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cypher2 · 9 months

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2023 Women's World Cup records

In addition to breaking numerous worldwide social media and viewing records, the 2023 Women's World Cup set and broke a number of unique tournament records as well. The players and teams that participated in this WWC should all feel extremely proud for the history they have made. Their performances continue to show the world that these athletes are capable of so much more than they are ever fully recognized for.

First team from their nation to qualify for a men’s or women’s senior FIFA tournament: Vietnam WNT 8 nations had their debuts for first time appearing in a FIFA women’s World Cup: Haiti, Portugal, Zambia, Vietnam, The Philippines, Republic of Ireland, Morocco, and Panama. Canadian midfielder Quinn starts for Canada and becomes the first non-binary athlete to play at a FIFA World Cup.

Christine Sinclair (Canada) and Marta (Brazil) become the 3rd and 4th players in history to appear in 6 World Cup competitions men or women, with Homare Sawa (Japan) and Onome Zeno (Nigeria) being the other two. The player with the record for most world cup appearances in history remains Brazil’s Formiga, the only player to compete in 7 world cups (men or women).

Kristine Lilly still holds the record for most WC appearances by men or women with 30 games played - a record set and held since 2007. Followed by Formiga with 27 as of 2019 and Lionel Messi with 26 as of 2022. Brazil’s Marta still holds the all time leading record for most goals scored across all World Cup competitions with 17 goals in 23 appearances across 6 tournaments.

Zambia’s Lushomo Mweemba scores the fastest goal of this year’s tournament in group stage at 2min 11 sec, also marking Zambia’s first ever world cup goal in their debut. The fastest goal in a FIFA Women’s World Cup has stood for over 30 years - it remains the goal scored by Lena Videkull of Sweden, who scored after just 30 seconds against Japan in the inaugural 1991 tournament. Zambia’s Barbra Banda scores the 1000th goal in WWC history. Nouhaila Benzina of Morocco becomes the first Women’s World Cup player to wear a hijab.

Ary Borges of Brazil scores a hat trick in her WWC debut and the first hat trick of the tournament. First Caribbean nation to reach the round of 16 in WWC history - Jamaica First Arab nation to qualify for a WWC and reach the round of 16 in WWC history - Morocco Of the eight debutants, Morocco was the only one to advance to the round of 16. Two teams reached the round of 16 having conceded no goals so far in the tournament- Japan and Jamaica.

First time four African nations have been represented at a WWC with three of them qualifying for the knock out stage at this years competition - South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria. 3 of the 4 African nations appearing in this year’s WWC all finished 2nd in their groups (Morocco, South Africa, and Nigeria). The US suffered its earliest elimination in WWC history, getting knocked out in the round of 16. The U.S. has never finished below 3rd place in all previous editions of the competition. Sweden’s Zećira Mušović sets a new record for most saves in any WWC 2023 game with 11 saves vs the US in the round of 16.

First manager to lead two different nations to a World Cup final (Netherlands and England)- Sarina Wiegman First goalkeeper to take and convert a PK in a WWC penalty shootout - Alyssa Naeher

Golden ball (best overall player of the tournament) - Aitana Bonmatí Silver ball - Jenni Hermoso Bronze ball - Amanda Ilestedt Golden boot (most goals scored in the tournament) - Hinata Miyazawa (5 goals) Silver boot - Kadidiatou Diani Bronze boot - Alexandra Popp Golden glove (best goalkeeper of the tournament) - Mary Earps

FIFA young player award (best player of the tournament under 21 years old) - Salma Paralluelo FIFA fair play award (team with best record of fair play during the tournament) - Japan Best mascot of the tournament (unofficial) - Waru Longest penalty shootout in World Cup history (20 penalties taken) - Australia vs France quarter final

The 2023 competition was hosted by Australia and New Zealand, making it the first edition to be held in the Southern Hemisphere, the first Women's World Cup to be hosted by two countries, and the first FIFA senior competition for either men or women to be held across two confederations (Asia and Oceanic).

