Women's World Cup: Group G 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 G.

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

Women's World Cup Group G

(FIFA ranking in parenthesis)

• Sweden (3rd)
• Italy (16th)
• Argentina (28th)
• South Africa (54th)

Women's World Cup Outright Winner Odds

• Sweden: +1800
• Italy: +10000
• Argentina: +19000
• South Africa: +43000

Odds to Win Group G

• Sweden: -370
• Italy: +350
• Argentina: +2300
• South Africa : +5500

Odds to Advance Out of Group G

• Sweden: -6000
• Italy: -380
• Argentina: +320
• South Africa: +850

Odds to Reach the Quarterfinals

• Sweden: -175
• Italy: +550
• Argentina: +10000
• South Africa: +10000

Group G Schedule

• Matchday 1
  • Sweden vs. South Africa, July 23rd, 1 a.m. EST
  • Italy vs. Argentina, July 24th, 2:00 a.m. EST
• Matchday 2
  • Argentina vs South Africa, July 27th, 8 p.m. EST
  • Sweden vs. Italy, July 29th, 3:30 a.m. EST
• Matchday 3
  • Argentina vs. Sweden, August 2nd, 3 a.m. EST
  • Italy vs South Africa, August 2nd, 3 a.m. EST

Group G Team-by-Team Outlook

Sweden

The Swedes come into the tournament off a qualifying campaign that saw them fail to win just once. They conceded just two goals in eight games, making qualification a breeze.

Sweden has reached the semifinals of their last two major tournaments, the 2019 World Cup and the 2022 UEFA European Championship. Their FIFA ranking of third overall suggests that they should be considered contenders for this tournament.

They don't come into the tournament in great form, however, having won just one of their past five friendlies. They do have one more tune-up game against the Philippines before the tournament gets underway, which hopefully can get them on track.

The players to watch on Sweden will be Fridolina Rolfo, Magdalena Eriksson, and Filippa Angeldahl. These three all play for big clubs around Europe and Sweden in minutes played during the qualification process.

Sweden may be the class of Group G, but the odds don't put them among the serious contenders for the tournament. The recent indifferent form could be a reason why. However, they are definitely a talented team and one that could grow into the tournament.

Italy

The Italian men are one of the most successful countries in World Cup history. The same cannot be said for the Italian women, who have qualified for the tournament for just the fourth time and have never been past the quarterfinals.

They had a disappointing European Championships, but their qualifying group went about as smoothly as possible. They won nine of 10 games and took advantage of some weaker teams in the group to rack up 40 total goals.

Cristiana Girelli led the Italians with eight goals in qualifying and also added three assists. The team has a lot of other interesting forwards, including Valentina Giacinti and 18-year-old Chiara Beccari.

The qualifying form should give the team some level of confidence to be able to get out of this group. The key match will be against Argentina, as both sides will be underdogs against Sweden and big favorites against South Africa.

Argentina

Like Italy, Argentina's history on the men's side of the game does not carry over to the women's side. They've never won a match at the World Cup, in their three previous times in the tournament.

They will obviously be looking to change that, and the country seems to be headed in the right direction. They finally introduced a professional women's league in 2019, and followed things up with a third-place finish at the 2022 Copa America Femenina that allowed them to qualify.

Since qualifying, they had a tough match against Spain at the end of 2022, losing 7-0. They have turned things around a bit, going unbeaten in five friendlies so far this year.

Argentina doesn't have any women playing at the top European sides. They do have a few players who play their trade in some of Brazil's biggest clubs, including Yamila Rodriguez who plays for Palmeiras. She led the team with six goals in six Copa America Femenina games and will be their main goal threat.

Their lack of experience will make it tough for them to get out of this group, and even if they do, they aren't expected to do much damage in the knockout rounds. However, they will have a good chance of getting their first-ever World Cup victory.

South Africa

The third-lowest-ranked team in the tournament are the Bayana Bayana of South Africa. They have qualified for the tournament for the second-consecutive time, which is also the only two times in their history.

2022 was a good year for the team though, as they won the Africa Cup of Nations. This allowed them to qualify for the World Cup automatically.

Their form since winning that tournament is definitely cause for concern. They've won just once in their last five matches and lost 0-5 to Botswana on July 2nd in their most recent game.

Just eight of the 23 players selected on the squad play outside South Africa. Their key players are the goalkeeper Andile Dlamini, who won the Best Goalkeeper award at the AFCON. Bambanani Mbane, Refiloe Jane, and Jermaine Seoposenwe were also named to the tournament's Best XI.

It will be extremely difficult for South Africa to even make it out of the group. They have some tournament experience that could help them, but this one will be played at a much higher level.

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.