Arguably the best striker in world football, Sam Kerr scores goals for fun and, at 29, is already Australia’s record goalscorer by some distance. She is also the only player from her country to score a hat-trick at a World Cup, when she bagged four against Jamaica in 2019 as she finished one goal short of Golden Boot winner Megan Rapinoe.

 

At club level, Kerr has won trophies galore at Chelsea, including the past four Women’s Super League titles, while in two of those four seasons she finished as the competition’s top scorer. She has also scored five goals in the last three FA Cup finals, firing the Blues to glory on each occasion. 

 

Kerr’s most recent goal for the Matildas, meanwhile, came in their 2-0 win over England in April as they ended the European champions’ 30-match unbeaten run. And that is exactly the kind of form the whole of Australia will hope she takes into the World Cup as the striker gears up to captain her nation on home soil.

A silky midfielder with exceptional technical ability and an eye for a killer pass, Yui Hasegawa headlines a Japan side looking to improve on their 2019 showing. Four years ago, the then 22-year-old marked her debut World Cup with a lovely goal against the Netherlands in the last 16, only for the Nadeshiko to bow out following a late penalty.

 

Since then Hasegawa, who won the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2014 and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ in 2018, has departed her homeland for Europe and, following impressive spells at AC Milan and West Ham United, Manchester City acquired her as a replacement for Barcelona-bound Keira Walsh.

 

Having previously made her name as an attacking midfielder, Hasegawa has excelled in a deep-lying playmaker role at City, pulling the strings from the centre of the park while also developing a greater steeliness to her game. She goes into her second World Cup on the back of receiving rave reviews for her performances in England and having netted a double in a friendly win over Panama on Friday.

Widely considered one of the finest midfielders of her generation and unquestionably the greatest female player Korea Republic have ever produced, Ji So-yun is set to appear in her third World Cup having helped the East Asians advance to both the 2015 and 2019 editions – the former when they made the knockout rounds for the first time. 

 

A number 10 who’s a great reader of the game, boasts a brilliant range of passing and an exceptional shot from distance, Ji made her debut for the national team at just 15 years old and, almost 17 years later, is her country’s all-time top scorer – male or female – with 67 goals. 

 

Following a trophy-laden eight years at Chelsea, Ji returned to her homeland to join Suwon FC in 2022, shortly after narrowly missing out on her first major honour at international level after defeat to China PR in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ final. She’ll now go into the World Cup hoping to make up for that disappointment by inspiring the Taeguk Ladies to go beyond the group stage once more. 

The most recognisable figure in the current China PR side, Wang Shuang has been turning out for the national team since she was 17 and is set to appear in her third World Cup on the back of winning the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2022, ending the Steel Roses’ 16-year wait for the title. 

 

A left-footer who is often deployed on the right, Wang is a real threat when cutting inside, can shoot from distance, is dangerous from set-pieces and is a slick finisher. And her creativity will be key to providing the prolific Wang Shanshan up front with the chances she needs to fire China PR beyond the group stage for the eighth time.

 

Wang Shuang boasts an AFC Women’s Asian Cup hat-trick to her name and a four-goal haul against Zambia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but is yet to register at the World Cup. The 2018 AFC Women’s Player of the Year will hope that changes this time round, with games against Denmark, Haiti and England to come in the group stage. 

A great deal of credit for the Philippines making their debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup must go to striker Sarina Bolden as it was her winning penalty against Chinese Taipei in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup quarter-final in Pune that booked the Filipinas’ ticket to Australia and New Zealand.  

 

Born in California, Bolden opted to represent the Philippines in 2018 and made an instant impact, marking her debut in stunning fashion by scoring the winner against Jordan in her country’s first-ever AFC Women’s Asian Cup game as the Southeast Asian nation stunned the hosts with a 2-1 victory.

 

Pacey, powerful and an excellent leader of the line, Bolden later starred at the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship, finishing as the joint-top scorer as the Philippines won their first Southeast Asian title. As the Filipinas get set to embark on a historic World Cup campaign, all eyes will be on Bolden when they kick off against Switzerland on July 21.

A symbol of the rise of women’s football in Vietnam, Huynh Nhu will captain her country on the biggest stage as the Southeast Asians make their World Cup debut. With more than 100 caps and the winner of Vietnam’s player of the year the past four years in a row, she is the poster girl of Vietnamese football. 

 

The 31-year-old is her country’s all-time leading scorer on 67 goals as she has fired Vietnam to four gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games. Her opener against Thailand at the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, meanwhile, set the Vietnamese on their way towards their historic World Cup qualification. 

 

Huynh Nhu also became the first Vietnamese women to play professional football in Europe when she signed for Portuguese top-flight club Lank FC Vilaverdense last year, netting seven goals in her debut campaign. And that experience will hopefully stand her in good stead as Vietnam get set to open their World Cup against two-time defending champions United States.