England Women's Team: what predictions for the 2023 World Cup?
by Steve Ashfield | by Kevin Richard
Tough Task Ahead for England?
England arrived in Australia as the reigning European champions. They beat Germany to win that title last year but 12 months on, can they reach their first ever Women's World Cup final?
The past two Women's World Cups have seen England lose at the semifinal stage. 2015 saw them beaten by Japan but they then beat Germany to finish third. Four years ago, it was the eventual winners the USA who ended their World Cup hopes. A loss to Sweden then saw them end the tournament in fourth place.
2022 was their year though as they won the European title. As seems to be the case with senior England teams, their triumph came on home soil at Wembley. Now they head down under for the 2023 Women's World Cup but all is not well with England at present. Just how far can they go in this tournament? You can read all the previews of our experts on our Women's World Cup predictions page.
What a Difference a Year Makes
It's just possible that this Women's World Cup has come a year too late for England. There have been some big losses in their squad since they won the European title in 2022. Mead, Kirby, Williamson and White will not be in Australia during July and August. They are all major absences for England, especially the loss to injury of Beth Mead who was their top scorer in the European Championships last year and Leah Williamson.
There are still plenty of players from the Euro winning side who will be playing in Australia. That includes Lucy Bronze (above) and up front, Rachel Daly and Alessia Rousso. Seven players in their squad have scored at least ten international goals. That will make them a threat against any of the sides that they face in the coming weeks.
This year has seen them win the Arnold Clark Cup with wins over South Korea, Italy and Belgium. 12 goals were scored in those three victories. England then won the first ever Finalissima beating Brazil on penalties after a 1-1 draw. April saw the 30 game unbeaten run under coach Sarina Wiegman finally ended. England lost 2-0 to Australia. That was followed by a goalless draw with Portugal and another 0-0 draw with Canada in an unofficial friendly held in Australia.
2023 Women's World Cup: England's Fixtures
England are in Group D in the 2023 Women's World Cup. They are the highest ranked team in the country, currently filling fourth position in the rankings. Their opponents are: Denmark (13th), China (14th) and outsiders Haiti (53rd). Below is their group fixture list.
- England v Haiti - July 22nd - 7.30am (UK time) at Lang Park in Brisbane
- England v Denmark - July 28th - 6.30am (UK time) at Sydney Football Stadium
- China v England - August 1st - 8.30am (UK time) at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide
England can confidently expect to win their group. Doing so will take them into the last 16 and a match against the country finishing second in Group B. That's expected to be Canada but could be Australia. The seeded quarter final opponents are Germany and then it could be a showdown with Australia or possibly France.
You can follow all the action from these games on our dedicated Sportytrader Women's World Cup Livescore page. This has live text commentary and also plenty of statistics to help you with your predictions.
Top Predictions for England in the 2023 Women's World Cup
57 years on from when England's men won the World Cup, can the Lionesses be triumphant down under? It was going to be a difficult task even before injuries to Mead and Williamson. Now they won't be in Australia, England have it all to do just to reach their first final, let alone become world champions. They are odds of 5.50 at bet365 to lift the trophy but should we be taking those odds?
Let's look at the group first and England should be able to qualify with ease. They begin with a match against Haiti who are 101.00 with Betfair to win the match. An England win and over 3.5 goals in the game has odds of 1.36 at William Hill. The 1.64 at Vbet on Ellie Toone scoring in the match looks a good bet to place.
England are 1.6 at Unibet to end the group with maximum points from their three games and that looks worth a bet. That would take them into the knockout stages with ease but how much further will they progress?
Betfair offers odds of 3.75 on them losing in the last 16 and 3.2 in the quarter finals. That last eight match could be against Germany and they are never easy to beat. Plus they'd want revenge for that Euro final defeat last year. It's 5.5 that they lose in the semifinal and 6.00 they finish runners-up.
England's side is not as experienced as the one that won the European Championships. They're also playing overseas and that's never going to be easy. They don't have an easy knockout stage draw and perhaps that bet on them losing in the last eight is the one to go for.
They are a side packed with goalscorers and could score a fair few in the group stages. Rachel Daly is 11.00 to win the Golden Boot, while Alessia Rousso is a dangerous striker and is priced up at 15.00. Those odds comr from Betfair so register with them here.. All the latest prices for the Women's World Cup can be seen on our Women's World Cup odds page.
Odds to Win Group D
- England - 1.03
- Denmark - 13.00
- China - 41.00
- Haiti - 81.00
Odds from bet365
