The Socceroos on Saturday will kick off an Asian Cup campaign they believe can deliver the team’s second-ever title – but their warm-up win over Bahrain proves they still have to address a worrying issue.
The Socceroos laboured past a physical and defensive-minded Bahrain, ranked 12th among Asian confederation teams, struggling to break down a low block in defence that stifled Australia’s creativity and attacking output.
But Australia emerged 2-0 victors thanks to an own goal from a Craig Goodwin cross before veteran striker Mitchell Duke nodded home from close range after a cross was directed back across goal by Goodwin.
After 2023’s schedule was dominated by tough friendlies against attacking opposition, such as world champions Argentina, England, and Mexico, playing against a team dedicated to sitting deep in defence and hitting on the counter was a crucial learning experience.
“For us, I think, for us, it’s the perfect fixture to have before the Asian Cup,” coach Graham Arnold said. “You know, when we play against these types of nations, they sit back. Most nations we played against in the last twelve months haven’t really done that.
“I think, you know, they’re a strong nation that’s getting stronger, and like a lot of the Middle Eastern nations, physically, they were quite bigger than what we expected.”
For years, the Socceroos have laboured against teams that sit deep in defence, lacking creativity or incisive passing in the final third to break down packed defences.
Scoring goals is arguably the biggest weakness in this Socceroos squad entering the tournament.
Consider this: just seven of the Socceroos 26-man squad have scored for the national team, contributing a combined total of 36 goals.
Group rivals Uzbekistan have 12 different international scorers with 55 combined goals in their squad, while first opponents India have an all-time great in captain Sunil Chhetri, who boasts 93 goals by himself. That’s fourth-highest on the all-time international scoring charts behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Ali Daei of Iran, and Lionel Messi.
Australia managed just three shots on target against Bahrain, but Arnold is confident that his team took the right lessons out of the match.
“You know, it’s very, very hard to train players against that type of opposition in that until you do it real.
“You saw that we were getting better and better as the game went on, breaking them down, but also making sure that we weren’t hit on the counter-attack, which they liked to do … So, as I said, it was probably the perfect fixture to have before we go into this Asian Cup. No doubt, we’ll get quite a number of teams playing like [Bahrain] as well.”
There have been some positive signs in the Socceroos’ recent matches – two World Cup qualifying wins over Bangladesh (7-0) and Palestine (1-0) in November, before the Bahrain game on Sunday.
Chief among those has been the form of Mitch Duke, who has scored three in as many games, while winger Goodwin has assisted in each of the trio of matches.
Duke echoed Arnold’s thoughts after the Bahrain game, but promised Australia ‘can be better’ at breaking teams down in the Asian Cup.
“I think we had a bit of a test of everything in that game and we got to learn how to deal with each experience. During the game when they sit in back in the block, not to get frustrated, and open them up and shift the ball side to side and know how to break teams down,” he said.
“We’re going to expect that in the Asian Cup with some Asian teams that we’ll be playing against. And they’re probably just going to try and get us on the counter.
“We can be better at that for sure. Finding pockets and maybe being a bit more ruthless as well, like when we’re in crossing areas, maybe to hit the ball in more and put it into dangerous areas.”
It’s clear that effectiveness in the final third against the low block has been a focus for Arnold in improving this team, which is at its best against teams that press high and allow the Socceroos to play in transition.
But it’s still a work in progress, as the Bahrain game attested. The Socceroos were often ponderous in possession in dangerous areas, with Arnold urging them to play faster and stretch defences.
Goodwin said: “There’s going to be a lot of times, I think, especially in the group stage where we might dominate possession, and we need to be patient, and at times, you know, have to move the ball around a lot more and just be patient for those opportunities.”
“I think it’s something that we’ve started to work on,” he said.
“That combination football in the final third, and obviously coming into this Asian Cup, we’re going to have a lot more of the ball. So we need to be very good in those areas. Be patient and be decisive.”
Mitchell Duke is the top scorer among current Socceroos, and he’s got three in his last three games.Source: News Corp Australia
Luckily for the Socceroos, as the tournament progresses they are more likely to come up against teams willing to play a more possession-based approach.
That could create more opportunities for the Socceroos in attack.
In the early stages of the tournament, however, they will need to sharpen up offensively.
But in a promising sign, right-back Gethin Jones showed plenty of promise on debut, bombing up the right flank as he habitually does for Bolton Wanderers.
For Australia’s second goal against Bahrain, Jones cantered into space and drew three defenders, which opened up the defence and created Duke’s scoring chance.
Jones said: “What we do here is exactly the same as Bolton – attacking football.
“Arnold told me that when the ball is on the left side and the space on the right in front of me, I need to just make those runs, and I’ll get the space.”
“When I get in the wide areas, I try and get as many crosses into the box while obviously doing my defensive duties as well.”
But if the Socceroos are struggling to score from open play, at least they have a not-so-secret weapon: height.
Centre-back Harry Souttar, listed by the AFC at 200cm and 101kg (other sources claim 198cm), is a man mountain – and he uses that heft from corners and wide free kicks to head home plenty of goals.
He now boasts 10 goals from 22 appearances in the green and gold, which is remarkably second-most in the team behind Duke’s 12 in 33.
Harry Souttar’s height advantage has turned him into a set piece beast.Source: AFP
But the crosses from the likes of Goodwin and Riley McGree – and Australia’s clear height advantage – could be the primary path to goal this tournament.
Besides Souttar, the Socceroos squad includes defenders Cameron Burgess at 1.94m, Lewis Miller at 1.87m, and Kye Rowles at 1.85m. In midfield, Jackson Irvine is 1.89m tall.
In attack, recent debutant Kusini Yengi is 1.89m, potential debutant John Iredale is 1.88m, and veteran forward Mitchell Duke 1.87m.
All eight of those players are taller than any of India’s outfielders, while Australia’s eight players at 1.85m or taller is more than Syria (four) and Uzbekistan (five). The latter two opponents both have 1.90m strikers – but that’s still comfortably shorter than Souttar and Burgess.
So dangerous is the combination of Souttar and Burgess at set pieces, that the pair were marked by two defenders each by Bangladesh at times – and even that didn’t stop Souttar from scoring from a Goodwin corner, just as he did against Palestine.
Cameron Burgess and Harry Souttar were double-marked by Bangladesh.Source: Channel 10
Bangladesh coach Javier Fernandez Cabrera demonstrated just how much rival teams respect Australia’s skill at set pieces, when he declared before that match: “For us, Australia as a whole is definitely one of the best teams in Asia and one of the best teams in the world.
“When we talk about set plays, probably if not the best, it’s top five in the world, no doubt.”
Australia coach Graham Arnold told Channel 10 after the Palestine game: “Set pieces are crucial, especially when you’ve got someone of Harry Souttar’s size, height.
“Then the delivery’s important and Craig Goodwin’s delivery on that corner was fantastic.”
Or there was Mitch Duke, who summed up Souttar even better: “To be fair, on set pieces he seems to be a bit of a cheat code.”
Chasing just a second Asian title after the Socceroos sealed success on home soil in 2015, it could be the key to fixing Australia’s struggles in front of goal.
The Socceroos’ journey to the 2026 World Cup began this month with two wins over Bangladesh and Palestine.
While the outcome was the same in both games – a valuable three points secured in the lengthy qualification journey – the matches themselves were starkly different. It began about as well as Socceroos’ fans could have hoped with a 7-0 thumping on home soil, but was followed by a tense 1-0 win where Australia performed well below their best.
Now the road to 2026 is put on hold for Graham Arnold and his Socceroos as attention turns to a more pressing concern: January’s Asian Cup in Qatar.
It is a rare chance for major silverware for the Socceroos, who have won the competition just once before (in 2015 in Australia).
And on the back of a best-ever World Cup performance in 2022 – also in Qatar – expectations are understandably high for Australia.
But much has changed for the Socceroos in the 12 months since that World Cup began, and Arnold now faces a tricky balancing act between short-term trophy-hunting and the long-term development of his squad with 2026 on the horizon.
With a host of young talents on the rise, there will be plenty of difficult selection decisions to make – but the tournament provides a key opportunity for Arnold’s Socceroos to take a major step forward.
The tournament itself comes at an awkward and inopportune time for Australia. It was scheduled to be held in June of this year, only for China to withdraw from hosting in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Qatar picked up the tournament but, like the World Cup, weather conditions forced a shift from mid-year to the cooler months.
