Women's World Cup: So far so Chaotic

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup has nearly come to an end, but not without its fair share of chaos. A Spain vs. England final is set for Sunday August 20th, and before that, let's take a look at how we got here.

Group Stage

Group A

1. Switzerland

2. Norway

3. New Zealand

4. The Philippines

New Zealand and the Philippines won their first ever WWC matches. Despite having fairly unimpressive showings, Switzerland and Norway pulled out of the group. Co-hosting this tournament was a big deal for New Zealand, and while the team couldn't make it out of the group, their fans showed up.

Group B

1. Australia

2. Nigeria

3. Canada

4. Republic of Ireland

Jokingly named the "group of death" by many fans, Group B lived up to expectations of chaos. Tournament debutants Nigeria surprised many defeating Australia. However, Australia still managed to top the group, eliminating reigning Olympic gold medalists Canada and another newcomer Republic of Ireland.

Group C

1. Japan

2. Spain

3. Zambia

4. Costa Rica

Japan and Spain came out as clear front runners of the group from day one. Spain's success in this tournament has been controversial, due to abuse accusations against head coach Jorge Vilda. Zambia and Costa Rica did not have great showings in this tournament, but Zambia did earn their first WWC win! Costa Rica did not earn any points.

Group D

1. England

2. Denmark

3. China

4. Haiti

Going in, everyone expected England to dominate, despite missing some key players. However they didn't totally, taking two 1-0 victories against Denmark and Haiti, as well as a 6-1 victory against China. The other teams held their own, with Denmark just happening to come out on top thanks to a couple more wins.

Group E

1. Netherlands

2. United States

3. Portugal

4. Vietnam

Now this is the group that everyone expected to be clear and straightforward. The US would win and the Netherlands would take second. That's not how things went. The US played arguably the worst they've had in years, earning a spot in the knockouts thanks to the goalpost. The Netherlands did not really dominate either though. Both teams got a little lucky to make it out of this group stage.

Group F

1. France

2. Jamaica

3. Brazil

4. Panama

Tournament debutants Jamaica and Panama came to play. Unfortunately Panama did not win any games, but they did show up. Jamaica also had a complicated trip to this WWC, being forced to start a GoFundMe to pay for their tournament. Brazil, led by soccer legend Marta, were eliminated in the group. It was a tough loss to see, knowing this was Marta's last WWC.

Group G

1. Sweden

2. South Africa

3. Italy

4. Argentina

Another tournament debut, South Africa showed exactly why they earned their spot. They made it out of the group with six goals, and their first WWC win. Sweden won the group, and their performances were dominant, with three wins. Italy and Argentina did not play as well as many expected. Italy has also been dealing with issues with their federation, which certainly impacted their performance.

Group H

1. Colombia

2. Morocco

3. Germany

4. Korea Republic

Another tournament debutant, Morocco, also showed up ready to play, making history with the first player wearing a hijab in a WC. Morocco and Colombia absolutely earned their places in the knockouts. Germany was eliminated in the group stage for the first time in WWC history. People had higher expectations for Korea as well.

Knockout Stage

Switzerland vs. Spain: 1-5 - Spain continues to dominate. Switzerland did not look like they won their group. I'd like a recount for New Zealand and the Philippines.

Netherlands vs. South Africa: 2-0

Japan vs. Norway: 3-0

Sweden vs. United States: 0-0 (5-4 in PKs) - the US lost this match by millimeters, but lost this WWC before they stepped on the pitch.

Australia vs. Denmark: 2-0 - I had my doubts about Australia, given Sam Kerr's injury, but they're actually playing incredibly. Kerr did play in this match, but only for about ten minutes.

France vs. Morocco: 4-0

England vs. Nigeria: 0-0 (4-2 in PKs)

Colombia vs. Jamaica: 1-0

Quarterfinals

Spain vs. Netherlands: 2-1

Japan vs. Sweden: 1-2

Australia vs. France: 0-0 (7-6 in PKs) - the longest set of PKs in WC history. Australia's GK Mackenzie Arnold even saved the same PK twice, after the first one was called back.

England vs. Colombia: 2-1

Semifinals

Spain vs. Sweden: 2-1 - Sweden was hands down the most up and down team in this tournament. They'd go from having the best game ever, to looking like they had never played together. Spain figured out how to take advantage of this, but not until the 81st minute. This was honestly one of the most boring games of the WWC, and then they decided to go score three goals in the last ten minutes of the game.

Australia vs. England: 1-3 - Even though England took this well-deserved win, Australia did not go down with out a fight. Sam Kerr scored from well outside the 18yard box to keep the Matilda's in this match. However, a couple of defensive mistakes gave England chances they did not miss.

Photo Credits:

A. Ali Riley - Hannah Peters/FIFA/Getty Images

B. Sam Kerr - Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

C. Miyazawa Hinata - Gallo Images

D. Lucy Bronze - Getty Images

E. Sophia Smith - Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images

F. Ary Borges - James Elsby/AP

G. Thembi Kgatlana - Joe Allison/FIFA/Getty Images

H. Linda Caicedo - Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images