The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is set to get a lot more interesting in just a few days as the group stages have now concluded. 16 teams remain in the hunt for the coveted prize, and given that these are now the knockout rounds, there will be no mulligans for any team that ends up on the losing end. In short, it's win or go home for all of these teams, regardless of FIFA's rankings or number of previous titles won.
Here's all you need to know ahead of the round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Which teams qualified for the round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup?
Here are the teams who've qualified for the round of 16:
- Australia (AFC)
- Colombia (CONMEBOL)
- Denmark (UEFA)
- England (UEFA)
- France (UEFA)
- Jamaica (CONCACAF)
- Japan (AFC)
- Morocco (CAF)
- Netherlands (UEFA)
- Nigeria (CAF)
- Norway (UEFA)
- South Africa (CAF)
- Spain (UEFA)
- Sweden (UEFA)
- Switzerland (UEFA)
- USA (CONCACAF)
When does the round of 16 start and end?
The round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup will start on Saturday, August 5th, and ends on Tuesday, August 8th.
5 unique stats ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup round of 16
1. Three African nations in the knockout rounds for the first time ever
Debutant side Morocco successfully overcame some overwhelming odds after being humiliated 6-0 by Germany on matchday one. The Lionesses of Atlas, however, would have the last laugh as Germany were ultimately dumped out following a draw with South Korea, and thanks to two wins against Korea and Colombia, secured a spot in the knockout rounds where they will face France.
Meanwhile, South Africa have also had a tournament to remember. Four years ago, they were eliminated after losing all their group stage games, but this time around, are into the round of 16 after drawing Argentina and successfully overpowering Italy 3-2 in a five goal thriller. Next up will be a tricky test against the Netherlands, who finished top of their group and were the runners-up at the 2019 edition.
And last but not least, Nigeria, who are the only African side to have qualified for every single World Cup since its inception in 1991, beat tournament co-hosts Australia on matchday two to ultimately finish second in their quartet. The Super Falcons will hope to soar when they take on England, who are the reigning EURO winners in what should be an intriguing tie.
2. Worst ever group stage result for USWNT
Although they qualified for the knockout rounds, where they will face Sweden, it's safe to say that this hasn't been an impressive World Cup so far for the USWNT. The Stars and Stripes did beat Vietnam as expected, but it was not a totally convincing performance, and were in danger of actually missing out on a knockout round spot heading into their match against Portugal.
In fact, had the post not gotten in the way, Portugal, who were one of eight teams making their debut, just may have possibly pulled one of the biggest upsets of this tournament, meaning that Team USA would not have a chance to win a third title in a row. Certainly, fans of the USWNT will hope that the group stage campaign isn't a sign of more problems to come and rather perhaps the team not choosing to get out of second gear with one eye on the knockout rounds.
3. Morocco making their country proud
In 2022, Morocco became the first African nation to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals. Although the Atlas Lions were defeated by France, and then unfortunately missed out on a medal after Croatia defeated them in the third-place game, their performance will not be something fans will forget for a long time.
Now less than a year later, in the summer of 2023, the Lionesses of Atlas are also making their mark. In qualifying for the round of 16, Morocco becomes the second African nation to have both their men's and women's teams qualify for World Cups in successive years. The first was Nigeria, who first did this in 1998 (men's) and 1999 (women's).
4. Unpleasant new territory for one of women's football's heavyweights
It's not been the best World Cup for some of the biggest teams in women's football. As noted previously, the USWNT, who are ranked first in the world, barely squeaked into the round of 16 after posting their worst ever points total in the group stages. Meanwhile, Germany, who are ranked second, failed to qualify for the round of 16 for the first time in team history.
This is even more shocking considering that Germany, crushed Morocco 6-0 in their tournament opener, which gave them a huge advantage in terms of goal differential. However, South Korea's 1-1 draw, coupled with Morocco's 1-0 win over Colombia, meant that Germany's +5 goal differential counted for nothing as they were ultimately dumped out of the competition. This is the first time a team has had such a huge goal advantage and failed to progress to the knockout rounds in competition history.
5. They might play boring football, but Switzerland somehow got the job done
Two goals. That's all that Switzerland scored in their group stages, and somehow they nonetheless managed to qualify for the round of 16. However, they did manage to keep clean sheets throughout their three group stage games against New Zealand, Norway, and the Philippines and top their group. Yet, it does pale in stark comparison to Japan, who netted a whopping 11 goals en route to topping their quartet - and also kept clean sheets when taking on Spain, Zambia, and Costa Rica.
Only Jamaica, who scored once, have netted fewer goals than Switzerland of any of the teams featuring in the round of 16.
It will be interesting to see what approach Switzerland take when they face Spain, who scored eight times during their group stage campaign and have shown that they're not afraid to take the game to their opponents. Of course, holding out for a scoreless draw could work for La Nati, but at some point, they will have to come out of their shells.
What are the games taking place in the round of 16, and how can I watch them?
Here are the games that will be taking place in the round of 16, with geo-localized listings for your specific location:
Saturday, August 5th
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Sunday, August 6th
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Monday, August 7th
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Tuesday, August 8th
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