Had it been held in the middle of 2023 as initially planned, Arnold’s approach would probably have been more straightforward: the ageing core of the squad used throughout the previous World Cup cycle could push through for one last title tilt.
After the Asian Cup, Arnold could have focused fully on the next generation and his plans to rebuild with ’26 in mind.
Instead, Arnold has been forced to delay the full-scale overhaul of the roster until after this cup – given the established core of stalwarts provide the best chance of winning the tournament. They are, particularly in the wake of Qatar 2022, battle-hardened and tournament ready.
The next generation are not. Not quite yet, anyway.
But on the road to 2026 and the big dance, the Asian Cup is the single biggest opportunity for the next generation to experience elite tournament football – to gel as a unit and experience the unique pressure of playing repeated games on short turnarounds on the other side of the world.
It is just another factor in the difficult decisions that face Arnold in the months ahead.
The core question is simple: should he prioritise winning the cup or blooding the next generation?
So far, Arnold has unleashed plenty of young guns this year, thanks to a rare bevy of friendlies including tough tests against top opposition like world champions Argentina, England, and Mexico.
Mixing youth with experience has not been such a problem in this environment – the youngsters are allowed to learn the standards from the older generation and develop in that environment, rather than battle against the likes of Lionel Messi without the guidance of those stalwarts who have been there, done that.
But in prioritising the stability (and win-now readiness) of the current team rather than immediately committing to a long-term rebuild has meant that – including in the two recent World Cup qualifiers – some rookies have been kept on the outer rather than handed valuable match minutes.
Think of Jordan Bos playing against Bangladesh before being benched against Palestine in favour of the veteran Aziz Behich.
But balancing youth and experience while rebuilding the team is never an easy proposition – and the mix hasn’t always been right. It’s something that Graham Arnold acknowledged after the clash with Mexico in September where the Socceroos gave up a two-goal lead with some poor errors.
In that match, a series of second-half substitutes tilted the balance too much towards inexperienced youngsters, who struggled under the pressure of a high-octane opponent roared on by partisan Mexican fans.
Arnold recently told the Herald Sun: “It’s crucial you have the blend right – It’s OK to have a lot of young players, but you need senior players and good leaders around them.
“Against Mexico, you look at the players I had on the field in the last 10 minutes when we folded a bit, they were all kids … they didn’t deal with the pressure of 75,000 Mexicans in the stands going crazy.”
Call it a warning on the risks of youth, or call it a valuable learning experience – for both Arnold and the young players involved in that draw.
The last edition of the Asian Cup was also a brutal learning curve for the manager and the team.
In 2019 in the UAE, Australia were the defending champions and the second-highest ranked team in the competition.
But it came just months after Arnold took over the Socceroos job, and he inherited a team very much experiencing a generational change. Tim Cahill and Mile Jedinak had retired after the 2018 World Cup, leaving Arnold with a new-look team where 11 of 23 players had fewer than ten caps entering the tournament. Arnold’s much-changed team laboured from the start.
They squeaked out of the group thanks to a 93rd minute goal to Tom Rogic, before overcoming Uzbekistan on penalties in the Round of 16 following a goalless draw. A difficult tournament came to an end at the quarterfinal stage in a 1-0 defeat to hosts UAE.
This time around, the likes of Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic have retired. Mat Leckie hasn’t featured in the A-League Men’s campaign yet after a September injury, while Riley McGree has been injured since early October and won’t return to club action for some weeks yet. Milos Degenek and Trent Sainsbury have also fallen out of favour as new defenders rise through the ranks.
These are just a handful of the difficult choices that confronting Arnold. Should he opt for experience and solidity, or youthful exuberance and potential, in other words Aziz Behich or Jordy Bos?
In some cases (particularly Connor Metcalfe) the performances from young guns have been so impressive that they simply demand selection.
Souttar surges Socceroos to early lead | 00:43
WHY THINGS ARE EASIER FOR THE YOUNG GUNS NOW
But there is one key reason why backing the youth is not so risky as it was in 2019. Arnold has now managed more (A-International) games than any other Socceroos manager. He has been in charge for five years and has successfully embedded his tactical system not just at the senior international level but also at the Under-23’s or Olyroos, who he took charge of in both qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics and in that tournament proper.
It meant that many youngsters entered the Socceroos set-up already understanding the system and their individual role, making it easier to slot into the squad successfully. Combine that with the difficulty of opponents that the youngsters faced in friendlies this calendar year, and there’s no doubt that the rookies have been forged in fire – and are more capable of stepping up to the difficulties of tournament football.
Perhaps that gives Arnold a better opportunity than ever to roll the dice on youth, even if that comes with the risk of repeating the sort of collapse that occurred against Mexico.
But after all, on the road to 2026 there will be no better teacher in the demands of tournament football on the road than this Asian Cup, where Australia’s path to glory includes likely knockout matches with Saudi Arabia then Japan.
Arnold has enough credit in the bank from the 2022 World Cup – and a long-term contract to boot – that his future is secure even if things go sour at this tournament.
That won’t mean he won’t go for gold. But perhaps that means he can trust the next generation to do the job – and bet all his chips on building for 2026.
“You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head,” Lyles said after winning three gold medals at the 2023 World Championships.
And Stephen A. took their side on Monday’s First Take.
Lyles became the fifth man to take the 100m-200m double at the world champs. Photo by David Ramos/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
First, the sportscaster congratulated Lyles for his victory in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash as well as the 4×100-meter relay in Budapest, Hungary, where the tournament took place.
“I’m sure he’s a good brother and a whole bit,” the ESPN star continued.
“He just came across as flagrantly ignorant – and that needs to be said.”
To justify his point of view, Smith pointed out that a vast majority of NBA superstars – such as Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo – currently come from outside of the US.
He then brought up a press release from October 2022 that said the NBA featured 120 players from 40 countries and six continents between the 30 teams at the time.
Stephen A. Smith has unloaded on Noah Lyles. Photo: ESPNSource: Supplied
Stephen A. added the number has increased since then, making up nearly a third of the league.
“So how is that not global?” the First Take star asked.
“How is that not the world champion?”
Smith added: “One could easily argue that NBA players compete more against international competition than he (Lyles) does.”
Lyles claimed the gold in the 100m ahead of Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and Zharnell Hughes of Great Britain and Northern Ireland while fellow American Christian Coleman came in fifth.
In the 200-meter rush, two USA sprinters joined him in the final top five with Erriyon Knighton scooping the silver and Kenneth Bednarek finishing fifth.
This story first appeared in The US Sun and was republished with permission.
Lyles was speaking in a press conference last Friday night local time after he had secured a third consecutive world championships gold medal in the 200m, adding to the 100m crown he claimed earlier in the meet in Budapest.
Asked about the state of athletics on a global scale, the 26-year-old took aim at both the marketing of his sport and some of the terms used in other sports in a passionate reply.
“You know the thing that hurts me the most?” he began. “I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their heads.
“World champion of what? The United States?
“Don’t get me wrong. I love the US at times. But that ain’t the world. That is not the world – we are the world.
“We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving and putting on a flag to show that they are represented.
“There ain’t no flags in the NBA. We got to do more. We got to be presented to the world.
“I love the track community, but we can only do so much within our own bubble. There’s a whole world out there.”
NBA players are typically covered in “world champions” merchandise seconds after winning a title, like the Denver Nuggets in June this year. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Lyle was referring in part to the “NBA World Champions” caps, along with T-shirts and other merchandise, that are printed and displayed on every player from the winning team right after the final whistle, this past season being the Denver Nuggets.
The US has often faced derision for slapping the words “world champion” on what are effectively its domestic competitions, although leagues such as the NBA, the NFL and Major League Baseball are considered the pinnacles of those sports.
Lyle’s comments received an extremely rare round of applause from the media in the room that night and were received favourably by most people that follow sport.
That is, until some NBA players got wind of them.
The NBA has been using the term “world champions” for a long, long time. (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
America’s professional basketballers are some of the most high-profile, popular, well paid and outspoken in all of sports.
The guys at the very top tend to have millions of followers on social platforms and are not shy about airing their thoughts.
So the response from players such as Phoenix superstar Kevin Durant, Suns teammate Devin Booker, Golden State’s Draymond Green and current NBA world champion Aaron Gordon was quick and largely predictable.
