The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has now reached the knock-out stages.Since July 20th, 32 nations have been battling across Australia and New Zealand to fight for a place in the next stage of the prestigious tournament, and after a whirlwind group stage caused heartbreak for some, many dreams have come true for supporters across the world so far this summer.
Now the competition intensifies and there will be no room for error or second chances for the remaining nations in their search for glory – and every single player and coach will be aware of the fragility of their fate in the competition.
Here is Football FanCast’s guide to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, including the latest from our Lionesses' camp ahead of their last-16 tie against Nigeria on Monday morning.
Women’s World Cup: Fixtures and results so far
Group A:
New Zealand 1-0 Norway
20th July, 8am
BBC
Philippines 0-2 Switzerland
21st July, 6am
ITV
New Zealand 0-1 Philippines
25th July, 6.30am
ITV
Switzerland 0-0 Norway
25th July, 9am
ITV
Norway 6-0 Philippines
30th July, 8am
BBC
Switzerland 0-0 New Zealand
30th July, 8am
BBC
Group B:
Australia 1-0 Republic of Ireland
20th July, 11am
ITV
Nigeria 0-0 Canada
21st July, 3.30am
BBC
Canada 2-1 Republic of Ireland
26th July, 1pm
ITV
Australia 2-3 Nigeria
27th July, 11am
BBC
Republic of Ireland 0-0 Nigeria
31st July, 11am
BBC
Canada 0-4 Australia
31st July, 11am
BBC
Group C:
Spain 3-0 Costa Rica
21st July, 8.30am
BBC
Zambia 0-5 Japan
22nd July, 8am
BBC
Japan 2-0 Costa Rica
26th July, 6am
ITV
Spain 5-0 Zambia
26th July, 8.30am
BBC
Costa Rica 1-3 Zambia
31st July, 8am
ITV
Japan 4-0 Spain
31st July, 8am
ITV
Group D:
England 1-0 Haiti
22nd July, 10.30am
ITV
Denmark 1-0 China
22nd July, 1pm
BBC
England 1-0 Denmark
28th July, 9.30am
BBC
China 1-0 Haiti
28th July, 12pm
ITV
China 1-6 England
1st August, 12pm
ITV
Haiti 0-2 Denmark
1st August, 12pm
ITV
Group E:
United States 3-0 Vietnam
22nd July, 2am
BBC
Netherlands 1-0 Portugal
23rd July, 8.30am
BBC
United States 1-1 Netherlands
27th July, 2am
BBC
Portugal 2-0 Vietnam
27th July, 8.30am
ITV
Vietnam 0-7 Netherlands
1st August, 8am
ITV
Portugal 0-0 United States
1st August, 8am
ITV
Group F:
France 0-0 Jamaica
23rd July, 11am
ITV
Brazil 4-0 Panama
24th July, 12pm
ITV
France 2-1 Brazil
29th July, 11am
BBC
Panama 0-1 Jamaica
29th July, 1.30pm
ITV
Panama 3-6 France
2nd August, 11am
ITV
Jamaica 0-0 Brazil
2nd August, 11am
ITV
Group G:
Sweden 2-1 South Africa
23rd July, 6am
BBC
Italy 1-0 Argentina
24th July, 7am
ITV
Argentina 2-2 South Africa
28th July, 1am
ITV
Sweden 5-0 Italy
29th July, 8.30am
BBC
Argentina 0-2 Sweden
2nd August, 8am
BBC
South Africa 3-2 Italy
2nd August, 8am
BBC
Group H:
Germany 6-0 Morocco
24th July, 9.30am
ITV
Colombia 2-0 South Korea
25th July, 3am
BBC
South Korea 0-1 Morocco
30th July, 5.30am
BBC
Germany 1-2 Colombia
30th July, 10.30am
ITV
Morocco 1-0 Colombia
3rd August, 11am
BBC
South Korea 1-1 Germany
3rd August, 11am
BBC
Knockout stages:
Switzerland 1-5 Spain
5th August, 6am
BBC
Japan 3-1 Norway
5th August, 9am
ITV
Netherlands 2-0 South Africa
6th August, 3am
BBC
Sweden (5) 0-0 (4) United States
6th August, 10am
ITV
England (4) 0-0 (2) Nigeria
7th August, 8.30am
BBC
Australia 2-0 Denmark
7th August, 11.30am
BBC
Colombia 1-0 Jamaica
8th August, 9am
ITV
France 4-0 Morocco
8th August, 12pm
BBC
Spain v Netherlands
11th August, 2am
ITV
Japan v Sweden
11th August, 8.30am
BBC
Australia v France
12th August, 8am
ITV
England v Colombia
12th August, 11.30am
ITV
Who are the current tournament favourites?