First edition of the women’s tournament to feature an expansion to 32 teams and 64 matches, and largest women’s sporting event in history with 32 teams and 736 players. Only team to play all matches (group stage + knockout) undefeated with a 6-0-0 record - England All 4 previous winner nations (US, Germany, Norway, and Japan) were eliminated before the semifinal stage, marking the first time this has happened in the competition’s history.

For the first time in its 32 year and 9 tournament history, the WWC has a new champion (Spain) and new runner up (England) in 2023, with both nations never having made it to the final stage before. Only the 2nd nation in history to win both a men’s and women’s World Cup - Spain Top scoring country at the 2023 WWC - Spain with 18 goals First time a senior English football team has made it to a WC final in 6 decades - England WNT

First time advancing past quarterfinals in their WWC history and first host nation to advance to semifinals in 20 years - Australia placed 4th place for best in all 8 WWC competitions they’ve participated in and broke attendance records through all stages of the tournament, with an overall stadium attendance across all matches at 1.978 million. More than 1.5 million tickets were sold for the WWC, surpassing the entire tournament’s projected target in the first 5 days alone.

Two attendance records were broken for both host nations on day one of the WWC - largest crowd ever for a men’s or women’s football game in New Zealand (42,137) and largest crowd ever for a women’s football game in Australia (75,784).

Brazil's opening match v Panama was simulcast live on TV Globo and SporTV, delivering a combined audience of 13.9 million viewers - higher than any audience in the territory during the 2007, 2011, and 2015 WWC. China v England produced the highest audience for a single match, reaching 53.9 million viewers, becoming the highest in any global market so far. 17.15 million people tuned into the Australia v England semifinal cumulatively across Channel 7, Optus Sport, venues, and live-sites, comprising approx 64% of the entire Australian population - the biggest television event not just in any sport in the country, but in Australia’s television history.

The record for highest single match attendance still remains the 1999 WWC final between the US and China with 90,185 in attendance - a number that hasn’t been reached since the men’s tournament at the 1994 WC final between Italy and Brazil at 94,194.

The largest 2023 attendances were at Stadium Australia in Sydney, which saw four capacity-crowd fixtures, including Australia's opening win over Republic of Ireland and the final between Spain and England. The crowd of 75,784 was a record home audience for a women's football match in Australia and the third largest individual crowd attendance in Women's World Cup history. Over 50% of all matches had near sell out or at stadium capacity with a total of 1,977,824 fans in attendance at the 64 games in total, setting a new record for highest overall attendance in Women’s World Cup history across all 9 editions of the tournament. Highest grossing Women’s World Cup in history with a revenue of over half a billion dollars ($570 million), surpassing the projected revenue estimate by $100 million.

#wwc23 #wwc 2023 #fifa women's world cup #woso #attendance and records #wwcedit #I had to throw the waru one in there #for my own heart #waru 🥺

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that-soccer-guru · 11 months

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HELLO THE 3 STRAGGLERS THAT ARE PROBABLY SEEING MY POSTS STILL, I HAVE MISSED THOU!

Happy world cup month, it is time for the biggest stage of the game and time for be to drop my obnoxious predictions that no one asked for but I'm gonna give anyways!

Here are my group predictions and notes

GROUP A:

I think Norway is gonna make a comeback and come in at #2 behind local New Zealand. The Swiss are great if they can rise to the occasion, and the Philippines has a great young core. They'll give us some very fun games going forward.

A1: New Zealand, A2: Norway.

GROUP B:

Honestly I think this is one of the TIGHTEST groups of this cup. With a fight down to the end I think it'll come down to goals and Fairplay. Depending on the result of Day 1 Canada vs Nigeria my picks are switching depending on the light with which I look at the table. SO.

B1: Australia (2W, 1D), B2: Nigeria (2D, 1W, Goal difference leaving Canada behind by ONE goal in a total group heartbreaker)

Group C:

Despite the big players refusing to play I think Spain has it in the tank for a great cup. If the Ticas can show some discipline they might surprise, but they're up against the TITANS of discipline so.

