The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023 has reached the quarter-finals. The big quarter-final clashes are between defending champions Japan and European giants Sweden.
Japan, ranked 11th in the FIFA rankings, will face third-placed Sweden on 11 November for a place in the semi-finals. The only team in the quarter-finals to have won a World Cup (2011), Japan have been the most consistent, going unbeaten through the quarter-finals. In the round of 16, they made light work of another World Cup winner, Norway (1995), and have emerged as strong favourites.
온라인카지노Sweden, who have reached the knockout stages in all nine editions since the inaugural World Cup in 1991, are no slouches either. Sweden are the highest-ranked team in the quarter-finals. They are followed by England (fourth), France (fifth), Spain (sixth) and the Netherlands (ninth). Sweden’s best result at the tournament was runner-up in 2003, but they have reached the round of 16 after a penalty shootout victory over top-ranked USA, who were looking for their third consecutive tournament title and fifth overall.
This is the de facto final. Japan holds a narrow lead in the all-time series with five wins, one draw and four defeats, but Sweden has the psychological advantage having won the last two meetings. The Swedes won 3-1 in the quarter-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which was also a homecoming for Japan.
Japan and Sweden in the women’s football quarter-final at the Tokyo Olympics. Getty Images
Japan’s quick passing and organisation versus Sweden’s height and strength. Both teams kept clean sheets in three of their four matches at the tournament. Japan has scored a tournament-high 14 goals, but Sweden is not far behind with nine.
Three teams from outside the Americas and Europe remain in the quarter-finals, including Colombia (25th), who won their first match 2-0 against Korea, and hosts Australia (10th) and Japan, who are often described as “traditional powers”.
On the 11th, the quarter-final between Spain and the Netherlands will take place before Japan-Sweden. On the 12th, Australia-France and England-Colombia will battle for a place in the semi-finals.