United States and England could meet in the final of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after being placed in opposite sides of the bracket in Saturday’s draw.
Holders USWNT have been drawn against Vietnam and Netherlands, with the group completed by one of the intercontinental playoff winners (Cameroon, Thailand or Portugal), while European champions England face Denmark, China and another of the playoff winners (Chile, Haiti or Senegal).
New Zealand will take on Norway in the opening game of the tournament on July 20, with co-hosts Australia playing their first match against Republic of Ireland later that day.
USWNT will play all their group games in New Zealand, with head coach Vlatko Andonovskiare facing Vietnam in the opening Group E game at Eden Park, Auckland on Saturday, July 22. USWNT then face Netherlands on July 27 and finish up against the playoff winners on Aug. 1. The intercontinental playoff winners will be known in February when the teams meet in New Zealand as a test event for the finals.
England, whose group is based in Australia, must wait to find out who they open against on the same day, taking on the playoff winners in Group D at Lang Park, Brisbane. Coach Sarina Wiegman then leads her team against Denmark on July 28 and China on Aug. 1.
England beat United States 2-1 when the two teams met at Wembley Stadium earlier this month; they will be unable to come up against each other in the knockout rounds of the World Cup before the final.
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is being held across nine cities in Australia and New Zealand between July 20 and Aug. 20, with the final being held in the 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia in Sydney.
GROUP A
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Switzerland
GROUP B
Australia
Republic of Ireland
Nigeria
Canada
GROUP C
Spain
Costa Rica
Zambia
Japan
GROUP D
England
Group B playoff (Chile, Haiti or Senegal)
Denmark
China
GROUP E
United States
Vietnam
Netherlands
Group A playoff winners (Cameroon, Portugal or Thailand)
GROUP F
France
Jamaica
Brazil
Group C playoff (Chinese Taipei, Panama, Papua New Guinea or Paraguay)
GROUP G
Sweden
South Africa
Italy
Argentina
GROUP H
Germany
Morocco
Colombia
South Korea
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