February 23, (THEWILL) – Senior women’s national teams from Portugal, Panama, and Haiti will be making their World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand this summer.
The tournament recently expanded to 32 teams, with eight nations making their first appearance. On Thursday, Panama confirmed their spot with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay, while Portugal overcame Cameroon 2-1 at Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium. Haiti secured their place by defeating Chile 2-1 in Auckland.
Morocco, Vietnam, Zambia, the Republic of Ireland, and the Philippines are also set to play in a Women’s World Cup for the first time. Morocco, the first-ever Arab nation represented in FIFA’s flagship women’s tournament, had their male team make a stunning run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, in 2022.
While the Super Falcons will slug it out in Group B against teams from Australia, Canada, and the Republic of Ireland in the group stages of the most prestigious female football competition in the world, Panama will face Jamaica, Brazil, and France in Group F, while Haiti has been placed in Group D alongside China, Denmark, and European champions, England.
Portugal will go up against Vietnam, the Netherlands, and two-time reigning champions, the United States in Group E, which will be played out in New Zealand. The tournament’s opening game will see co-hosts New Zealand take on Norway in Auckland on July 20.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
