Women's World Cup: Group A Preview

The 2023 Women's World Cup starts on July 20th, so we're not far from the global sporting event.

Let's get prepped for the action by diving into Group A.

All betting odds come from the Women's World Cup odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Women's World Cup Group A

(FIFA ranking in parenthesis)

• Norway (12th)
• Switzerland (20th)
• New Zealand (26th)
• Philippines (46th)

Women's World Cup Outright Winner Odds

• Norway: +5000
• Switzerland: +19000
• New Zealand: +19000
• Philippines: +43000

Odds to Win Group A

• Norway: -280
• Switzerland: +500
• New Zealand: +500
• Philippines: +10000

Odds to Advance Out of Group A

• Norway: -1900
• Switzerland: -150
• New Zealand: -130
• Philippines: +10000

Odds to Reach the Quarterfinals

• Norway: +120
• Switzerland: +900
• New Zealand: +900
• Philippines: +10000

Group A Schedule

• Matchday 1
  • New Zealand vs. Norway, July 20th, 3 a.m. EST
  • Philippines vs. Switzerland, July 21st, 1 a.m. EST
• Matchday 2
  • New Zealand vs. Philippines, July 25th, 1:30 a.m. EST
  • Switzerland vs. Norway, July 25th, 4 a.m. EST
• Matchday 3
  • Norway vs. Philippines, July 30th, 3 a.m. EST
  • New Zealand vs. Switzerland, July 30th, 3 a.m. EST

Group A Team-by-Team Outlook

Norway

The Norwegians are the standout side in this group, which is reflected by their -280 odds to top Group A.

While Norway is coming off of a very disappointing Euro campaign, they righted the ship in a big way in World Cup qualifying, going unbeaten across 10 matches -- including 9 victories. They scored a whopping 47 goals while conceding twice.

Caroline Graham Hansen, Frida Maanum, and Guro Reiten led the team in qualifying, each notching a combined eight goals plus assists. Lisa-Marie Karlseng Utland was the side's top scorer, netting six goals. Norway also boasts Ada Hegerberg, the first-ever women's Ballon d’Or winner. Hegerberg played in only three qualifying matches but tallied three goals.

Norway are the class of Group A -- listed at -1900 to advance out of the group stages -- and they will be looking to make some noise in the knockout rounds. However, their +5000 odds to win it all rank just 12th-best.

Switzerland

The Swiss were good in qualifying, winning 8 of 10 matches with a loss and a draw. Despite the sterling record, Switzerland finished runner-up to Italy in group play and had to get through Wales in a playoff match to qualify for the World Cup -- something they did in dramatic fashion, scoring a 121st-minute winner.

Their form since, however, hasn't been good. In fact, they haven't won since the Wales match, drawing five times and losing once across six friendlies.

This is Switzerland's second trip to the World Cup -- the last coming in 2015 -- and they're led by the trio of Lia Wälti, Ramona Bachmann and Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic. In qualifying, Crnogorcevic was super productive, totaling eight goals with seven assists. Bachmann finished with six goals and three assists while Coumba Sow recorded nine goals and two assists.

Wälti is an injury question mark with an ankle ailment.

Given Norway's status as the overwhelming group favorite and the Philippines' standing as a major longshot, Switzerland's fate will likely be decided on Matchday 3 when they face New Zealand.

New Zealand

One of the hosts of the tourney, New Zealand will be looking to give their home fans something to get excited about.

Due to hosting, they didn't have to qualify for the tournament. While they likely would've qualified if they had to earn it on the pitch -- something they've done for four straight World Cups -- the Football Ferns are not coming into the tourney in good form, failing to win a match in 2023. Not only have they not won across seven friendlies, they've been outscored 21-3 across the outings.

Still, New Zealand is listed at -130 to advance out to the group, which reflects -- in part -- how big of an advantage it can be to host.

As mentioned, the runner-up spot in this group will likely come down to the Matchday 3 clash between Switzerland and New Zealand. The Swiss are -150 to advance out of the group compared to New Zealand's -130 odds.

Philippines

The Philippines are making their first trip to the World Cup ever. They got here thanks to reaching the semifinals of the 2022 AFC Asian Cup, and they've been guided by manager Alen Stajcic, a former Australia manager who has overseen the Filipinas' rise to World Cup qualification.

They're going to be up against it, though, and will be a sizable underdog in all three group-stage matches. The Philippines is a +10000 longshot to advance out of the group and a +43000 longshot to win the tourney -- numbers which tie them for the biggest longshot in either market across the entire field.

In the Asian Cup, the Filipinas defeated Thailand and Indonesia in group play before edging past Chinese Taipei on penalties in the quarterfinals. There, they fell 2-0 to the Korea Republic, but getting to the semis was enough to punch their ticket to the 2023 World Cup.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.