Will the seventh time prove to be the charm?
That is the question that the Brazilian women's team must be asking themselves as they participate in their seventh consecutive World Cup this summer. Like the USA, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Japan, and Nigeria, the Canarinhas have participated in each and every one of the quadrennial tournament since its inception in 1991.
However, for all their efforts and dominance in South America, with six Copa America Femenina titles, unlike their male counterparts, Brazil's ladies have historically underperformed on the biggest footballing stage.
Despite boasting Marta, arguably one of the best players to grace the women's game, along with veterans like Cristiane, Formiga, Rosana, Erika, and Fabiana, Brazil have only one runners-up medal to their credit, earned back in 2007 after facing Germany in the final. The last edition of this tournament saw them bow out in the quarter-finals after losing 5-3 to the USWNT in a spot-kick shootout.
Under the management of Oswaldo Fumeiro Alvarez, commonly known as Vadão, who took over in April 2014, they won their fifth International Tournament of Brasilia but have experienced mixed results in their other fixtures since.
Although they have quite a few talented players, Brazil have yet to win a World Cup in six prior attempts
In the recent Algarve Cup, they defeated fellow World Cup participants Switzerland and Sweden, but lost to Germany, and again were defeated by the no. 1 women's side in a recent friendly, 4-0. With another friendly clash with Iceland coming up soon, fans will surely hope that South America's most successful women's team will head to Canada with a morale-boosting win before kicking off their campaign against South Korea on June 9th.
12 years after first making their debut at the USA edition of this tournament, South Korea are back and ready to try their luck yet again at women's football's most prestigious competition. Their first foray into the World Cup in 2003 was a tough one for the Taeguk Ladies, who were dumped out of the group stages after scoring just one and conceding ten against Brazil, France, and Norway.
Led by former defender Yoon Deok-Yeo, who took over in December 2012, South Korea booked their ticket to Canada by finishing fourth at the 2014 Asian Cup and are ranked at 18th in the FIFA World Rankings, just two behind China and will be relying on the skills of star striker Park Eunsun, who was the joint-top scorer at the Asian Cup in Vietnam and has 18 goals so far for her national side.
Another player that will be expected to help on the goal-scoring front will be Ji So-Yun, who plays her club football for Chelsea, won the PFA Women's Player of the Year and at just 24, has been nicknamed the "Korean Messi" by supporters in her native country due to her goal-scoring exploits for the team.
Young and ambitious: This new crop of Korean players are keen on making a splash at this year's tournament
Meanwhile two new teams, Spain and Costa Rica will be featuring in their first ever World Cup and like the other debutants will be hungry and eager to make their mark in Canada. Despite being walloped 6-0 by the USWNT in the 2014 CONCACAF final, Costa Rica impressed at the tournament and several of their players - including 15-year-old starlet Gloriana Villalobos - were able to gain some valuable experience when they hosted the U-17 World Cup last year.
Las Ticas have an interesting blend of experienced players like PSG's Shirley Cruz and young faces such as Melissa Herrera in their first ever WWC
And finally, Spain, whose coach Ignacio Quereda is the longest-serving coach in women's (and likely men's football) after assuming the post in 1988, are finally in the World Cup after failing to qualify in their last six attempts. La Roja blazed through their qualifying group, scoring 42 - 12 of those were contributed by Natalia Pablos - and conceding just two as they topped the pack.
Striker Veronica Boquete, who is currently is her team's top scorer with 29 goals, will serve as the team's skipper in their debut tournament. The 28-year-old, who plays for FFC Frankfurt was a nominee for the recent FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year, finishing in eighth place and her teammates will be counting on her technical ability as well as leadership skills to help them out in Canada this summer.
Many of the ladies who represent La Roja feature for the women's sides with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao
When and Where to watch Group E's Women's World Cup 2015 matches
Brazil might be the heavy favourites, but Group E could be a lot trickier than expected. Will Costa Rica and Spain, in their first ever World Cup make it to the next stage? Or will an improved South Korean side show that they are not the same nation that suffered humiliation 12 years ago?
Make sure you stay informed with news, streaming options, and channel information by bookmarking our FIFA Women's World Cup page on LiveSoccerTV.com.
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