Durant, who is known to have burner accounts on social media and often engages with his followers, was the first to reply to a SportsCenter post about Lyle’s comments, stating: “Somebody help this brother.”
Booker replied only with the face palm emoji and Lillard used the letters “TF” with a couple of laugh-crying emojis. If you don’t know the meaning of those two letters used together, we suggest you look them up, but suffice to say they are NSFW.
Gordon took a different slant, suggesting he and his 203cm frame would be “smoking buddy in the 200m”.
Juan Toscano-Anderson, a role player that also won a “world title” with Golden State in 2022, at least tried to explain his take.
“Last time I checked,” he wrote, “the NBA was the best competition in the WORLD.”
The outspoken Green, who calls himself a leader of something he’s labelled “new media”, replied: “When being smart goes wrong.”
Noah Lyles (left), NBA players Devin Booker and Kevin Durant and some of the social media reaction to the sprinter’s remarks.Source: Instagram
Lyle did get a lot of support, however, particularly from the athletics community as well as celebrity and fitness advocate Mario Lopez.
Lopez pointed out the English Premier League “has the best soccer players in the world, but the champions in the league don’t call themselves World Champions. And literally EVERY country in the world plays soccer”.
We’ll give the last word to Darrell Hill, an American who competed in shot put at the 2016 Olympics, who had a dig at the international status of the NBA.
“NBA dudes think (they’re) world champions because they play the Toronto Raptors,” Hill wrote.
FIFA has released its first rankings since the Women’s World Cup — and Australia isn’t happy.
The Matildas took Australia by storm with record TV ratings, enormous crowds and making the World Cup semi-finals for the first time.
But in FIFA’s first ranking moves since the World Cup, the Matildas moved from 10th to 11th, the only team from the top 10 before the tournament to drop out, with Japan moving up from 11th to eighth after being knocked out in the quarterfinals.
This is despite the likes of Germany, Brazil and Canada not making it out of the group stages.
Each of those teams took a hit with Germany dropping from second to sixth, Brazil from eighth to ninth and Canada seventh to 10th. The US, who exited in the round of 16, fell from No. 1 to No. 3.
The rankings are topped for the first time by Sweden, who finished third at the World Cup, while world champions Spain moved from sixth to second.
The Matildas finished fourth at the Olympics, then the World Cup. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
The results are based on the Elo ranking system, which counts every game the team has ever played but are weighted to emphasise recent results.
But while the importance of a match is one of the elements used in the rankings, there is no difference between group matches or the knockout matches in a World Cup.
There is also different factors including the expected and actual result of the match, the difference in rating points between teams and the opposition’s rating before the match.
It means that while the Matildas finished fourth at the World Cup, to the algorithm, they won three matches, drew a match (against France), and lost three matches.
They also lost to Nigeria, who were ranked 40th before the World Cup.
And as the Matildas played all their matches in Australia, their rating was also impacted by a “home advantage” correction, which is based on the historical record of home teams winning two-thirds of the points available to them.
Incredibly, although England retained fourth place on the rankings after winning five matches, a draw (a shootout win over Nigeria) and a loss the World Cup final to Spain, the Lionesses lost 10.62 rankings points.
Australia is nuts for the Matildas. Picture: Matt WilliamsSource: Supplied
However, Aussie fans weren’t too happy about the Matildas falling outside the top 10.
Journalist Mark Gottlieb said: “@TheMatildas have DROPPED to Number 11 in the latest @FIFAcom women’s world rankings despite finishing 4th at the #fifawwc.”
When QRL content producer Jacob Grams explained that it may have had to do with losing its last two games, Gottlieb replied: “That’s an insane way to do rankings.”
Grams replied: “It’s insane to do rankings based on results of matches?”
Gottlieb responded: “You think it makes sense for England to LOSE points for losing a World Cup final as opposed to gain points for, you know, making a World Cup final!
“Australia lost almost as many points as the USA. That’s nuts.”
Optus Sport presenter Michelle Escobar tweeted: “Matildas make it to a historic semi-finals berth and the FIFA rankings sees them bump down from 10th to 11th. WHAT?!”
The Matildas have just got to keep winning it seems. Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
But not everyone was stunned by the result, with Lachy France, who runs the website College Matildas saying last week: “The Matildas finished the Women’s World Cup with a draw and two losses at home and we lost to a team ranked in the 30s in the group stage our ranking is not going up.
“This is not like tennis where you get points for where you finish in a tournament.
“If you want to be the Jack Kramer of woso, doing vibes-based rankings like it’s 1950s tennis, have at it but don’t tell us what the official FIFA rankings are going to be.”
Denmark coach Lars Sondergaard says the Matildas can go “all the way” – with some “luck” – at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Tournament co-hosts Australia qualified for the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over the Danes in front of more than 75,000 fans in Sydney on Monday night.
Sondergaard felt his side was the “best” team until Caitlin Foord gave the Matildas the lead in the 29th minute.
“The match was decided by Australia’s effectiveness in front of goal, and our not so efficient play in front of goal,” he said.
“In very even games, the first goal is very important.”
Sondergaard was full of praise for the Matildas, particularly Arsenal attacker Foord.
We knew of the big counter-attack danger that Australia is, and especially on the left-hand side,” he said.
“You also have to acknowledge the speed (and) the power that Foord has. At the moment, she’s really a player who makes it difficult for opponents.
“She’s physically strong, she’s quick, (and) she’s a danger in front of goal.”
Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!
Caitlin Foord and the Matildas impressed Denmark coach Lars Sondergaard. Picture: STEVE CHRISTO / AFPSource: AFP
Sondergaard was also impressed by Australia’s defending.
They have a very narrow block and it’s hard to play through them. You have to be aware of the danger in losing the ball because they are very, very quick on the counter attack and probably the best team here in counter-attacking,” he said
“It could be a strength, defensively that they’re very good”
Add the huge support the Matildas are receiving, and all the ingredients are there for the Matildas to be crowned world champions on August 20.
“With the fantastic atmosphere that are at the games here, with the support that they have – you feel it all over – it’s a fantastic support for them, and it gives them extra power, so of course they could go all the way,” Sondergaard said,
“Of course, they also need the luck in some situations. I wish Australia all the best for the rest of the tournament. When the host nation is successful, it brings a lot more energy.”
While the Danes’ tournament is over, the Matildas head to Brisbane for a quarter-final meeting on Saturday night against either France or Morocco.
Best World Cup performance: Group stage (1991, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019)
The co-hosts are heading into their sixth Women’s World Cup having so far failed to win any of their 15 previous matches at the finals.
They have never got out of their group at the tournament and it would be a surprise if they did so this time, even with the advantage of having a home crowd behind them.
A positive result of any sort in their first match — and the tournament’s opening game — against Norway at Auckland’s Eden Park on July 20 would be a huge confidence boost.
Ranked 26th in the world, the Football Ferns are coached by the Czech Jitka Klimkova, the former national Under-17 coach who took over in 2021.
They may be lacking in household names, but look out for CJ Bott, a full-back with English WSL side Leicester City.
Norway were powerhouses of the women’s game as they reached the final of the first World Cup in 1991 and then lifted the trophy four years later.
Recent performances have been more underwhelming. They lost comfortably to England in the 2019 quarter-finals and then went out of Euro 2022 in the group stage after a humiliating 8-0 defeat against the English.
The appointment as coach of former star player Hege Riise after the Euros has led to an improvement. Norway cruised through World Cup qualifying and in recent months have beaten the Netherlands, and held England, France and Sweden.
They have depth to their squad, with Chelsea’s Guro Reiten offering creativity from midfield alongside Barcelona duo Ingrid Syrstad Engen and Caroline Graham Hansen.
Then there is Ada Hegerberg, the 2018 Women’s Ballon d’Or winner and prolific striker who will be eager to impress after refusing to play at the 2019 World Cup.
Will hope to get to the last eight at least.
Guro Reiten looms as a key player for Norway. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
PHILIPPINES (FIFA ranking 46)
Coach: Alen Stajcic (AUS)
Star player: Sarina Bolden (Western Sydney Wanderers/AUS)
Best World Cup performance: first appearance
The 46th-ranked Philippines are appearing at their first Women’s World Cup, fresh from reaching the semi-finals at last year’s Women’s Asian Cup and winning the AFF Women’s Championship for teams from Southeast Asia.
