hosts, the Matildas (ranked 13) and NZ (22) have been placed in ‘Pot One’ alongside the six highest-ranked teams in the world, including two-time reigning champions USA.
The Matildas were seeded in Pool B, while the Kiwis will top Pool A.
Except for European teams, no nation can be drawn against a team from their own confederation, meaning the Matildas cannot face an Asian team in the group stage (ie China, Japan or South Korea in the second pot, or Vietnam in group three).
Although 29 teams have been locked into the tournament, there are still three spots left to be decided in a playoff tournament before the competition proper.
The knockout tournament is divided into three groups:
Group A: Cameroon, Thailand, Portugal
Group B: Senegal, Haiti, Chile
Group C: Chinese Taipei, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Panama
Each of these groups will be represented by a placeholder in pot four in today’s draw, meaning these teams will know their World Cup fate if they qualify.
To make things a bit more complex (and because the group winners have yet to be decided), FIFA will treat the Group A placeholder as a European team, Group B as a South American team and the group C as an Asian/Oceanic. team
That just means the Matildas and NZ can’t be drawn with the Pool C winner.
FULL EARS
can one: New Zealand (FIFA ranking 22), Australia (13), United States (1), Sweden (2), Germany (3), England (4), France (5), Spain (6)
Can two: Canada (7), Netherlands (8), Brazil (9), Japan (11), Norway (12), Italy (14), China (15), South Korea (17)
Can three: Denmark (18), Switzerland (21), Republic of Ireland (24), Colombia (27), Argentina (29), Vietnam (34), Costa Rica (37), Jamaica (43)
Pot four: Nigeria (45), Philippines (53), South Africa (54), Morocco (76), Zambia (81), Playoff Group A winners (Cameroon, Thailand or Portugal), Playoff Group B winners (Senegal, Haiti or Chile), Playoff Group C Winners (Chinese Taipei, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea or Panama)
ENTER THE FREE DRAW HERE (5pm AEDT)
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