Women's World Cup: Group E 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 E.

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

Women's World Cup Group E

(FIFA ranking in parenthesis)

• USA (1st)
• Netherlands (9th)
• Portugal (21st)
• Vietnam (32nd)

Women's World Cup Outright Winner Odds

• USA: +240
• Netherlands: +2300
• Portugal: +10000
• Vietnam: +43000

Odds to Win Group E

• USA: -310
• Netherlands: +260
• Portugal: +3800
• Vietnam: +10000

Odds to Advance Out of Group E

• USA: -7000
• Netherlands: -900
• Portugal: +440
• Vietnam: +10000

Odds to Reach the Quarterfinals

• USA: -600
• Netherlands: +100
• Portugal: +2100
• Vietnam: +10000

Group A Schedule

• Matchday 1
  • United States vs. Vietnam, July 21st, 9 p.m. EST
  • Netherlands vs. Portugal, July 23rd, 3:30 a.m. EST
• Matchday 2
  • United States vs. Netherlands, July 26th, 9:00 p.m. EST
  • Portugal vs. Vietnam, July 27th, 3:30 a.m. EST
• Matchday 3
  • USA vs. Portugal, August 1st, 3 a.m. EST
  • Netherlands vs Vietnam, August 1st, 3 a.m. EST

Group E Team-by-Team Outlook

United States

The USA are back-to-back defending World Cup winners and are the favorites to win once again.

The Americans were able to qualify after winning the CONCACAF W Championship, having been victorious in all five matches without conceding a goal. Their experience could give them an edge, and they'll return some of their star players from those championship squads.

Alex Morgan tied for the lead in the qualifying tournament with three goals. She's listed as the favorite to win the Golden Boot for the most goals in the tournament.

Last time, she ended up in a dead heat with teammate Megan Rapinoe. They both finished with six goals and three assists, but Rapinoe won as a result of spending slightly less time on the pitch. Rapinoe may be getting older at age 38, but she still has a deadly delivery into the box from set pieces that will always come in handy.

Others such as Julie Ertz, Rose Lavelle, and Lindsey Horan give the team an experienced group of midfielders.

The U.S. has played eight matches in 2023 between friendlies and the SheBelieves Cup. They won all eight of those matches and conceded just one goal, making them the overall tournament favorites for a good reason.

Netherlands

The side that most seeks revenge on the USA for the previous tournament is the Netherlands.

The Dutch reached the final in 2019 only to lose 2-0 to the Americans. They were able to get back to the tournament fairly easily in qualifying. They went unbeaten in eight qualifying games, winning six and drawing two.

The team was led by a duo of impressive goalscorers in the qualification process. Unfortunately, Vivianne Miedema will miss the tournament due to an injury she suffered in December. Jill Roord was right behind Miedema in qualifying with seven goals.

The Oranje will also rely on veteran Lieke Martens, who has played for the national team 144 times. Martens was playing on an injured toe in the 2019 World Cup, but when healthy, she is a creative attacking force from the wing.

Ranking ninth in the world would usually mean a good chance to win a group, but that's not the case when you have the best team in the world playing in the same group. The Netherlands still has a good chance to qualify out of this group and perhaps could make another solid run in the knockout round.

Portugal

Portugal is a country with a rich history in the game on the men's side but has virtually no history on the women's side.

This will be their first ever time participating in the World Cup. They've only qualified twice for the UEFA European Championship, and once was last year when they got a spot after Russia was disqualified.

The good news is that Portugal has been in decent form since last summer's Euros. They've lost just once during their last 12 matches. That includes a draw against European Champions, England, away from home on July 1st.

They were able to qualify by winning in the Inter-Confederation playoffs, after finishing second in their qualifying group. The leading scorer in the qualification process was Diana Silva. She had five goals in 12 matches.

Other key players include Ana Borges and Carole Costa, who have each played over 150 times for Portugal. One detail to note about this team is that the majority of players play in Portugal -- mostly for Benfica. That familiarity with each other could help them in this tournament.

Portugal has a tough task in qualifying with two top-10 teams in the world in their group, but their form and continuity could make them a bit of a dark horse.

Vietnam

Like Portugal, Vietnam will be making its first-ever appearance at the World Cup.

They just barely were able to qualify by having just one point in the 2022 Women's Asian Cup Final group stage. This was enough to get them into a playoff where they were able to beat Thailand and Chinese Taipei; both had squads affected by COVID.

Vietnam was able to win the recent Southeast Asian Games, having beaten Myanmar in the final. In recent friendlies that serve as tune-ups for the World Cup, they were able to keep matches against Germany and New Zealand close.

The player to watch for this side will be their captain, Huyhn Nhu. She's the only member of the team that plays outside of Vietnam, plying her trade in Portugal. She has an impressive goal-scoring record of 67 goals in 103 appearances for the national team.

Ngyuen Thi Tuyet Dung tied Nhu in goals in the qualification campaign with two and also added two assists. She is Vietnam's all-time leader in appearances with 119.

Things are definitely going to be tough for Vietnam, and they are a long shot to even make it out of the group. Being in the tournament will be a huge step forward for the development of their program, and that's what they can take away from this experience.

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.