They also took bronze at last year’s Southeast Asian Games but can be under no illusions as to the size of the task awaiting them in New Zealand.
They are rank outsiders in Group A, although in Alen Stajcic they have an experienced coach who has previously managed his native Australia at the Women’s World Cup.
Will hope to cause a surprise or two with Australia-based forward Sarina Bolden providing the main goal threat.
Star player: Ramona Bachmann (Paris Saint-Germain)
Best World Cup performance: last 16 (2015)
Qualified for just their second Women’s World Cup by beating Wales in a playoff after coming second to Italy in their qualifying group.
Will now hope to make a greater impression than at last year’s European Championship, when they went out in the group stage without winning a match.
Former German international Inka Grings took over at the beginning of the year and is aiming to take a side led by Paris Saint-Germain’s Ramona Bachmann and Barcelona’s Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic into the knockout stages.
That would boost morale ahead of Euro 2025, which the Swiss will host.
Ramona Bachmann will be tasked with guiding Switzerland to the knockout stages. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
GROUP B
AUSTRALIA (FIFA ranking 10)
Coach: Tony Gustavsson (SWE)
Star player: Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finals (2007, 2011, 2015)
The Matildas have featured at seven World Cups and never progressed beyond the quarter-finals.
But on home soil and with momentum from a string of encouraging results, they are among the favourites with perhaps their most talented squad ever.
Much will depend on the form of Chelsea striker Sam Kerr, Australia’s skipper and leading goalscorer who is one of the superstars of women’s football. She will be the face of the tournament.
Kerr is supported by a host of quality players, including Lyon’s Ellie Carpenter, Caitlin Foord of Arsenal and Manchester City duo Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy.
Their Swedish coach Tony Gustavsson was appointed in 2020 and took time to settle in. He now faces the biggest test of his career.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (FIFA ranking 22)
Coach: Vera Pauw (NED)
Star player: Katie McCabe (Arsenal)
Best World Cup performance: first appearance
Ireland scraped into their first World Cup with a playoff win over arch rivals Scotland, reversing decades of underperformance.
Former Netherlands manager Vera Pauw has been central to the turnaround, along with captain and Arsenal talisman McCabe.
In the qualifiers they beat Georgia, held Sweden to a draw and moved to a playoff place with narrow wins over Finland and Slovakia.
In the playoff, Amber Barrett’s 72nd-minute strike was enough to propel them past Scotland and into a maiden finals.
Along with the versatile McCabe, Ireland will rely heavily on experienced US-based Denise O’Sullivan and Birmingham City’s Louise Quinn, who both have more than 100 caps each.
Katie McCabe is Ireland’s talisman. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
NIGERIA (FIFA ranking 40)
Coach: Randy Waldrum (USA)
Star player: Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona)
Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finals (1999)
The Super Falcons are by far Africa’s most successful international women’s football team, winning 11 Africa Cup of Nations titles, most recently in 2018.
One of the few nations to have qualified for every World Cup, they are contesting their ninth in Australia and New Zealand, with their best result the quarter-finals in 1999.
In Barcelona striker Asisat Oshoala they boast one of the greatest African footballers of all time in the women’s game, while inspirational captain Onome Ebi will be playing in an incredible sixth World Cup at age 40.
CANADA (FIFA ranking 7)
Coach: Beverly Priestman (ENG)
Star player: Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns, USA)
Best World Cup performance: Fourth place (2003)
The Tokyo Olympic gold medallists have qualified for every World Cup except the first in 1991, with a fourth-placed finish in 2003 the highlight so far.
They enter this tournament after a disrupted build-up that saw them threaten to strike over pay, funding and contractual issues.
They are also missing key forward Janine Beckie, who has a knee injury. That makes 40-year-old skipper Christine Sinclair, who is the all-time leading scorer in international football, even more pivotal.
Now in her 23rd year on the Canadian team, she is at her sixth World Cup and has made more than 300 appearances for her country.
“We’re going there to win it,” she declared last week.
Christine Sinclair is competing at her sixth World Cup with Canada. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
GROUP C
SPAIN (FIFA ranking 6)
Coach: Jorge Vilda (ESP)
Star player: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best World Cup performance: Last 16 (2019)
Spain’s preparations were thrown into turmoil last year when 15 players declared themselves unavailable “until situations that affect our emotional and personal state” were resolved.
The players were unhappy with several issues, including the leadership of coach Jorge Vilda. The Spanish federation nevertheless backed him to lead the team into the World Cup.
Three of the 15 were named in the squad for Australia and New Zealand after agreements with the federation were reached on some points, but that means Spain are missing key players.
Twice Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas was included after returning from injury.
Despite the disruption Spain have been mostly winning since the protest began, their only defeat coming against co-hosts Australia.
Vilda’s side remain a serious contender in spite of the off-field troubles.
COSTA RICA (FIFA ranking 36)
Coach: Amelia Valverde (CRC)
Star player: Raquel Rodriguez (Portland Thorns, USA)
Best World Cup performance: Group stage (2015)
Costa Rica made an impact in their only previous World Cup appearance, in 2015, exiting at the group stage after conceding a late goal against Brazil in their final game.
That came after impressive draws against Spain and South Korea that belied their status as tournament minnows.
“Las Ticas” have struggled though for results going into this year’s tournament, losing five matches in a row before defeating fellow qualifiers Haiti 2-0.
Costa Rican great Shirley Cruz was a controversial omission from the squad in what was to have been her swan song.
But they can still call on the goalscoring midfielder Raquel Rodriguez and Priscila Chinchilla, who plays for Scottish champions Glasgow City.
Raquel Rodriguez provides plenty of goals from midfield. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
ZAMBIA (FIFA ranking 77)
Coach: Bruce Mwape (ZAM)
Star player: Barbra Banda (Shanghai Shengli, CHN)
Best World Cup performance: First appearance
Zambia was one of the first African countries to field a women’s team in the 1980s and they are now reaping the reward after qualifying for their first World Cup.
The Copper Queens are enjoying an unprecedented wave of success after also appearing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where they claimed a draw with China and lost to Brazil by a single goal.
But an Olympic-record 10-3 thrashing by the Netherlands exposed Zambia’s lack of experience at the top level and they go into the World Cup as the tournament’s lowest-ranked team.
That said, they stunned Germany — one of the World Cup favourites — 3-2 away in a friendly last week with skipper Barbra Banda scoring twice.
The forward, who hit back-to-back hat-tricks at the Tokyo Olympics, has been cleared to play after missing last year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations because she had excessive natural testosterone levels.
JAPAN (FIFA ranking 11)
Coach: Futoshi Ikeda (JPN)
Star player: Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City)
Best World Cup performance: Winners (2011)
Japan have fallen behind the top teams since winning the World Cup in 2011 but they remain dangerous and will be looking to re-establish their credentials in Australia and New Zealand.
More Japanese players now ply their trade overseas and Manchester City’s Yui Hasegawa and Angel City’s Jun Endo are among those bringing a new dimension to the national team.
Defender Saki Kumagai, who scored the penalty that won Japan the title in 2011, is the only World Cup winner still around, with Tottenham forward Mana Iwabuchi a surprise omission from the squad.
Recent results have been up and down, and wins over the world’s top sides have been scarce.
But Japan still have plenty of pedigree and coach Futoshi Ikeda knows his players well after previously taking charge of national youth sides.
Manchester City star Yui Hasegawa is a key player for Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
GROUP D
ENGLAND (FIFA ranking 4)
Coach: Sarina Wiegman (NED)
Star player: Keira Walsh (Barcelona/ESP)
Best World Cup performance: Third place (2015)
England are reigning European champions and along with holders the United States favourites for the World Cup.
But if they are to win the tournament for the first time England will need to do it without several key players because of injury.
Captain Leah Williamson, Arsenal forward Beth Mead and Chelsea’s Fran Kirby will all miss out with knee injuries.
England’s form has also been a little patchy in recent months. They were held 1-1 by Brazil and then lost 2-0 at home to Australia as their 30-match unbeaten run came to an end.
England’s final warm-up match for the World Cup was an underwhelming 0-0 stalemate with Portugal at home.
But the Lionesses have strength in depth to make up for the injuries and in Sarina Wiegman they have one of the best coaches in the women’s game.
