A World Apart
by Courtney Tomasetti
World Cup Winners
2019 – United States
2015 – United States
2011 – Japan
2007 – Germany
2003 – Germany
1999 – United States
1995 – Norway
1991 – United States
After a hard fought game against the Netherlands that ended in a 1-1 draw, the US women’s national soccer team face Portugal in their final match of the group stage at the 2023 Women's World Cup, hosted in Australia and New Zealand. Want to impress your friends and loved ones with your expert knowledge of the Cup? We’ve got some notes to make you look good, no matter your skill level.
Matches are being held at 10 stadiums in nine cities: five in Australia and four in New Zealand. For the first time, 32 teams will be part of the tournament. The field has been expanded from 24 teams after the 2019 World Cup in France.
Tournament Format
The tournament opens with the group stage where each of the 32 teams play three matches. In group stage, three points are awarded for a win, one point is awarded for a draw, no points are awarded for a loss. Max points a team can accrue is 9 if they win all three matches. The top two teams in each group (based on total points) moves on to the knockout round of 16. The U.S. is in Group E and will play Vietnam, Netherlands, and Portugal during group play.
Cincinnatians on the USWNT
Two Cincinnati natives are playing for the U.S. Women's National Team's World Cup team.
Rose Lavelle (Midfielder) – Lavelle is a graduate of Mount Notre Dame High School where she was the team’s leading goal scorer. Lavelle completed her collegiate career for the Wisconsin Badgers where she was named an All-American. She started six games for the United States at the 2019 World Cup, scoring three goals, and was awarded the Bronze Ball. This will be Lavelle’s second World Cup apearance.
Aubrey Kingsbury (Goalkeeper) – Kingsbury attended St. Ursula Academy where she was a member of the state championship soccer team in 2007 and 2008. Kingsbury was a three-time All-American at Wake Forest and is currently in her eigth year in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Kingsbury is making her first-career World Cup appearance.
Prize Money
FIFA will pay out $110 million in total prize money to the 32 teams at the 2023 World Cup. Every player will earn at least $30,000, with the amount increasing the further along that teams progress in the tournament. The 23 players in the title-winning squad will each get $270,000.
about the team
Veterans Alex Morgan and Lindsay Horan are co-captains of the USWNT. U.S. Soccer said that when both Horan and Morgan are on the field — which will be often — Horan will wear the armband.
The U.S. has seen the emergence of promising new talents like Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Alyssa Thompson. All three are making their first career appearance in a World Cup.
Trinity Rodman (Forward, 21) – Rodman, the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, made history after becoming the youngest woman ever selected in the NWSL draft. The then 18-year-old was drafted to Washington Spirit as the No. 2 pick. She was named NWSL Rookie of the Year later that year as she helped her team lift the NWSL title. The 21-year-old scored both goals as the USWNT secured a 2-0 friendly win over Wales in the team's final tuneup before the start of the tournament. Rodman entered the match at halftime in place of Alex Morgan. (Yes, her dad is who you think he is!)
Sophia Smith (Forward, 22) – The Standford alum just became the youngest player in the NWSL to reach thirty goals. Smith is one of the most explosive scorers on the roster and once she gets on the move there’s almost no stopping her. Her confidence and finishing ability will be key for the USWNT.
Alyssa Thompson (Forward, 18) – After learning she was selected to the USWNT roster just days after finishing high school, Thompson became the second youngest player to ever be named to a USWNT World Cup team. Thompson decommitted from Stanford in January, a week before the NWSL draft, and became the top overall pick by Angel City FC. Since then, she has made twelve appearances in the NWSL, scoring three goals.
USWNT defender and captain Becky Sauerbrunn will be the biggest omission on and off the field. Sauerbrunn suffered a foot injury in an April NWSL match and will miss the tournament. Without its longtime anchor, the USWNT backline will look and play differently than it has in World Cups past — likely with Alana Cook at the heart of it all. Cook seems likely to be the U.S.’s top center back throughout the tournament.
Mallory Swanson (Forward), suffered a torn patellar tendon in an April friendly against Ireland, sidelining her for several months. Swanson was one of the teams most reliable goalscorers in the months before her injury.
Catarina Macario (Midfielder), suffered a torn ACL in June 2022. While it seemed to give her enough time to be ready for the World Cup, her recovery has not gone as planned. Prior to her injury, the 23-year-old was showing the potential to be one of the team’s most important players as she scored five goals in five appearances last year.
Two-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe (Forward) announced that she will retire from competitive soccer at the end of the current season. Rapinoe said her decision to announce her retirement before the Women’s World Cup will help the U.S. team better focus on its attempt to win a third straight world championship. The 38-year-old has scored 63 goals and registered 73 assists for the USWNT and in 2019 won the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s The Best award after a scintillating Women’s World Cup in which she earned the Golden Ball and Golden Boot.
Teams Most Likely to Usurp the U.S. Crown
England
England may be the biggest threat to the USWNT hopes of claiming a third straight title. The USWNT fell to England in a 2-1 defeat in a friendly last fall. Since then, England has lost three players to injury including their star striker.
Netherlands
The USWNT and Netherlands will meet in both sides' second Group E game. Favorites often slip up in group play. A Dutch upset could dent the Americans title hopes in several ways, as it would almost certainly relegate them to a second-place group finish and a likely matchup against No. 3-ranked Sweden in the round of 16.
Sweden
Sweden are longstanding giants of women's international football and often go far in tournaments. Even if they don't meet until the quarters or semis, the U.S. will probably eventually have to go through Sweden — an opponent that has given them nightmares repeatedly on the global stage. The Swedes tied the U.S. at the 2015 World Cup, then famously knocked the Americans out of the 2016 Olympics. The most recent meeting came in 2021 at the Summer Games in Tokyo, when Sweden embarrassed the USWNT 3-0 in the group phase.
France
The only way France and the U.S. can face off is in the Aug. 20 championship match at Stadium Australia in Sydney. France has a new a standout coach in recently hired manager Hervé Renard and a deep, talented and experienced roster that is capable of winning a one-off match against anyone.
Germany
Despite having suffered an early exit from the Women’s World Cup in 2019, the two-time World Cup winners headed Down Under with high hopes. With the confidence boost of the European Championships behind them and a largely unchanged squad, Germany are keen to return to the upper echelons of world football again and have their eyes set on a third title.
Australia
Australia has never been beyond the quarter-finals but are a contender to go all the way as co-hosts with Sam Kerr leading the line. Don't discount the power of playing on home soil — an advantage that would be most pronounced at the final in Sydney, when more than 83,000 fans are expected. Should both the U.S. and Australia make it that far, the USWNT will be up against not just the 11 Australians on the field, but the entire country of almost 27 million.
Wanna bet?
Arguably the most popular market in Women’s World Cup betting is on futures odds. Sportsbooks far and wide have been taking money for months from customers wagering on who will win the tournament.
The defending champion U.S. team is the current favorite at +225 followed by England (+375), Germany (+650), Spain (+700) and France (+800). The U.S. is a clear favorite to win another title and would become the first men's or women's team to three-peat in the process.
For those unfamiliar, most sportsbooks offer three-way betting on World Cup games and soccer in general. Bettors can wager on what the result will be after 90 minutes plus injury time. A moneyline bet can be made on either team or on Draw. A game ending in a tie is a draw.
In the Women’s World Cup, the talent gap between the top teams and the bottom teams is much larger than in the men’s tournament. So, if you’re thinking about betting on Draw, start by looking for matches that at least have a chance to be competitive.