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Group D
These are heady times for football in New Zealand, with the senior women following in the footsteps of the men's U17 and U20 sides by qualifying for the World Cup this year. New Zealand sides have taken full advantage of Australia's move to the AFC with a 100% record in Oceania.
While the average age of the New Zealand squad in Papua New Guinea was 22, the backbone of Herdman's side is provided by a clutch of experienced players including defenders Maia Jackman and Rebecca Smith and 35-year-old striker, Wendi Henderson. Jackman was selected for the FIFA Women's All Stars team which took on China in an exhibition match before the official draw for the tournament in Wuhan.
Henderson, meanwhile, is only the third New Zealand player to reach a half-century of caps and the sole survivor from the Kiwis' 1991 Women's World Cup squad, New Zealand's first and only appearance at this level - Rebecca Smith is a Californian-born Kiwi who plays with Sunnana SK in Sweden.
Brazil are the only side from South America to have appeared at every Women's World Cup so far. But they had to wait until the 1999 tournament in the USA to leave their mark. Having failed to make it past the group stages at China 1991 and Sweden 1995, Brazil stormed all the way to the podium with a deserved third-place finish.
This year for the first time in their history, the Brazilians lost a qualifying game and with it their South American crown. Prior to that defeat, Brazil had won the four previous continental titles, scoring 173 goals while racking up 22 wins, conceding just nine times along the way.
One reason behind this uncharacteristic slip-up could have been the absence of Marta and Katia, as well as the lack of experience in Barcelos' young squad. Although the emergence of Cristiane Roseira was a more positive note, as her 12 goals propelled her to the top of the scorers' charts.
After the frustration of losing their South American throne to Argentina, Brazil head to China determined to redress the balance and repair their battered pride. Only the samba stars' very best will do if they wish to improve on their efforts at previous FIFA Women's World Cups and challenge for the biggest prize of them all.
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China |
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Coach: Marika Domaski-Lyfors | China edged out North Korea and newcomers Australia to recapture continental glory at the Asian Cup. It was their first title in five years and a timely boost to the team given that, despite a history dominance, is in a period of transition.
Legendary veteran Sun Wen may have returned after a two-year exile when Ma Liangxing was re-appointed the head coach in 2005, but shortly afterwards she was forced to call time to her playing career having sustained a serious knee injury.
Fortunately, the emergence of the young talents like teenage striking sensation Ma Xiaoxu and cool-headed goalkeeper Zhang Yanru brings a fresh breeze of optimism. The pair both played key roles in the senior side's winning campaign at the Asian Cup in August and they went on to perform well to steer the U20 side to the final of the U20 Women's World Championship last year.
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Denmark |
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Coach: Kenneth Heiner-Moller |
Denmark will be making their fourth appearance at the finals of the Women's World Cup, having qualified for the tournaments in China in 1991, Sweden in 1995 and the United States in 1999.
What is guaranteed is that they will be looking to improve on their recent record at World Cups. Denmark failed to progress past the qualifying stages for the 2003 tournament, and four years earlier they only managed one goal in their three group phase matches - a Janni Johansen strike in a 3-1 loss to North Korea.
Although there are few survivors from that era, three remain key players in the current Denmark team. Katrine Pedersen, who plays in Sweden for Djurgarden/Alvsjo, has racked up more than 120 caps since making her debut in 1994 and is a captain who leads by example.
The only two players with a longer international career are Anne Dot Eggers Nielsen and the prolific Meret Pedersen. With more than 50 international goals to her credit, the 33-year old striker from Odense BK is out on her own as Denmark's top international scorer, finding the net ten times in the qualifiers alone.
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