NEW ZEALAND 
World Ranking: 26
Head Coach: Jitka Klimkova (CZE)
Star player: CJ Bott (Leicester City)
Best performance: Group stage (1991, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019)

 

The co-hosts are heading into their sixth FIFA Women's World Cup having so far failed to win any of their 15 previous matches at the Finals.

 

They have never got out of their group at the tournament and it would be a surprise if they did so this time, even with the advantage of having a home crowd behind them.

NORWAY 
World Ranking: 12
Head Coach: Hege Riise (NOR)
Star player: Ada Hegerberg (Lyon)
Best Performance: Winners (1995)

 

Norway were powerhouses of the women's game as they reached the final of the first Women's World Cup in 1991 and then lifted the trophy four years later.

 

Recent performances have been more underwhelming. They lost comfortably to England in the 2019 quarter-finals and then went out of Euro 2022 in the group stage after a humiliating 8-0 defeat against the English.

The appointment as coach of former star player Hege Riise after the Euros has led to an improvement. Norway cruised through qualifying and in recent months have beaten the Netherlands, and held England, France and Sweden.

 

They have depth to their squad, with Chelsea's Guro Reiten offering creativity from midfield alongside Barcelona duo Ingrid Syrstad Engen and Caroline Graham Hansen.

 

Then there is Ada Hegerberg, the 2018 Women's Ballon d'Or winner and prolific striker who will be eager to impress after refusing to play at the 2019 Women's World Cup.

 

Will hope to get to the last eight at least.

PHILIPPINES 
World Ranking: 46
Head Coach: Alen Stajcic (AUS)
Star player: Sarina Bolden (Western Sydney Wanderers/AUS)
Best Performance: Debut

 

The 46th-ranked Philippines are appearing at their first FIFA Women's World Cup, fresh from reaching the semi-finals at the AFC Women's Asian Cup India 2022™ and winning the AFF Women's Championship.

 

They also took bronze at last year's SEA Games but can be under no illusions as to the size of the task awaiting them in New Zealand.

They are rank outsiders in Group A, although in Alen Stajcic they have an experienced coach who has previously managed his native Australia at the Women's World Cup.

 

Will hope to cause a surprise or two with Australia-based forward Sarina Bolden providing the main goal threat.

SWITZERLAND 
World Ranking: 20
Head Coach: Inka Grings (GER)
Star player: Ramona Bachmann (Paris Saint-Germain)
Best Performance: Last 16 (2015)

 

Qualified for just their second Women's World Cup by beating Wales in a playoff after coming second to Italy in their qualifying group.

Will now hope to make a greater impression than at last year's European Championship, when they went out in the group stage without winning a match.

 

Former German international Inka Grings took over at the beginning of the year and is aiming to take a side led by Paris Saint-Germain's Ramona Bachmann and Barcelona's Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic into the knockout stages.

 

That would boost morale ahead of Euro 2025, which the Swiss will host.