The debutants of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™

Before the action kicks off in New Zealand and Australia, we want to take a closer look at the teams that are making their initial mark on the competition, as a record eight countries from four confederations prepare for their FIFA Women’s World Cup debut in 2023. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is set to make history in a multitude of ways; as the first to be held in Oceania, the first to feature 32 teams, and also the first to be co-hosted between two countries. It’s set to be a tournament full of excitement, and there’s definitely potential for an upset or two at the hands of the determined newbies below, but will any of them shock their seasoned rivals enough to secure a spot in the knockouts? We can’t wait to find out… <h2>AFC </h2>

The Philippines women’s team first took to the pitch in 1981, participating in the 1985 Southeast Asian Games – the first edition to feature women’s football as an event. Their qualification for the 2023 Women’s World Cup secured their country’s first ever appearance in a FIFA tournament at any level, but the Filipinas had been building towards the world stage for quite some time. After four consecutive failures to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup, they came back with a bang in 2018, getting out of the group stage for the first time, an achievement that they bettered in 2022 by reaching the semi-finals. Similar success was to be found at a more regional level in the AFF Women’s Championship, with a fourth-place finish in 2019, and a first international title at the 2022 edition. Their first World Cup challenge comes in the form of Switzerland, who they will face in Dunedin in the second match of Group A.

Vietnam have long since established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in South East Asia, having collected three AFF Women's Championship titles and a record eight gold medals at the SEA games since their formation in 1990. There has been a concentrated effort towards establishing women’s football in Vietnam in recent years, and the fans have grown passionately supportive of their national team. Despite the lack of professionalisation in the country, the quality of the game is advancing at an incredible rate, with Tran Thi Hong Nhung and Huynh Nhu and become the first Vietnamese players to ply their talents in leagues overseas. With the men never having qualified, the Golden Star Women Warriors will be the first to foray into senior World Cup competition for Vietnam, kicking off their campaign with a challenging first match against two-time defending champions the USA. <h2>CAF</h2>

Morocco are no strangers to the FIFA World Cup, with the men qualifying for six editions since the tournament’s inception in 1930, culminating in a fourth-place finish in last year’s competition in Qatar - their finest ever performance. Although it is their first excursion onto the Women’s tournament, the Atlas Lionesses are looking to emulate the success of their male counterparts and, so far, they’ve been giving the Moroccan support plenty to cheer about. Morocco played their first match at the 1998 Women’s AFCON, making them relative newcomers to international women’s football, and the first few decades of their existence passed without making much of a mark. However, the tables were turned spectacularly at the 2022 WAFCON, when Morocco stunned the rest of Africa by placing second on home-soil, breaking the three-times winning streak of Nigeria while they were at it. Their performance earned them a first ever Women’s World Cup campaign, which they will open in Melbourne against two-time champions, Germany.

We were delighted to welcome Zambia to the FIFA Museum earlier this month and tour them through the history of the tournament in which they will very shortly be making their debut. Captain Barbra Banda was particularly delighted to discover that her shirt was already on display as part of our "211 Cultures. One Game" exhibition, marking her place as the only woman two score two consecutive hattricks at the Olympics. While the Zambian Football Association have organised women’s football since the early eighties, it wasn’t until 1994 that the Shepolopolo first took to the pitch to play their first match. In recent years the squad have developed a taste for international competition, with a 2020 Olympic debut and an incredible third place at the 2022 Women’s AFCON. The Copper Queens have beaten their male counterparts to the punch with their first senior World Cup qualification and will face 2011 champions Japan in their opening match. <h2>CONCACAF</h2>

This debut on the FIFA Women’s World Cup stage is something that Haiti have been building to since 2018, when many of the current senior squad took part in the U-20 Women’s World Cup. The youth tournament was Haiti’s first appearance in any FIFA competition since the men’s World Cup debut in 1974. A young Nérilia Mondésir scored all three of Haiti’s U-20 World Cup goals back in 2018, and now dons the captain’s armband, as she prepares to lead her country out in Australia. Their historic opening match will take place against first-time European champions and serious title contenders England, but that won’t intimidate Les Grenadières who are planning on using their underdog status to their advantage. Coach Nicolas Delépine has gone as far to say that “The bigger the mountains and the bigger the challenges, the more beautiful the success”, as Haiti look to write a shining first page in their FIFA Women’s World Cup history.

Panama have bid their time in making FIFA World Cup history, and it wasn’t until 2018 that the men earned their first spot in the tournament in Russia. The women’s squad, who played their first international in 2002, seemed to be hot on their heels, and came within a breath of qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. While ultimately a trip to France was not to be for Las Candeleras, they didn’t let that stop their momentum. While they didn’t match their achievement of reaching the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship semi-finals as they had in 2018, a third-place finish in their group was all they needed to secure a spot in the inter-confederation play-off. Panama took on Papua New Guinea and Paraguay in New Zealand, earning them a return ticket for the following year, and the very last berth in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. <h2>UEFA</h2>

The Portuguese women’s team was first formed in 1981 but had to wait 36 years before playing in their first major international tournament. While A Selecção das Quinas didn’t make it past the group stages of the 2017 UEFA Women’s Euros, they gave the bigger teams a run for their money; defeating Scotland and being the only team in the group to score against England in a respectable 2-1 defeat. They then qualified for a consecutive tournament in 2022, a strong indicator of Portugal’s rising presence on the international stage. While the men’s team are a regular feature throughout FIFA World Cup history, the women will be looking to make their mark for the first time in New Zealand, as they take on not one, but both of 2019’s finalists in Group E.

The Girls in Green have been notably absent from previous editions of the Women’s Cup, with the team being established in 1973 – close to a decade earlier than any other debutantes at the tournament. They have come agonisingly close to qualifying in recent attempts, but it was Donegal-born Amber Barrett’s sole goal against neighbouring Scotland in the play-offs that finally clinched the Republic of Ireland’s place in the 2023 tournament. However, a few members of the team have already dipped their toes into FIFA competition, having reached the quarter finals in their U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup debut back in 2010. The men’s team also secured a spot in the final eight on their maiden voyage into World Cup history in 1990, and the women will undoubtedly be hoping to continue the tradition down under. However, Na cailíní i nglas will have to prove their mettle against a home support first, as they take on hosts Australia in their opening game.