C1: Spain, C2: Japan

Group D:

Euro winners have one hell of a team. No notes for them today, second place is what is up for grabs. Haiti is always a dark horse pick but I think mettle and the money for great player health and conditioning will draw this one out so.

D1: England, D2: Denmark.

Group E:

One hell of a group here. Without Viv Midema the Netherlands is missing that finishing punch, but if they can bank on winning their other 2 games and forcing a draw or a one goal win with the US, they can go for first. Portugal is good but they have a lot of youth to adjust to the big stage. Vietnam has a delightful proposal and they play some very fun futbol, but they had the unfortunate luck of drawing 2 titans of the women's game.

E1: USA, E2: Netherlands

Group F:

The elderly stateswomen meet the bright eyed newcomers. Brazil is the titan of South America but they've proven to be way too rigid in their team selection. France is shaking off the cobwebs of a shit coach to see how far they can take it this time. Jamaica and Panama have everything to prove to show that 1. they belong here and 2. their federations NEED to stand in this fight with them. Despite the great teams I think this group is gonna be one of those low scoring ones where teams are making adjustments on the fly and we might get a surprise or two from some games.

F1: France, F2: Brazil (but just narrowly edging out Jamaica)

Group G:

Youth and a desire to prove that it's not only their men's team that know what's up. Argentina is pulling one hell of a legacy behind them, Italy is building a beautiful squad, South Africa comes up from fighting a war of speed and strength, Sweden has a chip on their shoulder. One hell of a group!

G1: Italy, G2: Argentina

Group H:

QUE VIVA COLOMBIA HP! An aging titan in Germany with some key injuries, a very disciplined squad that has been testing some amazing set plays and learning how to play through the lines in South Korea (but that tire out quickly), a fast and tough team that plays a fun midfield game with a solid defense in Morocco. And finally, a team composed of the women who paved the way for the youngsters, the maximum scorer in a Colombia jersey, a midfield filled with aggression and experience, a promising defense all led by the most promising young international that already took one team to a world cup final, Colombia promises a LOT to her fans. If Abadia can get his head out of his ass and learn how to make changes before exhaustion takes hold, this team can take it far!

H1: Germany, H2: Colombia

It's an amazing time to be a woso fan!

#woso #fifa women's world cup #wwc 2023 #group stage predictions #that soccer guru talks #im just here giving some notes no one asked me for but imma GIVE ANYWAYS

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themanbexl · 10 months

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What a game

#wwc #fifa women's world cup #women's world cup #women's football #Netherlands vs South Africa #netherlands wnt #rsawnt

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anonsally · 10 months

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(Women's) World Cup

I have been too busy trying not to get too behind on everything, so I haven't had time to post much lately. But I'm completely obsessed with the World Cup at the moment.

I've only been able to watch the few games that aren't in the middle of the night in my time zone, but I've been keeping up with the tournament by reading the Guardian's minute-by-minute blogs after the fact, and watching the highlights.

And it's been super exciting, with lots of big surprises!

For example, the US only barely made it to the next round, and the teams eliminated at the group stage unexpectedly include Canada (I had been very pleased to discover Christine Sinclair was still playing--she's 40!), Brazil (which is very disappointing--this was Marta's last time and she's a legend, and I love the team's style of play, plus they wear yellow), and perhaps most shockingly, Germany!

Group H was the most fun. Watching Colombia play in the group stage was exciting--they were really on fire in their first two matches (and I loved both their kits--they wear yellow as their preferred uniform, and the alternate outfit is purple shirts with astronomy designs and yellow shorts), but then they lost to Morocco, the lowest ranked team in the tournament! Morocco, despite getting thrashed by Germany in their first match, somehow managed to pull off two victories (including against Colombia), while South Korea, after losing twice, managed to hold Germany to a draw, and so both Colombia and Morocco advance to the next round! (Do yourself a favor and watch the video of the moment when Morocco, having finished their match, saw the end of the simultaneous match that would determine their fate and learned that they were going to the Round of 16. It was pandemonium. I cried!)

