PORTUGAL (Group E) This commercial celebrating Portugal's first Women's World Cup has got us feeling emotionalpic.twitter.com/4RNf6b06iF— COPA90 (@Copa90) May 31, 2023 Goalkeepers: Rute Costa (SL Benfica), Inês Pereira (Servette FC), Patrícia Morais (SC Braga) Defenders: Ana Seiça (SL Benfica), Carole (SL Benfica), Catarina Amado (SL Benfica), Diana Gomes (Sevilla FC), Joana Marchão (Parma Calcio 2022), Lúcia Alves (SL Benfica), Sílvia Rebelo (SL Benfica), Midfielders: Ana Rute (SC Braga), Andreia Norton (SL Benfica), Andreia Jacinto (Real Sociedad), Dolores Silva (SC Braga), Fátima Pinto (Deportivo Alavés), Kika Nazareth (SL Benfica), Tatiana Pinto (Levante UD) Forwards: Ana Borges (Sporting CP), Ana Capeta (Sporting CP), Carolina Mendes (SC Braga), Diana Silva (Sporting CP), Jéssica Silva (SL Benfica), Telma Encarnação (CS Marítimo) Rumo ao Mundial! 🌏 Estas são as #Navegadoras que vão escrever mais uma página na nossa história! #VesteABandeira pic.twitter.com/EP5EFoM8WG— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) May 30, 2023
ENGLAND (Group D) Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa) Defenders: Lucy Bronze (FC Barcelona), Millie Bright (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal) Midfielders: Ella Toone (Manchester United), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (FC Barcelona), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Katie Zelem (Manchester United) Forwards: Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Bethany England (Tottenham Hotspur), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Katie Robinson (Brighton & Hove Albion) 📖 THE NEXT CHAPTER 📖 The #Lionesses' official @FIFAWWC squad announcement is here! pic.twitter.com/5WPAdNLMdR— Lionesses (@Lionesses) May 31, 2023
For the nerds, I'm back with with the roster statistics. As always, there may be mistakes on the average ages, but I do the best I can; corrections are welcome. Average ages are calculated to WWC opening day. The "WWC newbies" stat relates only to WC rosters, not to the Olympics, Euros, number of caps, etc.: Portugal: Average age: 27 years, 5 months, 12 days WC newbies: all (first time to go to the WWC) England: Average age: 26 years, 4 months, 25 days WC newbies: 15
Good news : Alexia Putellas and some of the other "rebels" should play at the WC Hoping for Bonmati and Guijarro... Une partie des 15 signataires devrait revenir en sélection le 12 juin ✅🇪🇸Alexia Putellas devrait en faire partie ⏳🇪🇸🗞️ @relevo pic.twitter.com/GlEWxIDBCr— Femmes Foot News 📰 (@femmesfootnews) June 6, 2023
Dunno if that a good news for Spain.... Suppousedly 4 to 6 players from "the 15" has agreed to come back.... which means the same number of current players will be kicked out. Lots of plans, tactics and partnerships trained with "new team" during last 12 months will now become useless. Not to mention about impact this will have on team spirit in general. Some trust issues - that's mild case, worst case scenario is division within the team. Well playd by RFEF (Rubiales) and Vilda though. If Spain will reach semis - they will paint themselves as wise coach and president whom both eased the conflict having only whats best for NT in heart. If Spain crushes in round of 16, or in quarters - all the blame will go to those 4 to 6 players.
Putellas, Bonmati and Caldentey in a squad of 30 players. Good. I know Mapi Leon, Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina didn't ask to return in the NT ... sad
JAPAN (Group C) Goalkeepers: Ayaka Yamashita (INAC Kobe), Chika Hirao (Albirex Niigata), Momoko Tanaka (Tokyo Verdy Beleza) Defenders: Saki Kumagai (AS Roma), Shiori Miyake (INAC Kobe), Risa Shimizu (West Ham United), Kiko Seike (Urawa Reds), Miyabi Moriya (INAC Kobe), Moeka Minami (AS Roma), Hana Takahashi (Urawa Reds), Rion Ishikawa (Urawa Reds) Midfielders: Hikaru Naomoto (Urawa Reds), Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City), Hina Sugita (Portland Thorns), Honoka Hayashi (West Ham United), Fuka Nagano (Liverpool), Hinata Miyazawa (MyNavi Sendai), Jun Endo (Angel City FC), Aoba Fujino (Albirex Niigata) Forwards: Mina Tanaka (INAC Kobe), Remina Chiba (JEF United Chiba), Riko Ueki (Tokyo Verdy Beleza), Maika Hamano (Chelsea/Hammarby) 🔹#なでしこジャパン🔹 ⚽メンバー発表⚽🏆MS&ADカップ 2023🗓️7.14(金) ⌚️19:05🆚パナマ女子代表🇵🇦🏟#ユアテックスタジアム仙台📺#日本テレビ 系列にて全国生中継🔗https://t.co/saHJYryCwH🏆FIFA 女子 #ワールドカップ オーストラリア&ニュージーランド 2023 🇦🇺🇳🇿⚔️グループステージ第1節… pic.twitter.com/LVdM0QMbEC— JFAなでしこサッカー (@jfa_nadeshiko) June 13, 2023
Japan: Average age: 25 years, 3 months, 21 days WC newbies: 14 Also you all probably have noticed this, but I am waiting on countries' final squad lists before calculating the average age.