CHINA (FIFA ranking 14)
Coach: Shui Qingxia (CHN)
Star player: Wang Shuang (Racing Louisville/USA)
Best World Cup performance: Runners-up (1999)
China hosted the first Women’s World Cup, in 1991, were fourth in 1995 and then runners-up to the United States in 1999.
But since then they have been caught up and overtaken by the European countries in particular.
China squeezed into the knockout rounds in 2019 before bowing out 2-0 in the last 16 to Italy.
There were better signs however last year when they defeated former World Cup winners Japan in the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Cup on penalties.
China then beat South Korea 3-2 in the final and attacking midfielder Wang Shuang, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain, was one of the players of the tournament with five goals.
Much will depend on Wuhan-born Wang if they are to make an impression in Australia and New Zealand.
Wang Shuang played an important role in helping China get to the World Cup. (Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
HAITI (FIFA ranking 53)
Coach: Nicolas Delepine (FRA)
Star player: Melchie Dumornay (Lyon/FRA)
Best World Cup performance: First appearance
Haiti are one of the feel-good stories of this World Cup.
They defied instability back home to qualify for the first time in their history, via the play-offs.
The young squad, boasting a number of players who ply their trade in France, is considered something of a “golden generation”.
The undoubted pick is the 19-year-old Melchie Dumornay, whose performances for Stade de Reims earned her a move to heavyweights Lyon.
The attacking midfielder is considered one of the most promising players in world football.
Haiti will be many people’s second team, but it would be a shock if they get out of the group.
DENMARK (FIFA ranking 13)
Coach: Lars Sondergaard (DEN)
Star player: Pernille Harder (Bayern Munich/GER)
Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finals (1991, 1995)
The Danes will be expected to make it out of the group along with England, having romped their way through qualifying with a perfect eight wins in eight matches.
Pernille Harder will be key if they are to equal or improve on their best World Cup showing of getting to the quarter-finals.
The skipper made her international debut aged 16 and promptly scored a hat-trick.
Now 30, she is a two-time UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and has been described by Chelsea manager Emma Hayes as “one of the best attacking players in the world”.
Recently left Chelsea at the end of her contract and joined Bayern.
Pernille Harder is a two-time UEFA Women’s Player of the Year. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
GROUP E
UNITED STATES (FIFA ranking 1)
Coach: Vlatko Andonovski (MKD)
Star player: Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)
Best World Cup performance: Winners (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019)
The superpower of international women’s football, the United States are aiming to win a third consecutive World Cup and a record-extending fifth overall.
English-born Jill Ellis led the team to their last two victories before being replaced by Vlatko Andonovski.
Born in the former Yugoslavia in what is now North Macedonia, Andonovski moved to the USA over two decades ago and became national coach in 2019 after enjoying success at club level.
After only taking bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, Andonovski’s side must show that they can still outperform an ever-improving European contingent, not to mention an Australia side with high hopes as co-hosts.
The tournament represents a World Cup farewell for icon Megan Rapinoe, who is now 38 and will retire after this season.
There is still huge quality throughout the squad, even with Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario falling victim to the knee injury curse sweeping through the women’s game, with Alex Morgan no doubt set to play a starring role.
Would be a huge surprise if they failed to make the semi-finals at the very least.
VIETNAM (FIFA ranking 32)
Coach: Mai Duc Chung (VIE)
Star player: Huynh Nhu (Lank FC Vilaverdense/POR)
Best World Cup performance: First appearance
Vietnam are heading to their first World Cup — men’s or women’s — off the back of their run to the quarter-finals of last year’s Asian Cup.
History was made by a team coached by Mai Duc Chung, who told FIFA.com that Vietnam “won’t set high ambitions”, but added: “We are not scared”.
An opening game against the holders is a daunting prospect, and Vietnam will hope to avoid the fate that befell their Southeast Asian rivals Thailand, who lost 13-0 to the United States in their first game at France 2019.
Vietnam’s star player is striker Huynh Nhu, who last year became the first woman from the country to join a professional European club when she signed for Lank Vilaverdense in Portugal.
NETHERLANDS (FIFA ranking 9)
Coach: Andries Jonker (NED)
Star player: Lieke Martens (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA)
Best World Cup performance: Runners-up (2019)
The Netherlands only recently emerged as a force in the women’s game, winning Euro 2017 as hosts and then enjoying a remarkable run at the 2019 World Cup as they went all the way to the final before losing 2-0 to the United States.
Yet a repeat of that performance appears unlikely.
Those feats were achieved under former coach Sarina Wiegman, who left after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 to take charge of England. Her successor, Englishman Mark Parsons, oversaw a quarter-final exit to France at last year’s Euro and was replaced by Andries Jonker.
The Netherlands eased through World Cup qualifying but they head to New Zealand without prolific striker Vivianne Miedema as she continues her recovery from an ACL injury suffered last December.
It will therefore be up to the likes of winger Lieke Martens and midfielder Danielle van de Donk to lead the Dutch charge.
Lieke Martens must take up the attacking impetus due to Vivianne Miedema’s injury. (Photo by Armando Babani/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
PORTUGAL (FIFA ranking 21)
Coach: Francisco Neto (POR)
Star player: Jessica Silva (Benfica/POR)
Best World Cup performance: First appearance
Portugal took the long route to qualify for their first Women’s World Cup. They came second in their qualifying group behind Germany, then won play-offs against Belgium and Iceland.
That set up an inter-confederation playoff in February against Cameroon, which Portugal won 2-1 thanks to a 94th-minute Carole Costa penalty.
Before that, Francisco Neto’s team went out of last year’s Euro without winning a game, but they did hold European champions England to a 0-0 draw away in a friendly earlier this month.
Being drawn in a group with the two finalists from the 2019 edition means it would be a big surprise if Portugal were to go beyond the first round.
GROUP F
FRANCE (FIFA ranking 5)
Coach: Herve Renard (FRA)
Star player: Kadidiatou Diani (unattached)
Best World Cup performance: Fourth place (2011)
France are in many ways the great underachievers of international women’s football. They have never won a major title and have made a nasty habit of falling short, going out of the last two World Cups in the quarter-finals and in the semi-finals of last year’s Euro.
Les Bleues are also recovering from a turbulent few months following the sacking of Corinne Diacre as coach in March.
Diacre was ditched after several leading players, including captain Wendie Renard and star forward Kadidiatou Diani, said they would no longer play under her.
She was replaced by Herve Renard, who led Saudi Arabia to a famous win over Lionel Messi’s Argentina at the men’s World Cup in Qatar.
The new coach’s task is complicated by injuries, with attacking stars Delphine Cascarino and Marie-Antoinette Katoto ruled out of the competition.
Nevertheless France have the quality to go far and the quarter-finals must be a minimum objective.
JAMAICA (FIFA ranking 43)
Coach: Lorne Donaldson (JAM)
Star player: Khadija Shaw (Manchester City/ENG)
Best World Cup performance: Group stage (2019)
Jamaica are back at the Women’s World Cup after losing all three group games on their debut in 2019. They qualified after finishing third at last year’s CONCACAF W Championship.
The Reggae Girlz will be doing very well to make it out of the group but they will at least hope to avoid losing every match this time.
In prolific Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw they have one of the very best in the business — she scored 20 goals in the English Women’s Super League in the season just finished.
Others ply their trade at a high level in Europe or the United States, but a dispute with their national federation over what the team called “extreme disorganisation” has clouded their preparations for the tournament.
Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw scores goals for fun with Manchester City in the WSL. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
BRAZIL (FIFA ranking 8)
Coach: Pia Sundhage (SWE)
Star player: Marta (Orlando Pride/USA)
Best World Cup performance: Runners-up (2007)
Brazil got to the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup and then reached the final in 2007, losing to Germany. However, they have faded as a force in recent years, going out of the last two World Cups in the last 16.
Nevertheless, the team that dominates in South America will hope to make an impact this year in what will be the last World Cup for Marta, the six-time world player of the year who is now aged 37.
From Tamires and Rafaelle at the back, to Geyse and Andressa Alves up front, Brazil have enough other top-level players to go beyond the first knockout round this time.
The team is coached by the veteran Swede Pia Sundhage, who twice led the United States to Olympic gold and won Olympic silver as coach of her home country.