I was a little upset to see that of the eight games in the Round of 16, three of them feature a nation playing against their colonizers: South Africa vs. Netherlands, Morocco vs. France, and Nigeria vs. England. Ooof. Here's hoping at least one of these underdogs can win!

The teams I'm currently rooting for are:

Any non-European team that wears yellow. The ones still in the tournament as of my writing this post are: South Africa, Colombia, Jamaica, and Australia. Not sure how good any of their chances are, and Colombia will play against Jamaica in this round so only one of them can go through. But on the bright side, that means at least one yellow team will be playing in the quarterfinals!

Japan. They've been really versatile and have modified their style of play strategically to exploit their opponents' weaknesses, and they are fun to watch.

Any colonized country playing their colonizer.

I... don't really have a horse in the race for the Sweden vs. USA match. I don't think the USWNT played well at all in the group stage, and I like the idea of other teams catching up so it's more competitive, and Sweden wears yellow. But at the same time, I also do want to see the USWNT play well, so...

#women's world cup #futbol

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dispatchupdates · 10 months

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CAB Urges BCCI for Rescheduling Pakistan-England Match Amidst Unforeseen Circumstances

They have recommended November 11, rather than November 12 which is additionally the date of the Hindu celebration of Kali Puja

The Cricket Relationship of Bengal (Taxi) has mentioned the BCCI to move the Britain versus Pakistan ODI World Cup game, booked to be played at Kolkata's Eden Nurseries on November 12, to another date, proposing November 11 as another option. The improvement came after the city police informed Taxi that they are expecting upgraded security for the game as Pakistan are one of the groups. November 12 is additionally the date for Kalipujo, one of the city's, and the locale's, most significant Hindu celebrations.

ESPNcricinfo comprehends that Taxi authorities had a gathering with city police experts on Thursday, and were educated about the rule of peace and law worries upon the arrival of the celebration. Following that, the affiliation kept in touch with Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, mentioning the date change.

This comes close behind the Ahmedabad police communicating its failure to give security to the India versus Pakistan game on October 15, since it conflicted with the primary day of the nine-day Hindu celebration of Navaratri, perhaps of the main celebration in Gujarat, of which Ahmedabad is a section, and numerous different pieces of northern India. The game - still in Ahmedabad - has since been moved to October 14, however the ICC or the BCCI is yet to offer an authority expression with that impact.

Shah, in the interim, has said that the date change - for that and a couple other matches - became essential since a few partaking sheets had kept in touch with the BCCI communicating their interests about the movement required between matches.

Kolkata police's position isn't ideal dealing with a significant strict occasion and a significant cricket match around the same time.

The Taxi's position is an unenviable one. In 2011, when the ODI World Cup was last had in this impact of the world, Kolkata, and the city's famous Eden Nurseries arena, was considered ill suited to have the India versus Britain game. The scene facilitated three games, which didn't include India, in 2011.

Taxi, and cricket fans in Kolkata, would have zero desire to be in a circumstance where the high end Britain versus Pakistan game is moved to another city, and it is perceived the affiliation authorities have likewise connected with Mamata Banerjee, the main priest of the province of West Bengal, to attempt to mediate.

The first timetable of the World Cup had Eden Nurseries set apart to have five games: Bangladesh versus Netherlands on October 28, Bangladesh versus Pakistan on October 31, India versus South Africa on November 5, the Britain versus Pakistan on November 12, and the second semi-last on November 16.

The timetable of the World Cup was delivered after a long defer on June 27, only 100 days before the booked beginning of the competition on October 5 in Ahmedabad, though the timetables for the last two versions of the competition, in Australia and New Zealand (2015) and Britain and Ribs (2019) were out over a year ahead of time.