Sadly omitted. She probably didn't play enough in Arsenal and in Tottenham in the final part of the season, so she's not considered fit for the World Cup. Consequently, once again (as in 2019), Japan will probably have one of the youngest teams at this WWC. Somehow makes sense, given the success Japan use to have at youth WWCs, but a little more experience wouldn't hurt. Despite being one of the few teams (they are 7, if I am not wrong) who didn't miss a single WWC, Japan will have 14 debutants out of a 23 players' roster: that's almost two thirds of the team. On this same train of thoughts, Iwabuchi's omission means that, 12 years later, the only survivor of the 2011 Champion team is Saki Kumagai.
Iwabuchi did not play much for Arsenal and barely more for Tottenham, so her form was not great in 2022/23. She arrived at Arsenal as the coach who wanted her left the club and the new coach did ot want her. And at Spurs, I don't think they wanted to use her too.
SWEDEN (Group G) Goalkeepers: Tove Enblom (KIF Örebro), Jennifer Falk (BK Häcken), Zećira Mušović (Chelsea) Defenders: Jonna Andersson (Hammarby), Linda Sembrant (Juventus), Nathalie Björn (Everton), Magdalena Eriksson (Bayern Munich), Amanda Ilestedt (PSG), Hanna Lundkvist (Atlético Madrid), Anna Sandberg (BK Häcken) Midfielders: Filippa Angeldahl (Manchester City), Kosovare Asllani (AC Milan), Hanna Bennison (Everton), Elin Rubensson (BK Häcken), Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Chelsea), Olivia Schough (FC Rosengård), Caroline Seger (FC Rosengård) Forwards: Stina Blackstenius (Arsenal), Rebecka Blomqvist (Wolfsburg), Lina Hurtig (Arsenal), Sofia Jakobsson (San Diego Wave), Madelen Janogy (Hammarby), Fridolina Rolfö (Barcelona) 𝐕𝐌-𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/UJcpQpDo6H— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) June 13, 2023
Sweden: Average age: 28 years, 8 months, 18 days WC newbies: 7 They are the oldest team so far, but there's quite a few more, including the US who is usually near or at the top for the oldest team.
Actually, the fact that some "eternal" veterans from the last editions, as Hedvig Lindahl or Nilla Fischer, are not there anymore somehow "rejuveneted" the Swedish team. What about Hanna Glas? She had been one of the best defenders in 2019: is she out injured?
I don't think she's recovered quickly enough from her injury last fall; she hasn't played for Kansas City at all this year, afaik. 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/naIaBGRMjm— Hanna Glas (@hannaglas) June 13, 2023
VLATKO should take notes. This is what picking a roster based on club form looks like. Iwabuchi has had a good career and most of us have a soft spot for a player we first saw at a World Cup when she was 17, but I think this is a good bold move. I thought the coach would take her to the World Cup but play her sparingly. Quite frankly, against the US at She Believes Cup she played alright but tended to bog down Japan's attack. Japan played well throughout but began to dominate once Jun Endo came on for Iwabuchi. And Japan finally broke their scoring drought against Canada with Iwabuchi out of the lineup. Perhaps it's better for the younger players to know they have to do it themselves and not be looking for Iwabuchi to come to the rescue when she's shown little sign of being able to do that. Bummer for Sweden. Hanna Glas was the right back for Sweden when they demolished the US at the Olympics. Their backline that game was Glas/Ilestedt/Björn/Andersson (yeah, no Eriksson that game; I know people will hate mysaying this, but I thought that was better for Sweden. I like Eriksson a lot but she tends to be make a couple big mistakes in big games)
Norway Her er VM-troppen 💫https://t.co/t4Fp9738lP pic.twitter.com/YMKlIYp1tb— Fotballandslaget (@nff_landslag) June 19, 2023
Norway (Group A) Goalkeepers: Guro Pettersen (Vålerenga), Aurora Mikalsen (SK Brann), Cecilie Fiskerstrand (LSK Kvinner) Defenders: Maren Mjelde (Chelsea), Tuva Hansen (Bayern Munich), Guro Bergsvand (Brighton & Hove Albion), Mathilde Harviken (Rosenborg), Marit Bratberg Lund (SK Brann), Anja Sønstevold (Inter Milan), Sara Hørte (Rosenborg) Midfielders: Frida Maanum (Arsenal), Thea Bjelde (Vålerenga), Vilde Bøe Risa (Manchester United), Ingrid Engen (Barcelona), Emilie Haavi (AS Roma), Caroline G. Hansen (Barcelona), Guro Reiten (Chelsea), Amalie Eikeland (Reading) Forwards: Julie Blakstad (Manchester City), Anna Jøsendal (Rosenborg), Karina Sævik (Vålerenga), Ada Hegerberg (Lyon), Sophie Roman Haug (AS Roma)
Morocco (Group H) - provisional roster *Anisa Lahmari switches from Algeria. pic.twitter.com/foaZHFPjLn— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) June 19, 2023