Whilst the United States are back-to-back reigning champions and ranked number one in the FIFA world rankings, they have now been toppled off the top spot as the favourites for the competition.
Ahead of the knockout phases, England's strong performances in the group stage have seen them become the favourites among some bookmakers to win the competition this summer, whilst the United States are predicted to take home the runner-up medals at the tournament's final in Sydney at Stadium Australia on 20th August.
USWNT have struggled to display their dominance over their initial fixtures in New Zealand, with draws taken from their clashes with Portugal and the Netherlands leaving them second in their group.
Sarina Wiegman and the Lionesses may have the edge due to their consistency in the group stage with three consecutive victories over Denmark, Haiti and China, which has followed on from their success of becoming European champions last year.
England demonstrated their determination and quality during their 6-1 rout in their final group stage meeting with China – something that will send a message worth believing in for the supporters and a strong warning to their future opponents ahead.
In a column for BBC Sport, Ellen White previewed the Lionesses' next steps: "The knockout stage is all or nothing, and any mistake can be costly and mean you are going home.
"But Sarina will have a plan that she can alter depending on whether we go ahead or fall behind in games, and we have the toolbox to get over the line in games now, that perhaps we lacked before we saw out the Euros final against Germany."
Where can I watch England's matches on UK TV?
The BBC are set to air England's round of 16 clash with Nigeria on Monday morning.Here are the exact times (GMT) and dates for England’s upcoming fixtures and their potential route to the final:Round of 16 fixtures:
England vs Nigeria (Monday 7th August, 8.30am; BBC)
Quarter-final fixtures:
QF4: England/Nigeria vs Colombia/Jamaica (Saturday 12th August, 11.30am; ITV)
Semi-final fixtures:
Winner of Quarter Final 1 v Winner of Quarter Final 2 (Tuesday 15th August, 8am; BBC) Winner of Quarter Final 3 v Winner of Quarter Final 4 (Wednesday 16th August, 11.30am; BBC)
Third Place play-off:
Loser of Semi-final 1 v Loser of Semi-final 2 (Saturday 19th August, 9am; ITV)
World Cup Final 2023:
Winner of Semi-final 1 v Winner of Semi-final 2 (Sunday 20th August, 11am; BBC & ITV) Who are the players to watch?
Lauren James (England) – As expected, the England star has been a standout performer under Wiegman so far this summer and has wasted no time in stealing the spotlight during her first major tournament.The Chelsea winger has been a real threat in front of goal throughout the group stage, with an absolute stunner scored against Denmark and FIVE goal involvements during the clash with China – including two exceptional goals of her own.In fact, no player in the entire tournament delivered more goal contributions than James in the group stage, with three goals and three assists already chalked up – an impressive feat for a player who has had to wait patiently for an opportunity on the prestigious international stage.
Linda Caicedo (Colombia) – Real Madrid's newly-signed star is no stranger to the spotlight after being named the Most Valuable Player at last year's Copa America, and she has now made herself a household name across the football world following her performances in the group stage of the World Cup.In their 2-0 win over South Korea, Colombia could rely on Caicedo to double their lead and comfortably kill the game, which spurred her on to cause chaos and a huge upset in a monumental victory over Germany, where she scored the goal that broke the deadlock to provide one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the tournament.The 2-1 victory led to Colombia finishing top of Group H and sent the Germans home prematurely – something nobody would have predicted at the beginning of their international campaign.Jill Roord (Netherlands) – After recently sealing a lucrative move to Manchester City, there were high expectations for Jill Roord to perform at the World Cup this summer, and she has not disappointed during the group stage.The talented midfielder is on course to be in contention for the tournament's Golden Boot, with three goals netted over the opening games of the tournament contributing heavily to the Dutch side's success in topping Group E ahead of the United States.Hinata Miyazawa (Japan) – No other woman at the World Cup this summer has scored more than Japan's talisman Hinata Miyazawa so far – with four goals tallied up during the group stage.The Nadeshiko put on an outstanding display to put Spain in their place over a stunning 4-0 victory in Group C last week, with Miyazawa exceptionally focused and tenacious in her delivery of a brace over the European giants, something she also achieved against Zambia.Tiernny Wiltshire (Jamaica) – After having to start a GoFundMe to fund their travel expenses to the World Cup this summer, the Reggae Girlz have shown huge heart, passion and desire throughout their opening games of the tournament – something that has paid off massively.Jamaica have progressed to the knockout stages of the competition without conceding a single goal so far, which is a credit to the presence of right-back Tiernny Wiltshire, who was a solid and crucial presence in the backline during their meetings in Group F – holding both France and Brazil to stalemates and sealing a 1-0 victory over Panama.