PANAMA (FIFA ranking 52)
Coach: Ignacio Quintana (MEX)
Star player: Marta Cox (Pachuca/MEX)
Best World Cup performance: First appearance
Ranked 52nd in the world and appearing at their first Women’s World Cup, Panama are one of the rank outsiders in Australia and New Zealand.
The Canaleras, coached by the Mexican Ignacio Quintana, were the last team to qualify when they beat Paraguay 1-0 in the final inter-confederation playoff in New Zealand in February.
Midfielder Marta Cox was key in qualifying and will have an important role to play, while Panama also have high hopes for Riley Tanner, a United States-born forward with Washington Spirit who has opted to represent the land of her mother’s birth.
Their first match is against Brazil in Adelaide on July 24.
GROUP G
ARGENTINA (FIFA ranking 28)
Coach: German Portanova (ARG)
Star player: Estefania Banini (Atletico Madrid/ESP)
Best World Cup performance: Group stage (2003, 2007, 2019)
Lionel Messi and his side won the men’s World Cup in Qatar, but ambitions are far more limited for Argentina’s women’s team.
Argentine women’s football is still semi-professional, meaning players can only make a partial living off the sport.
They have been at the Women’s World Cup three times and are yet to win a match in nine attempts.
In 2019, they again failed to get out of their group, but they did pick up points in draws with Scotland and former world champions Japan.
In Australia and New Zealand, they are aiming to make a piece of history by reaching the knockout rounds.
“We don’t think we’ll win the World Cup, but we’ll give a good account of ourselves,” veteran goalkeeper Vanina Correa told FIFA.com.
Experienced midfielder Estefania Banini, an ever-present for Atletico Madrid, is the team’s talisman.
Estefania Banini will be pivotal to Argentina getting to the knockout stages. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
ITALY (FIFA ranking 16)
Coach: Milena Bertolini (ITA)
Star player: Manuela Giugliano (Roma/ITA)
Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finals (1991, 2019)
Coach Milena Bertolini left out the 34-year-old long-time captain Sara Gama from her squad as she looks to the future.
The teenage Barcelona midfielder Giulia Dragoni was called up, underlining how Bertolini is putting her trust in a new generation.
Dragoni is unlikely to start given the stiff competition in a midfield led by Manuela Giugliano, but she could well play a part as Italy try to show that they are better than their dismal display at Euro 2022.
They flopped at the tournament, finishing bottom of their group, taking one point from three games.
Italy reached the quarter-finals at the last World Cup, but expectations are more modest on this occasion.
Their time could come instead in 2027.
SOUTH AFRICA (FIFA ranking 54)
Coach: Desiree Ellis (RSA)
Star player: Thembi Kgatlana (Racing Louisville/USA)
Best World Cup performance: Group stage (2019)
The lowest-ranked team in what looks like an open group, South Africa will have to do something special to reach the knockout rounds.
They have appeared at the tournament only once before, in 2019, when they lost all three matches and scored one goal.
Preparations for this World Cup were overshadowed by a pay row with South African football authorities, but that seems to have been resolved.
The Banyana Banyana are African champions and their squad is largely made up of players from the domestic league.
US-based forward Thembi Kgatlana is a lynchpin of the side and is now fit and firing following injury.
Attacking midfielder Linda Motlhalo is another playing overseas, with Glasgow City in Scotland.
Thembi Kgatlana has been a constant presence for the Banyana Banyana. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
SWEDEN (FIFA ranking 3)
Coach: Peter Gerhardsson (SWE)
Star player: Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona/ESP)
Best performance: Runners-up (2003)
Undoubtedly the strongest team in the group, it would be a major surprise if Sweden do not get to the last 16 at the very least.
They have a long and proud history in women’s football, having featured at the first World Cup in 1991, where they finished third.
Sweden have been to every World Cup since, losing to Germany in the 2003 final and coming third last time.
They reached the semi-finals at the Euros last year before being soundly beaten 4-0 by hosts and eventual champions England.
Sweden’s squad boasts some top talent and numerous players who feature at leading European teams, including the Chelsea pair of midfielder Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and goalkeeper Zecira Musovic.
There is also the Arsenal trio of Stina Blackstenius, Lina Hurtig and Amanda Ilestedt, plus Filippa Angeldal at Manchester City.
Fridolina Rolfo is a goal-scoring and pacy left winger at Barcelona who can also play up front.
GROUP H
GERMANY (FIFA ranking 2)
Coach: Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (GER)
Star player: Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg/GER)
Best World Cup performance: Champions (2003, 2007)
Germany are two-times world champions and will once again be among the favourites.
They suffered heartbreak after losing to hosts England 2-1 in extra-time in the final of last year’s Euros.
It was especially devastating for star player Alexandra Popp, who was ruled out of the match at Wembley after picking up an injury in the warm-up, having scored six goals on the way to the final.
Germany have beaten the United States and France in friendlies since then, but recent results have been mixed and they lost 3-2 at home to fellow World Cup qualifiers Zambia earlier this month in a major shock.
The Germans have quality throughout their squad and feature 10 players from Champions League runners-up Wolfsburg.
They start just behind England and holders the United States as favourites.
Alexandra Popp will not want to miss out on yet another final should Germany go all the way in Australia. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
MOROCCO (FIFA ranking 72)
Coach: Reynald Pedros (FRA)
Star player: Ghizlane Chebbak (AS FAR/MAR)
Best World Cup performance: First appearance
Tournament debutants Morocco are the first Arab nation to play at a Women’s World Cup, having finished runners-up at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations behind winners South Africa.
The Atlas Lionesses can draw on players from around Europe’s top leagues and at home, led by inspirational captain Ghizlane Chebbak.
Coach Reynald Pedros also has pedigree, having led women’s giants Lyon to two Champions League and two domestic French titles before joining Morocco in 2020.
Morocco start among the lowest-ranked teams at the World Cup and results in friendlies this year have been inconsistent.
But Chebbak insists she and her teammates “aren’t going to the World Cup to make up the numbers”.
COLOMBIA (FIFA ranking 25)
Coach: Nelson Abadia (COL)
Star player: Daniela Montoya (Atletico Nacional/COL)
Best World Cup performance: Last 16 (2015)
Colombia are known as “the Powerpuff Girls” and will be hoping to pull off some superpowered results in Australia and New Zealand.
The Colombians beat Argentina to reach the final of last year’s Copa America and only missed out on the trophy after a 1-0 defeat to Brazil.
Colombia have fared well against weaker sides since then but lost to both France and Italy in friendlies earlier this year.
They have still come a long way since their World Cup debut in 2011, when they exited at the group stage without scoring a goal.
SOUTH KOREA (FIFA ranking 17)
Coach: Colin Bell (ENG)
Star player: Ji So-yun (Suwon FC/KOR)
Best World Cup performance: Last 16 (2015)
South Korea stuck a total of 10 goals past Zambia in two friendly matches earlier this year, then beat another World Cup team, Haiti, 2-1.
Led by creative force Ji So-yun, now back in her home country after eight successful years at Chelsea, the Koreans are aiming to get past the World Cup group stage for only the second time.
Their recent record against European teams is not good though, losing to England, Belgium and Italy at the Arnold Clark Cup in February.
English coach Colin Bell will relish facing Germany, having spent three decades there as a player and coach.
He will be relying on a mostly domestic squad, with 16-year-old US-born forward Casey Phair a notable exception — and an exciting addition to an otherwise unspectacular team.
The Socceroos are out to avenge their heartbreaking World Cup loss against Argentina as the nations square off in a friendly in Beijing, China at 10pm (AEST).
Argentina, who went on to win the World Cup, squeezed past Graham Arnold’s side 2-1 in the Round of 16 thanks to Lionel Messi’s brilliance and a superb late save from Emi Martinez.
However, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni remarked the match against the Socceroos was his side’s toughest game of their entire Qatar campaign.
The world champions are expected to name a strong side with Messi expected to start as the pint-sized superstar will miss his side’s upcoming fixture against Indonesia.
Follow all the action from the Socceroos’ clash against Argentina in our LIVE BLOG below!
As for the Socceroos, Arnold has confirmed former Melbourne City duo Jordan Bos and Aiden O’Neill will start as well as Keanu Baccus, who started the Round of 16 clash.
Plenty of Aussies will be intrigued to see if teenage defender Alessandro Circati sees any minutes.
