The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup gets underway today, with cohost New Zealand having kicked off action against Norway at 7 pm local time (3 am ET). The US national team enters the tournament looking to maintain their dominance in international competition and capture their third straight World Cup title.
The tournament has been viewed as a changing of the guard for the US, who enters as the No. 1-ranked team in the world. Led by veterans Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, the squad also features 22-year-old Sophia Smith (the leading scorer in the US women’s professional league), 21-year-old Trinity Rodman (the highest-paid player in the league), and 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson (the first teenager on the US team since 1995).
The US enters as favorites to win the cup, with England, France, and Spain viewed as their stiffest competition. The Americans have won half of the world titles since the tournament began in 1991.
The tournament format for the cup involves an initial round-robin group stage with eight groups of four teams each (see groupings)—teams are awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. The top two teams from each group then advance to a 16-team, single-elimination knockout stage. The US faces Vietnam in their opening match tomorrow night (9 pm ET, FOX).
