Ten teams compete in the final qualifying playoffs the following week in New Zealand for the last three spots at this year’s Women’s World Cup. Portugal and Chile start with a slight edge.
A total of 32 teams will compete in the first Women’s World Cup later this year in New Zealand and Australia, including Cameroon, Haiti, Panama, Paraguay, Senegal, Thailand, Taiwan, and Papua New Guinea.
Portugal, the highest-ranked squad in the competition at number 22, is waiting in Hamilton for the winner of Saturday’s match between Cameroon and Thailand.
Portugal has never participated in the World Cup, along with six of the other teams, but winger Jessica Silva is confident that Portugal will be able to get a spot in the 2023 tournament on the same day and at the same Waikato Stadium.
It won’t be simple, as Cameroon and Thailand both participated in the previous two Women’s World Cups, she told FIFA.com.
“However, we firmly believe that we will succeed. Portugal must simply attend the World Cup.
In order to qualify for the World Cup, Chile must defeat the winner of Saturday’s encounter between Haiti and Senegal in New Zealand. Chile made their competitive debut at the previous World Cup and will also play just one match there next Wednesday.
Starting on Sunday, when Taiwan plays Paraguay in Hamilton and Papua New Guinea plays Panama in Auckland, the other four teams compete in a conventional knockout format.
The last qualifying match for the ninth Women’s World Cup will be played in Hamilton on Thursday between the two winners.
One of the lower-ranked teams at the competition, Panama shares the hope of many other nations that qualifying for the world championship will help women’s football in their own countries.
Ignacio Quintana, coach of the Canaleras, who are placed 57th, claimed that qualifying would be a “watershed moment” for his team.
We also know that once we get the World Cup ticket, parents will be more willing to put their girls in football training and toss out the stereotype that, alas, is still prevalent throughout most of Latin America that only men can play football.
The competition serves as a trial run for New Zealand’s co-hosting of the inaugural World Cup in the southern hemisphere, which begins on July 20.
Two of the six friendlies leading up to the event will feature their Football Ferns taking on Portugal and Argentina, allowing all the teams to make the most of their long trip to New Zealand.
