Sweden finished third at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It was their third all-time third-place finish at the tournament. Although the Swedes reached the semifinals on four occasions (1991, 2003, 2011, 2019), they have never won the Women’s World Cup. Could this be Sweden’s year?
Peter Gerhardsson’s team will kick off their Group G campaign against South Africa on Sunday in Wellington. Sweden are ranked No 3 in the world and are favourites to come out of Group G as winners.
Landslaget bär "Football Unites the World"-bindlarna i VM 🌏#SWE | #FIFAWWC— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) July 21, 2023
Landslaget bär "Football Unites the World"-bindlarna i VM 🌏#SWE | #FIFAWWC
South Africa are playing in their second Women’s World Cup. The team qualified for the 2019 edition of the tournament but failed to get out of the group. South Africa lost all three games, scored one goal and conceded eight times at France 2019.
A win over Sweden would send ripples through the Women’s World Cup. Italy and Argentina join Sweden and South Africa in Group G. On paper, Italy, Argentina, and South Africa will battle for second place.
South Africa defeated Costa Rica in a pre-tournament warm-up match. The 2-0 victory saw goals on either side of halftime from Thembi Kgatlana and Hildah Magaia. The win ended a run of back-to-back losses for South Africa.
Banyana Banyana’s win over Costa Rica should be taken with a grain of salt. The Costa Ricans were thrashed in their opening World Cup game by Spain.
Sweden thrashed the Philippines in their World Cup warm-up game 5-1. Stina Blackstenius scored three times in the match. Sweden have had an up-and-down 2023, playing five games and posting a record of 2W-2D-1L.
All five matches were against teams at this year’s World Cup. Sweden’s wins were against China and the Philippines, while the draws came versus Germany and Norway. Their lone defeat was versus Denmark. Sweden’s last two games against Norway and the Philippines saw over 2.5 goals.
Arsenal player Blackstenius will lead the Swedes into the game. She is the team’s most prolific player, with 28 goals in 90 matches. Captain Caroline Seger could get her 236th cap for the national team. Sweden's experience throughout the squad. Eight players have 80 or more caps.
South Africa’s team is far less experienced than Sweden’s team. The majority of the squad plays their club football in South Africa. Forward Kgatlana is one of the few players playing outside of the country. She plays for Racing Louisville in America’s NWSL.
Sweden should start the tournament with a win. South Africa have never won a World Cup game and scored just one goal in three previous tournament games. The Swedes should win 3-0.