Eight days to go: The 🎱 nations making their WWC debuts | OneFootball

Eight teams will be at a Women’s World Cup for the first time this summer. Do you know who they are?

See all of our Women’s World Cup preview content right here.

Haiti

Key player: Melchie Dumornay

Fifa World Ranking: 53rd

Haiti have never played women’s football at the Olympics but they’re here on the global stage this time around and likely not for the last time — 11 of their 23-strong squad are aged 21 or under, with just one player over the age of 26.

Ireland

Key player: Katie McCabe

Fifa World Ranking: 22nd

Ireland just missed out on the play-offs in their qualifying attempts for each of the last three World Cups but have finally made it this time. Led by Arsenal’s Katie McCabe, they’ve lost just five of their 20 games across the last 24 months (with two of those defeats to world champions USA) and have beaten Australia and drawing with Sweden in that time.

Morocco

Key player: Rosella Ayane

Fifa World Ranking: 72nd

Morocco narrowly missed out on Women’s AFCON glory last year, hosting the tournament and losing 2-1 to South Africa in the final. They are not to be taken lightly.

Panama

Key player: Marta Cox

Fifa World Ranking: 52nd

A penalty shootout defeat to Jamaica cost Panama their place at the 2019 World Cup but they’re here this time and will meet Jamaica in the group stage as well as taking on giants France and Brazil.

Philippines

Key player: Sarina Bolden

Fifa World Ranking: 46th

The Philippines reached the semi-finals of the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, their best ever result at the tournament, before a 2-0 defeat to South Korea. Now they’re the first ever Philippines team to reach a Fifa tournament.

Portugal

Key player: Dolores Silva

Fifa World Ranking: 22nd

Portugal have played at each of the last Women’s Euros and gave a good account of themselves despite a group stage exit last summer but find themselves in a tough group including the USA and the Netherlands this summer.

Vietnam

Key player: Huỳnh Như

Fifa World Ranking: 32nd

Ranked 32 in the world, it’s only fitting to see Vietnam at the first 32-team World Cup. They’re now the beneficiaries of Asian football receiving six places and will be led into the tournament by legends Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Dung and Huỳnh Như.

Zambia

Key player: Barbra Banda

Fifa World Ranking: 77nd

Women’s AFCON semi-finalists in 2022, Zambia are making a name for themselves. They had already surprised at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, with star striker and captain Barbra Banda becoming the first player in history to score hat-tricks in consecutive Olympics matches, and last week they stunned Germany with a 3-2 win in a warm-up match.

See all of our Women’s World Cup preview content right here.