Full Article's Link Below:

#cricket #cricket world cup 2023 #cricket world cup qualifier #cricket wof #eng vs aus #Enland VS Pakistan

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rmfantasysetpieces1 · 10 months

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Womens World Cup 2023 Round of 16

Switzerland vs Spain

Last round Spain were beaten by a better technical team. Switzerland isn't that. But Switzerland proved they can fight against an exeprience UEFA side, so Spain is not unknown to them. This is a battle.

Netherlands vs South Africa

Netherlands drew against the USA so a team that can run with the Netherlands or run more than them can put them in the heels. But this is a one off match so both teams will know it is win or go home. South Africa know this current form they are in can't keep a clean sheet so they have to execute sharply in attack.

Japan vs Norway

Nippon last round evaded a big woman team. And beat highly skilled, newbie, or in flux. Norway isn't the most skilled opponent Nippon will have faced, not a newbie. Did Norway knock themselves out of flux with their last match. Norway will prove how narrowly escaped or how slow a starter they are this tournament. Nippon are focused, take no team for granted. Will look to progress and can't show inconsistency, haven't lost and now must win.

Sweden vs USA

This is a battle, Sweden knows who they are and play to who they are. The USA will not have athletic dominance and when the USA doesn't have the ability to override athletically, it becomes rough. Is Sweden is on the rise, Is the USA on the decline?

Australia vs Denmark

Two battling sides. Australia is at home. This is winable. Denmark must be ready for the fight. Can't count denmark out but the crowd might energize Australia.

France vs Morocco

This is like Nigeria versus england... Morocco plus Nigeria have a huge chance for their identity. Morocco knows France ,morocco can beat France. Morocco will show their mentality while France if wise will not be unprepared. Their coach certainly won't underestimate.

England vs Nigeria

England will be familiar with many of the Nigeria players. Can England technically rise as Nigeria have athleticism. Nigeria womens team , if it ever wanted a moment to make a statement, it is now. England like France in Africa is an old enemy, but an enemy that has become idolized as well as hated. A win against England for Nigeria women is a trophy.

Colombia vs Jamaica

Funny how colombia plus Jamaica connect through the caribbean. Jamaica can look aat Morocco and view Colombia as defeatable . Colombia to be a big team has to know how to do both, defeat the big plus the small consistently. Great Battle.

#RMSoccer

#rmsoccer #switzerland #spain #netherlands #south #africa #japan #norway #sweden #usa #australia #denmark #france #morocco #england #nigeria #colombia #jamaica #womens #world #cup

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andiessoccerblog · 10 months

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Group Stage Update

I have been busy being a tourist in New Zealand, which is a beautiful country, and have not had time to sit down and talk through all the games happening. Groups A, B, and C have already played their last group stage games and teams have moved on to the knockout round, and other teams will do the same in the next three days.

Group A

Group A was the wildest group by far, with each team getting at least one win. This meant that each team had the ability to advance to the knockout stage with a win in their last game. Switzerland ended up winning the group with a win and two ties, and Norway took second place with only one win and one tie. The last games were probably the least dramatic–Norway steamrolled the Philippines 6-0, and Switzerland held New Zealand to a 0-0 tie. It was a hard game to watch, as Switzerland seemed to be playing for the tie instead of a win, while New Zealand threw everything they had at the game and still came up short.

Group B

This group also had some chaos, with the marquee teams Australia and Canada both struggling, and both needing a win against the other to move on. But it wasn't the close match a lot of people expected, Australia ended up dominating 4-0, preventing Canada, the current Olympic gold-medalists, from moving out of group stage. Big Oof. Nigeria also qualified for the knockout stage, with two 0-0 ties, and a surprise win over Australia, which seems to have kicked the host country into action before their Canada game. Maybe they owe Nigeria a thank you?

Group C

This was a classic group stage–no ties, no upsets. Japan won all three games, including a decisive 4-0 win against Spain, even though Spain held 77% possession. Japan's counterattack is LETHAL. For their part, Spain won pretty easily against the other two group opponents, but they will need to be on their toes in the knockout stage.