Circati, a dual citizen of Australia and Italy, pledged his international future to the Socceroos in a major boost for Arnold.
The 19-year-old’s decision follows that of midfielder Alexander Robertson, who committed to the Socceroos instead of England, Scotland and Peru ahead of the Ecuador friendlies.
Although it may be billed as a friendly between the two nations, there is still some silverware up for grabs.
A video circulating on social media displayed the bizarre trophy which has been declared the International Football Invitational Memorial Prize.
The gold trophy features a spinning ball on top with plenty of striking details, including the emblems of each national team.
Follow all the action from the Socceroos’ clash against Argentina in our LIVE BLOG below!
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold wants to start a campaign to change the word “friendlies” to ”fixtures” when it comes to games like Thursday‘s against Argentina in China.
That’s because there will be nothing friendly about how his team “gets in the face” of the world champions, including superstar Lionel Messi, in what looms for some of the younger Socceroos as the biggest game of their careers.
A sold-out crowd of close to 70,000 is expected at the game in Beijing and the Socceroos have experienced the Messi effect in the lead-up, with hundreds of fans surrounding his hotel trying to catch a glimpse of the all-time great.
Chinese fans have been gathering outside hotels in Beijing trying to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi. Picture: Jade GAO / AFPSource: AFP
Arnold confirmed rising stars Jordan Bos and Aiden O’Neill, who weren’t part of the World Cup clash, would start and midfielder Keanu Baccus would get another shot at Messi too as the Australians look for revenge after a 2-1 loss to Argentina in the round of 16 in Qatar.
Arnold said the Socceroos would be “extremely aware” of 35-year-old megastar Messi but were confident the plans they used in Qatar could contain him this time.
“What we did at the World Cup, I felt that we did very, very well till about the 43rd minute (when he scored) and we’ll do the same again,” the Socceroos coach said from Beijing on Wednesday.
“It‘s not just about him … you can’t just focus on that one player, but obviously, be extremely aware of him when he when he is in possession. But as I said we’ll have a plan around him.”
The Socceroos haven’t been forgotten on posters in Beijing. Picture: Pedro Pardo / AFPSource: AFP
The challenge of taking on the world champs has energy in the Socceroos’ camp “through the roof” and Arnold is hoping that translates to the full-on, dynamic play his team will need to keep Argentina under control.
“The focus needs to be on our own performance, and if there’s one thing that we could do better than what we did in the last was in possession,” he said.
“Keeping possession and making sure that we’re making them do some running and some chasing and we’ll be in their faces for 90 minutes defensively.”
Arnold conceded it would be up to several of the younger Socceroos to handle the occasion, but the fact so many are heading straight to Europe after the clash was testament to their ability.
“They are flying to Europe too because the European clubs have identified Australian talent,” he said.
“You come in to these types of occasions and see how platers handle it. They feel and they believe that they belong on this stage.
“The energy is through the roof and take that energy onto the field, anything can happen.”
Young gun Jordan Bos will start for the Socceroos against Argentina. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
With Arnold declaring he has “one eye on the Asian Cup and two eyes on the next World Cup”, the Socceroos boss said there was “no way” the Australians would be taking it easy against Messi’s men.
“I wish we could change the word friendly to fixture,” he said.
“When you put on that Australian badge over your heart, you put on that jersey, you get a cap, there’s no such thing as a friendly.
“It’s an international fixture and it’s an opportunity to go out there and continue to improve.
“Everything is about improvement, getting better, individually and as a group and making sure that every time we turn up, we’re ready to go out and do better.”
Back in the summer of 2019, the Lakers, Nets and Clippers all made major moves that threatened to signal the arrival of three new championship contenders in the NBA.
Three new superteams.
Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George all ended up in Los Angeles while Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined forces in Brooklyn.
“This summer has been interesting,” Chris Paul, who was also traded to Oklahoma City that summer, told ESPN at the time.
“It’s been a lot of movement, a lot of player movement, and I think it’s great for our league, me included. There’s a ton of us that aren’t with the team we were with last year. It’s crazy.”
In the background, Denver was taking a very different approach.
Although it would have been very easy for the Nuggets to have also considered heading in another direction in the summer of 2019.
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic during the 2019 playoffs. Steve Dykes/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
After finishing with the second seed in the West to clinch a playoff berth for the first time in six years, the Nuggets came up just one game short of the Conference Finals.
But it was the way they went out — blowing a 17-point lead in Game 7 against the Portland Trail Blazers — that really stung.
Nikola Jokic led the way with 29 points but missed 15 shots while Jamal Murray was just 4-for-18 from the floor.
It would have been all too easy to overreact, to let the disappointment of that game linger and overshadow what had largely been a step in the right direction for the Nuggets.
Jokic, for example, made his first All-Star appearance and only took his game to another level in the playoffs, recording four triple-doubles and scoring a career-high 43 points in a loss to San Antonio.
This was a young roster that had promise, particularly if Michael Porter Jr. — the last pick of the NBA draft lottery — was finally healthy.
But they weren’t the complete product yet, not that anyone expected this Nuggets team to be even close to contending anyway. They just needed time.
In the NBA though, time is a luxury and not one that is afforded to many teams. The Denver Nuggets, however, were an exception — and now they are NBA champions.
The Nuggets are NBA champions. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
As for those teams that took a big swing back in the summer of 2019, they did so with mixed results.
Davis and LeBron James took the Lakers to a championship in the bubble, eliminating the Nuggets in the process, but later handicapped themselves by trading for Russell Westbrook.
Some shrewd moves before the trade deadline salvaged their season but the Lakers once again find themselves at a critical juncture this summer, at risk of repeating past mistakes.
Elsewhere, the Clippers have been crippled by injuries to Leonard and George while Durant and Irving are no longer on the Nets after their experiment with superteam status ended in disaster.
The lesson to be learned out of all of this? Sometimes a little bit of patience is really all that is needed.
It sounds simple and obviously is not always going to be the solution, but for a small-market team like Denver it was the best route to take. Now they have their first title because of it.
That was not a point lost on Nuggets coach Michael Malone and it starts with ownership under the Kroenke family, who never lost sight of the long-term vision.
“I was now just hugging Josh and Stan Kroenke because we all know in this business patience is not a word that comes easily,” Malone said after the Nuggets’ Game 4 win over the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
“For them to have patience after that third year, 46-win effort that came up just short of the playoffs, they saw something in Nikola, in Jamal, in myself, and allowed it to come to fruition. That’s a rarity in this business.”
Head coach Michael Malone benefited from patient owners. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
That was far from the only time their patience would be tested though, with injuries to Murray and Porter Jr. leaving the Nuggets in a state of basketball purgatory.
They knew what they had and knew they were good enough to contend, but only when they were healthy. Staying healthy though was something that was proving particularly challenging.
And when Murray went down with a torn ACL after his bubble breakout, even he was seemingly convinced it was the end of the road.
“I remember being in the bus with him going to the airport after he did the injury in Golden State the next day and he had tears in his eyes,” Malone told reporters last month.
“In that moment, it’s really hard to believe that. His first thought was, ‘Man are you guys going to trade me? … I’m damaged goods now, are you going to trade me now?’.”
But when Murray was at his most vulnerable, Malone delivered two simple yet powerful words that put his fears to rest and spoke to the patience that has come to define this organisaiton — “You’re ours”.
“I hugged him and said, ‘Hell no. You’re ours. We love you and we’re going to help you get back’.”
The emotion was too much for Murray. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
And Murray did come back, forming a lethal two-man game with Jokic that proved unstoppable in Denver’s run to the title while also becoming the first player in history to record 10 or more assists in their first four Finals games.
But speaking to The Athletic last month, Malone revealed there was a time that the subject of trading Murray did come up, floated by then-Nuggets president Tim Connelly.
Again, Malone’s response once more reflected the level of confidence he and Denver’s ownership had in this core group of players.
“I remember Tim calling me up, (and saying), ‘Hey, we can trade Jamal for this guy.’ (This was) probably three or four years ago — (and it was) a marquee player,” Malone said.
“I said ‘No.’ Like, ‘What? Let’s not rush this. We have a patient ownership group. Let’s f***ing take our time and build this the right way. A bigger name is not always better.’
“There are countless, different examples (like that)… Just the ability of ownership to be patient and not overreact (was key). Patience is not something you talk about in the NBA, or pro sports.
