A close look at the top five women's sides in the world will reveal an interesting, yet not surprising fact: Four out of this elite quintet - Germany, USA, Japan, and Sweden - have appeared in every single World Cup since its beginnings in 1991. And the fifth member? France, who are ranked no. 3, meaning that they are ahead of reigning champions Japan and experienced side Sweden, have only made two appearances at the quadrennial event prior to this summer's edition in Canada.
The first appearance for Les Bleues was at the 2003 edition in the United States, where they crashed out of the group stages. It would take another eight years for them to emerge, and they amazed observers as they stormed to a respectable and impressive fourth placed finish in Germany. And, proving that it was not just a one-off event, they matched that performance with another solid perfomance a year later at the 2012 Olympic games in London.
Under Philippe Bergeroo, who took over in September 2013, France showed their attacking superiority as they cruised through their qualifiers, winning all ten games and netting 54 goals - an average of over five per match - whilst just allowing three. Lyon star Louisa Nécib, described as the "female Zidane" by women's football fans is among the most famous faces but strikers Marie-Laure Delie and Gaëtane Thiney, who feature for PSG and Juvisy respectively have netted 110 goals so far between the two of them. And not to be outdone, Louisa's Lyon teammate Eugénie Le Sommer has scored 44 in 103 appearances for Les Bleues.
All four players are within the prime of their footballing careers, ranging from 26 to 29 years of age, and with an attacking arsenal like this, it is no wonder that France are not just viewed as favourites to progress from their group, but also to pose a serious threat to Germany and the USWNT in this tournament.
France may not have the experience of teams like Germany, Sweden, and the USA but their attacking prowess makes them a big contender to win it all this summer
France's first opponent will be fellow European side England. The Three Lionesses are ranked just behind them in sixth place and will be making their fourth appearance at a World Cup. Although their male counterparts have not done well on the world stage since winning a title back in 1966, the same cannot be said about England's ladies.
They have reached the quarter-final stage on each and every of the three occasions they participated in (1995, 2007, and 2011) and in their third consecutive appearance will be hoping to make it even further this time around.
However, despite their top-ten ranking, a poor showing at the EURO 2013 did not leave women's football followers impressed, where they bowed out in the group stages after losing two and drawing one of their three games. This was highly discouraging considering the fact that four years prior in the Finland edition, they progressed to the final before being defeated by women's powerhouse Germany.
Of note for England will be the new face on the bench. Mark Sampson, who at just 32 is in fact around the same age as many of his players, took over after the departure of Hope Powell following the team's disastrous EURO performance, saw his squad record a perfect ten out of ten in qualifying. And like France and Germany, England easily brushed by the opposition, scoring 52, conceding one and having three of their players in the top three in terms of goals scored, with a total of 30 between midfielder Karen Carney, Manchester City's Toni Duggan, and Nigerian-born Eniola Aluko.
Despite the presence of star names within the squad and their solid performances during the last two World Cups, not many have thrown England's name into the ring when asked about serious contenders to win it this summer. And that is exactly what they will be seeking to use to their advantage as they look to improve on their past three World Cup performances this time around.
The Three Lionesses will aspire to improve on three prior WWC quarter-final appearances at this summer's tournament
As the two European sides face off, Mexico and Colombia, two teams hoping to make it out of the group stages for the first time in their respective histories. For El Tricolor, who are ranked 25th, their last two appearances in 1999 and in 2011 were simply disappointing. Their first tournament saw them lose all three games, scoring just one and conceding 15. Yet, despite being unable to again progress four years ago, they did improve somewhat, with two draws, one loss, and conceded just seven.
Since then, Leonardo Cuéllar's ladies have improved even further, recording a third-placed finish at the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship but will likely still find it tough against teams like France and England in their quartet.
Many of the players on Mexico's team actually hail from the USA, but have opted to play football for their parents' native country
And finally, Colombia are another young side eager to prove themselves against tougher opposition. Las Cafeteras, ranked three places behind Mexico, first made their foray into the global arena four years ago in Germany and were dealt a harsh lesson in reality as they made an early exit without scoring a single goal.
They rebounded following this by finishing second at the 2014 South American championship, and the players and their supporters will hope this will spur them on in Canada. However, it will not be easy and first they will have to find a way past Mexico before taking on tournament favourites France and a few days after that, a highly experienced England side.
Colombia are making their second WWC appearance after failing to progress in their first tournament
When and Where to watch Group F's Women's World Cup 2015 matches
France are viewed as favourites to win it all this summer. Will England also be joining them in the knock-out rounds? And how will Mexico and Colombia fare this time around as they hope to finally get out of the group stages?
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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