Group D

This is another group shaping up to be a classic group stage with no upsets–but although the results look normal, the games have been anything but. Haiti has kept both of their games to only 1-0 losses, and England has only had 1-0 wins. England can go through with a win or a tie, but could technically get knocked out if both Denmark and China with with goal differentials greater than 2. Math is fun!!

Group E

USA play tonight against Portugal, and need a win or a tie to go through. Although both USA and Netherlands are slated to go through, either team could get knocked out by an upset. I'm stressed.

Group F

F is for…France? Fail? Freedom? Right now, France and Jamaica are the top two teams in the group. If things go as expected in their games tomorrow, France and Brazil will be the top two. But none of the games in this group have been "as expected". I'll be at the France vs. panama game in Sydney tomorrow night. Allez les Blues!

Group G

Sweden has locked in their path to the world cup with two wins, but any other team could be the second team to go through. Argentina has a tough task with their last game against Sweden, but Italy and South Africa will literally be battling head to head for the last spot. Italy could get through with a win or a tie, while South Africa needs an outright win.

Group H

Colombia has surprised the world by beating Germany for their second win, locking them in for the group stage. Germany did generally play well and will likely take the second spot, barring any HUGE upset by South Korea, but that's not impossible after two upsets in their last three games (Zambia and Colombia).

#woso soccer #woso #uswnt #women's world cup #womens soccer #nwsl #wwc 2023 #france #frawnt #germany #world cup #gerwnt #engwnt #swewnt #norwnt #auswnt #colwnt #nigeria #nedwnt #itawnt #canxnt #brawnt

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heywoodsays · 1 year

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FIFA World Cup 2022: Round of 16 Predictions

It’s been a different kind of World Cup so far — and that’s an understatement. While one always expects some upsets and some thrilling finishes, we’ve had more than our fair share of surprises and drama.

Africa had its best ever group stage with 7 wins. The warm climate of Qatar may be a factor. Two African teams have advanced this year; none advanced in Russia 4 years ago. Europe is less represented in this knockout stage than it was last time around. And while South America sent five teams to the knockout stages at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, only two have survived this time.

Favorites Brazil and Argentina are through, despite losses to Cameroon and Saudi Arabia respectively. Defending champions France also have a blemish on their record, but are through nonetheless. Regular contenders such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and England are also through.

But stalwarts like Germany, Belgium, and Uruguay could not manage to make it out of the group stage this year. Mexico failed to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 1978. Dark horse favorites Denmark couldn’t make an impact. Instead, surprise performances by Japan, Korea, and Morocco stole the show.

It’s truly a “world” tournament:

Europe - 8

South America - 2

Africa - 2

Asia - 2

CONCACAF - 1

Oceania - 1 (though they play in the Asian confederation)

Still, based on the matchups, I suspect the quarterfinals will end up looking as they normally do. Here’s how I think things will pan out…

🇳🇱 Netherlands vs. 🇺🇸 USA

History The Dutch and Americans have met five times, but never in a competitive match. Of the five friendlies, the Dutch have won four. But the U.S. won the most recent contest 4-3 in Amsterdam in 2015.

Qatar 2022 Neither of these teams have looked great so far. Despite going undefeated in the group stage, the Dutch have underperformed. They benefited from being in the easiest group and yet struggled against Ecuador. The Americans, on the other hand, fought their way through a group that included England and two other teams comparable to them in the FIFA world rankings. And while they demonstrated grit in their must-win match against Iran, they never quite managed to show enough quality to defeat a top-flight team.

But there are rumors about the flu making its way through the Dutch team. I don’t think this will be one of the more exciting matchups, but I fancy the Oranje to come away with a narrow win. The Netherlands is undefeated in their last 18 matches, winning 13 of them. The U.S. win against Iran is their only victory in their last 6 games. This U.S. team is still young and has very little World Cup experience. Such experience counts for something in the playoff rounds.

