Lionesses ready to roar: women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20

The women’s World Cup football event kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20, and the Dutch team, without star player Vivianne Miedema and with a new coach, face a tough battle to reprise their 2019 final place.

The Lionesses are in group E alongside Portugal, title holders USA and Vietnam but will be hoping for a return to form following their quarter final elimination by France in the European championships.

The Dutch women are currently eighth in the Fifa women’s world rankings with the USA, England, France and Germany the favourites to win the tournament.

New coach Andries Jonker is a firm believer in cohesion and straight talking and his approach seems to have gone down well with his team, the Fifa website said.

“His preferred formation remains something of a mystery, however, with the Dutch having employed both a 4-3-3 and a 5-3-2 on his watch,” the website said.

At home interest in the competition has been muted so far, with little in the way of tournament-related advertising.

“We have noticed that women’s football is gaining in popularity but the match times are unfortunate, which makes it less likely to draw big audiences,” a spokesman for public broadcasting advertising buyer Ster told RTL Nieuws. “And that has a knock-on effect on advertising.”

The games will be shown live on NOS television and live streamed on Fifa+.

The Dutch group games (CET)
July 23, 9.30 am The Netherlands – Portugal (Dunedin)
July 27, 3 am USA – The Netherlands (Wellington)
August 1 2023, 9 am Vietnam – The Netherlands (Dunedin)