“And I think I, and we, are a perfect example of the results of being patient and saying, ‘You know what? Let’s continue to let this grow and marinate and mature and then we can see what we really have.’ And I think we’re seeing it.”
It wasn’t just sticking by Murray though that has taken the Nuggets to the top of the mountain.
They also deserve credit for drafting and then building around Jokic, whose agent pulled him out of the 2014 NBA draft before Denver convinced him to have a change of heart.
The rest of the league didn’t see anything special but Denver did, and later traded Jusuf Nurkic and first-round pick Emmanuel Mudiay to put pieces around Jokic.
Although ask Malone and even he will admit that he didn’t foresee the Jokic that was first running around for the Nuggets in 2015 in front of empty stands becoming a two-time MVP.
“I always think about this and laugh because that first Summer League in Vegas, 300 pounds, out of shape — he’s a nice player,” Malone said after the Lakers’ series.
“No one, and if anybody tells you different, they’re full of s***. No one ever could have seen that he’d be a two-time MVP, passing Wilt Chamberlain it seems like every other night.
“That speaks to his dedication to his craft, getting in great shape and understanding that for him to fulfil his potential, he had to work harder, and he’s done that.”
Nikola Jokic is the selfless superstar Denver needs. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
But forget what Jokic does on the court and the way he has redefined the center position with the elite passing at his size, as that is not the only thing that makes an impression on Malone.
“What I love most about Nikola, aside from his great play and the consistency, is that he’s never changed,” Malone said.
“Success, money, fame has never changed that guy. That’s a rarity in this business, as we all know.”
Jokic’s personality has quickly become an extension of the entire squad, one that has been built around a culture of selflessness and without the egos that have so easily brought talented teams undone in the past.
Take Aaron Gordon, the perfect glue guy who was miscast as a primary option in Orlando and has instead thrived in Denver as the dependable two-way player the Nuggets desperately needed.
Gordon has also proven himself capable of being more selfish when it is in the team’s best interests, exploding for a career-high 27 points in Denver’s Game 4 win over Miami.
“He’s playing a different role, and that’s why he sacrificed himself and that’s why he’s a great teammate, and that’s why he won us the game today,” Jokic said of Gordon after Game 4.
Aaron Gordon was an unsung hero for Denver all season long. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Then there is Porter Jr., another guy the Nuggets could have so easily traded out of frustration as injuries hindered the former Missouri forward’s development on the court.
Off it there were question marks over his personality too and willingness to play off the ball, having grown used to having it in his hands with the offence running through him.
It is why Porter Jr. was considered one of, if not the, most polarising prospect in his draft class. It is also why he was such a risk but one worth taking for the enormous upside.
In the Finals though, it wasn’t necessarily that upside that made Porter Jr. valuable.
Usually judged on his 3-point shooting, Porter Jr. went 4-for-28 from downtown in five games against the Heat but found other ways to impact winning.
That led to Porter Jr. stepping up when Denver needed him most in Game 5, attacking the paint with intent and throwing himself at the boards in a committed 16-point showing.
Even in the Phoenix series, coach Malone later revealed that Porter Jr. came up to him at one point and offered to come out of the game if he preferred to close with Bruce Brown.
“He cares. He wants to win a championship,” Malone said.
Michael Porter Jr. overcame a lot to win a title. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
“It’s really rare. It’s a blessing. It’s awesome to play with these guys,” added Gordon.
“These guys are so unselfish. They’re so passionate about basketball, and they understand that you’ve got to keep energy in the ball, and if you play the right way, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”
And unlike so many other teams that have taken big swings and struck out, Denver instead made under-the-radar moves this offseason that later proved the final piece of the puzzle.
The addition of Gordon, of course, preceded this summer and has helped the Nuggets navigate the non-Jokic minutes — something which had previously proven Denver’s downfall.
But then there were other roster reshuffles, headlined by the arrivals of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown.
Caldwell-Pope went a career-high 42.3 per cent from deep during the regular season while his disruptive hands on defence meant he was making an impact even if the shots weren’t falling.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s defence was key. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Brown, meanwhile, came up clutch in the final quarter of Game 4 and has been a valuable sixth man for Denver all season as an all-effort defensive stopper and offensive weapon.
The Nuggets will have a tough time retaining Brown though, who could enter unrestricted free agency this summer if he opts out of the final year of his current deal.
Brown’s player option for next season is worth $6.8 million and should he decline it, the most Denver could offer him is $7.7 million. But again, not everything is about money.
“Look at us. Celebrating the Finals, winning the Finals. This is what you come to the NBA for, to win at the highest level.
“It’s a perfect fit. And money is not everything. The money will come. So I’m not worried about that right now.”
Then there is the veteran presence in the locker room and on the court, with Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan and Ish Smith all rewarded for their persistence with rings.
And how about the new blood?
Rookie Christian Braun was the unlikely hero in Game 3 of the Finals as he scored 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting in 19 minutes.
Winning is all Braun knows, becoming just the fifth player in basketball history to win NBA, NCAA titles in back-to-back seasons.
Braun certainly played like a winner every time he took to the court in his rookie season, fighting for every possession and providing much-needed energy and intensity off the bench.
Peyton Watson also flashed his defensive potential in the brief glimpses Nuggets fan got of the rookie, who had 19 blocks in his last season at UCLA.
The young duo are just part of the reason why Malone’s warning during Tuesday’s trophy presentation holds merit, with the Nuggets coach declaring the team is “not satisfied” yet.
“We want more. We want more,” he said.
Denver wants to capitalise on its title window right now and into the future, even striking a trade during the Finals as it acquired a 2024 first and second-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick from Oklahoma City.
But as much as this is about celebrating the now and looking towards the future, the Nuggets players also aren’t forgetting where they came from or who came before them.
Gordon, for example, wouldn’t even be in Denver if it was not for Gary Harris, who was sent to Orlando along with RJ Hampton and a protected 2025 first-round draft pick.
Harris, Paul Millsap and Monte Morris are just a few players who helped build the foundations of the selfless culture that took the Nuggets to an NBA title.
And while they may no longer be on the roster, it doesn’t mean that they won’t get their flowers.
Monte Morris hugs Nikola Jokic after Game 3. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“What we’ve been building, since Gary, since Paul, Monte, all the guys that had the culture embodied, and to have this team and see everybody come together, especially with eight new guys that came in at the beginning of the season,” Murray said after the Nuggets swept the Lakers.
“[It] took us a little bit to find our rhythm, but once we knew what everybody was going to do and the way we played, we just clicked.
“It’s been a journey. It’s been nice to finally reach this point and to just be the first team in Nuggets history to do it.”
And of course, it goes without saying that none of this would be possible without the leadership of Malone, whose success presents an important lesson for the rest of the league.
“It’s a crazy profession,” Malone said last month.
A crazy profession where nothing is taken for granted. Just in the past year alone, six teams fired their head coaches. That list included three of the past four coaches to win NBA titles.
“I think Monty Williams, I think Mike Budenholzer, I think Doc Rivers are not good coaches; I think they’re great coaches and they will all wind up with another team very, very quickly,” added Malone.
“But sometimes the expectations are unrealistic, sometimes ownership is just impatient … so huge credit to Stan and Josh Kroenke for having the ability to step back and think big picture and let this thing grow internally and see what it can become.”
What it became was a perfect example of how to build a championship-winning roster. It may not be the right way for every team, but for Denver it was exactly what was needed to deliver the city its first NBA title.
Malone was backed in all the way. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
“Everybody does it differently,” Malone said ahead of Game 5.
“Some teams want to mortgage their future and go get the surefire player, the All-Star. For us, there’s never been a rushed mentality.
“That starts with the ownership. The Kroenke family has been phenomenal since day one allowing this thing to play itself out and not overreacting to other bumps in the road.
“I think there are other teams in this league that are looking at how we have done it, smaller-market teams, how we’ve done it. I think more teams will try to kind of make this a blueprint.
“You know, it’s not for everybody. This was the best course for us, and it’s allowed us to get here. But once again, we still have a lot of things that we need to accomplish in order for us to become world champions.
“We know tomorrow night is going to be a hell of a challenge.”
A challenge the Nuggets were ready for because of all the challenges they had overcome to get there in the first place.
Now, after 47 long years of waiting, they are NBA champions — and this could be just the beginning.