Prediction: 🇳🇱 NED 1 🇺🇸 USA 0

🇦🇷 Argentina vs. 🇦🇺 Australia

History These teams last played each other in a friendly 15 years ago. Australia has not defeated Argentina since 1988. In 7 contests, Argentina has 5W, 1D, 1L. This will be their first World Cup Finals meeting.

Qatar 2022 Kudos to the Socceroos for impressive wins over both Tunisia and dark horse favorites Denmark! They even came out strong in their opener against France, before finally bowing to them after a 4–1 thrashing.

I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen again against Argentina. While La Albiceleste revealed weaknesses in their stunning loss to Saudi Arabia, they showed their mettle in wins against Mexico and Poland. (The loss to the Saudis is their only defeat in their last 39 contests, dating back to 2019.) This team is now starting to click again and should be in top form to ward off any challenge from the pesky Aussies.

Prediction: 🇦🇷 ARG 3 🇦🇺 AUS 0

🇫🇷 France vs. 🇵🇱 Poland

History France has the historic edge in this contest, with 8W, 5D, 3L. Their only previous World Cup meeting was a thrilling third-place playoff in 1982 from which Poland emerged victorious, 3-2. But France has been the better team since then.

Qatar 2022 France’s B-team suffered a 1-0 loss to Tunisia, but have otherwise been perhaps the best squad of the tournament so far. Their midfield has been on point, and Mbappé has been shining. There were some questions about this team, given their Round of 16 exit from the Euros, and recent losses to Denmark and Croatia. But France have come to play and appear poised to make a good run at defending their title.

It’s hard to see Robert Lewandowski’s Poland overcoming the depth and skill of this French squad. While the French have shown vulnerabilities in their defense (they have conceded in each game), their offensive prowess is simply too much for Poland. Les Bleus should walk away with this one.

Prediction: 🇫🇷 FRA 2 🇵🇱 POL 0

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England vs. 🇸🇳 Senegal

History These two nations have never met in international football. But England has an impressive record against African competition — undefeated in all 20 games they’ve played against African nations. By contrast, Senegal have a 6-5-5 record against European teams, most recently losing to the Dutch in the group stage.

Qatar 2022 The Three Lions looks difficult to beat. If Rashford, Kane, and Saya are on their game, and a spritely Foden can make an impact coming off the bench, they should be able to score a healthy amount. But their goalless draw against the USA was a sign that this team could be stifled if faced with an opponent who wants it enough.

Senegal is Africa’s highest-ranked team, but with their star striker (Sadio Mané) out for the tournament, their path forward is a little more challenging. I’m not sure the energy from their exciting win over Ecuador will be enough to overpower or withstand one of the best squads England has sent to the World Cup in years.

Prediction: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENG 3 🇸🇳 SEN 1

🇯🇵 Japan vs. 🇭🇷 Croatia

History Japan and Croatia have squared off three times before, with each team winning once and the other match in a draw. A 1997 match in Japan saw the home side victorious, but a 1998 World Cup meeting in France went to the Europeans. Their 2006 World Cup fixture in Germany ended goalless.

Qatar 2022 The Samurai Blue have been one of the most delightful surprises of this tournament. Their stunning upsets of both Spain and Germany en route to win their challenging group places them as one of the top teams of the tournament. But can their grit and determination be enough to push them past Luka Modrić and a skilled, scrappy Croatia team that were runners-up at the last World Cup?

Get ready for this to be one of the more exciting matches of the Round of 16. Both teams play with an urgency, especially when pushed. As soon as one team takes the lead, they’ll fight to tie it up. I might not usually expect Japan to put more than one into the Croatian net, but they’ve already done that against better teams. Sadly, I think their luck will run out against the more experienced Croatians.

Prediction: 🇯🇵 JPN 1 🇭🇷 CRO 1 (wins on penalties)

🇧🇷 Brazil vs. 🇰🇷 Korea Republic

History Brazil and South Korea have squared off in seven international matches, mostly friendlies. Korea has just one triumph, a 1-0 win in 1999. When the two teams faced off just six months ago, Brazil won 5-1. Neymar netted two in that game.