Is Keira Walsh injured?
During the clash with Denmark, midfielder Keira Walsh fell to the ground clutching her knee, which led many to worry that she may have suffered an anterior crucial ligament injury – an injury that has stolen the dreams of playing in the World Cup this summer for many women footballers.However, after undergoing a scan, it showed that the damage was not as serious as what was once thought and Walsh has now returned to individual training after missing out on the victory over China earlier this week.Whilst her return to training is a huge boost for the Lionesses, there is huge doubt hanging over her availability for the meeting with Nigeria on Monday – and no guarantee, at the time of writing, that she will be available for any of the remaining games, no matter how far England progress.Walsh's plight has, however, presented an opportunity for Katie Zelem to prove her worth to Wiegman in the tournament, and she has not disappointed during her stint in the first team during the final game of the group stage against China.The Manchester United captain played a crucial role in the 6-1 thrashing, with an 88% passing accuracy, 88 touches, 100% long balls completed, four duels won and two tackles won, leading to high praise from her father and former Macclesfield Town goalkeeper Alan Zelem, who posted on social media:"@katiezelem you smashed it, proud of you."
Is Sam Kerr playing?
Host nation Australia boast some of the biggest world-class talents, with Lyon full-back Ellie Carpenter, Arsenal’s Caitlin Foord and Chelsea forward Sam Kerr.However, the latter – who is one of the hottest prospects at the Women's World Cup – has been unavailable for the entirety of the group stage so far due to a calf injury that saw her initially ruled out of their opening two matches.The host nation were hopeful that Kerr would return for the final group clash this week against Canada, but a 4-0 thrashing over their opponents meant that head coach Tony Gustavsson was free to leave the Blues striker on the bench, giving her more time to recover ahead of the knockout stages.The Matildas will face Denmark on Monday in their round of 16 clash, and new images of Kerr training on a bike in trainers were released on Friday ahead of a touch-and-go weekend for her and Australia, as they await the final decision on whether she will be fit to compete.Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold has spoken out following the images of Kerr undertaking an individual training regime, to reassure the Australian media and supporters:"The world has now seen what we can do."We always want Sam on the field, and she's a world-class striker, but we've shown now that we have the depth and we can play any combination up front that we can still score goals." "If she plays, she plays, if she doesn't, she doesn't. But we have our plan."
What is England’s path to the final?
Should the Lionesses win their round-of-16 clash on Monday morning against Nigeria, they look to have a favourable run to the final owing to the exit of several highly-ranked opponents, including Germany and Canada.Like the men's team before them in 2022, Morocco's women are on an underdog journey of their own in 2023 after finishing second in Group H to steal a knockout spot from the Germans.Meanwhile, seventh-ranked Canada were also sent packing, leaving England the only top-ten nation on their side of the draw in Australia.Wiegman's squad will face either Jamaica or Colombia should they progress beyond their difficult clash with Nigeria, and due to both sides already putting on some outstanding displays in defence and attack, it will be no easy challenge for England either way.Hosts Australia and France are England's potential semi-final opponents, with underdogs Morocco and a rematch with Denmark the other possibilities in the final four.Current champions USA or Sweden are both still in contention to lock horns with England in the final should dreams come true for the Lionesses, but, of course, from what we have seen so far – absolutely nothing is set in stone or beyond the realm of possibility in this tournament.
Will England win?
In true English fashion, the Lionesses have turned doubters into believers during their World Cup campaign in Australia so far – not allowing a slow start to derail them from delivering on the high expectations they have set after becoming European champions last summer.Wiegman and her talented squad completed their group stage challenge with a stunning performance against China that featured the passion, high energy, unrivalled quality and unwavering determination reminiscent of the success they have orchestrated over the last 12 months.The breakthrough of James has been nothing short of a miracle blessing for Wiegman's side – who were due a little luck after losing Fran Kirby, Leah Williamson and Beth Mead ahead of the trip to Australia – with the Chelsea talisman's standout performances lighting up the international stage and giving a real injection of hope for many who doubted.Indeed, the injury setback to instrumental midfield star Walsh has been a low point for England, however, the resilience shown by Zelem and the rest of the team to adapt has proven that the side are more than a set of individuals; instead a strong squad with invaluable connections and relationships throughout, all sharing the same common and ambitious goal of bringing the World Cup home.Although England have been labelled as favourites to win the tournament due to the United States' struggles and upsets for some of the biggest nations in the world, building momentum will be absolutely crucial when they come up against Nigeria on Monday.