Preview - R16: Switzerland v Spain

Sat, 05 Aug, 2023

Preview - R16: Switzerland v Spain

Auckland: Head coach Jorge Vilda says his Spain team will learn from their heavy defeat by Japan as they aim to make history by winning a FIFA Women's World Cup knockout game for the first time against Switzerland on Saturday.

A Spanish side led by reigning Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas were seen as contenders coming into the tournament and started with two comfortable wins against Costa Rica and Zambia.
 
But they were torn apart 4-0 by Japan in their last outing, which meant they advanced to the last 16 in second place in their group and with doubts swirling about their ability to compete with the world's best sides.

Preview - R16: Japan v Norway

Sat, 05 Aug, 2023

Preview - R16: Japan v Norway

Wellington: Norway have labelled Japan as favourites ahead of their FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Round of 16 clash on Saturday but all head coach Futoshi Ikeda wants his players to do is maintain the form they have shown so far.

The 2011 world champions cruised into the knockout stage with a perfect record of three wins, with their 4-0 victory over Spain in their final Group C resulting in heightened expectations. 

Miyazawa to James: Five players who lit up group phase

Fri, 04 Aug, 2023

Miyazawa to James: Five players who lit up group phase

Sydney: The FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 knockout rounds begin on Saturday after some sparkling performances in the group phase.

We take a look at players who have lit up the tournament so far.

Bell: Korea Republic's rebuild must start immediately

Fri, 04 Aug, 2023

Bell: Korea Republic's rebuild must start immediately

Brisbane: Korea Republic exited the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 with their heads held high after holding two-time winners Germany 1-1 in their final Group H fixture at the Brisbane Rectangular Stadium on Thursday.

Cho So-hyun scored Korea Republic’s first goal of the tournament in the sixth minute, finishing off a beautifully executed pass before Germany clawed their way into the game to draw level before the break.

The result saw the Koreans exiting the tournament after finishing last in the group with Colombia and Morocco advancing but  head coach Colin Bell was full of praise for his players for bouncing back from defeats in their earlier matches.

'Explosion of joy' as debutants Morocco reach last 16

Fri, 04 Aug, 2023

'Explosion of joy' as debutants Morocco reach last 16

Perth: Goal-scorer Anissa Lahmari called it an "explosion of joy" as FIFA Women's World Cup debutants Morocco qualified for the last 16 at the expense of Germany after stunning Colombia 1-0 on Thursday.

One of the lowest-ranked teams at the tournament at 72 in the world, Morocco face France on Tuesday in the knockouts.

Days of Women's World Cup 'total predictability' over, says Ellis

Fri, 04 Aug, 2023

Days of Women's World Cup 'total predictability' over, says Ellis

Sydney: The days of "total predictability" at the FIFA Women's World Cup are over, two-time winning coach Jill Ellis said on Friday, after Germany became the latest and most high-profile victims.

Ellis led the United States to World Cup glory in 2015 and 2019, but the Americans were made to look anything but champions as they squeezed into the knockout rounds.
 
Last year's European Championship runners-up Germany, Brazil, Italy and Olympic champions Canada were all turfed out in the group phase. Morocco, Nigeria, Jamaica and South Africa instead all progressed.

Quest for AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Group Stage set to begin

Thu, 03 Aug, 2023

Quest for AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Group Stage set to begin

Kuala Lumpur: The qualifying journey for the AFC Cup™ 2023/24 Group Stage begins on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 as the first of 13 matches in the Preliminary and Playoff Stages kick off.

Seven spots are on offer across all five AFC Zones for the 19th edition of the AFC Cup, with the slot allocations determined in June.

Socceroos tactician Graham Arnold headlines latest Coaches Circle

Thu, 03 Aug, 2023

Socceroos tactician Graham Arnold headlines latest Coaches Circle

Kuala Lumpur: The 10th issue of the Coaches Circle, now available on the-AFC.com, shines the spotlight on Australia’s Graham Arnold who was amongst the Asian coaches making headlines at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. 

Under Arnold, the Socceroos earned their highest point tally at the Group Stage of the global showpiece to date and gave eventual world champions Argentina a late scare before ultimately losing 2-1 to end their remarkable campaign in the Round of 16.