Qatar 2022 Like France and Portugal, Brazil rested their star players for their final group match and paid the price. But even Brazil’s reserves should have done better. A key issue for the team has been finishing. They need Neymar’s creativity to get their strikers in the best positions. There’s no reason the likes of Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus, Vini Jr., and Raphina shouldn’t be racking up goals.

The Koreans were able to best Portugal’s B-squad to secure their place in the Round of 16, knocking out Uruguay in the process. But other than that, their play has not provided much to suggest that they can beat The Seleção. It seems near impossible to score against Brazil’s top 11. They’ve recorded clean sheets in 22 of their last 32 games. In fact, they didn’t even surrender a shot on goal for the first two group stage matches. If Neymar is healthy, I think we should be prepared to see the Samba Kings break out at last.

Prediction: 🇧🇷 BRA 3 🇰🇷 KOR 0

🇲🇦 Morocco vs. 🇪🇸 Spain

History Spain and Morocco faced off in the group stages at the 2018 World Cup. That match ended in a 2-2 draw, with Spain netting an equalizer in the 90th minute. Their only two other meetings came in World Cup qualifying in 1961. Spain won both.

Qatar 2022 La Roja were the early stars of the tournament after their 7-0 thumping of Costa Rica. But a draw against a lackluster Germany and a loss to Japan have tempered expectations. Morocco, on the other hand, has been one of the most consistent teams at the tournament, even defeating the second-ranked Belgians.

But this is only Morocco’s second trip to the Round of 16, and first since 1986. This Spain team has valuable experience in high-stakes tournaments. They also have exciting young players like Gavi to bring a renewed energy as well. Looking at Spain’s pacing, control, and penchant for possession, it’s hard to see Morocco extending their brilliant run. But I wouldn’t count them out. This one could head to extra time or even penalties.

Prediction: 🇪🇸 ESP 3 🇲🇦 MAR 2

🇵🇹 Portugal vs. 🇨🇭 Switzerland

History One of two all-European battles in the Round of 16, there’s a lot of history between these two teams. The Swiss have a slight edge with 11W, 5D, 9L. The two have seen each other twice this year in the UEFA Nations League, with Portugal winning 4-0 in Lisbon and Switzerland winning 1-0 in Geneva.

Qatar 2022 Portugal joined France and Brazil as the only teams to secure their second-round berths after two games. They made several changes to their lineup against South Korea, ultimately costing them the match. But prior to that, the Portuguese looked strong — fighting off Ghana and controlling play against Uruguay.

Switzerland is much more comfortable with a slow, defensive style of play. They’re a team that ekes out 1-0 and 2-1 victories. (Their 3-2 win against Serbia was their first time scoring more than 2 goals in over a year.) But as Brazil was able to dictate the flow of their game against the Swiss, I suspect Portugal’s offense will do the same. But don’t count the Swiss out. They were still able to hold mighty Brazil to one goal, so Portugal will have their work cut out for them. I think Ronaldo and his team will prevail, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had to go through extra time or penalties to do so.

Prediction: 🇵🇹 POR 2 🇨🇭 SUI 1

No upsets?

I realize that, in each case, I’ve predicted the favored team will win. While I really do think these are the most likely outcomes given how the teams have played so far and their histories, this is the World Cup, and there’s bound to be a surprise or two (or three). If an upset is to happen, here’s who I think is most likely to do it.

Most likely upsets

USA (16) over Netherlands (8)

Japan (24) over Croatia (12)

Morocco (22) over Spain (7)

Switzerland (15) over Portugal (9)

Senegal (18) over England (6)

Poland (26) over France (4)

Korea Rep (28) over Brazil (1)

Australia (38) over Argentina (3)

#World Cup 2022 #Qatar 2022 #FIFA #Round of 16 #Netherlands vs USA #Argentina vs Australia #France vs Poland #England vs Senegal #Japan vs Croatia #Brazil vs Korea Republic #Morocco vs Spain #Portugal vs Switzerland #sports

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