The ninth edition of the Women's World Cup is all ready to kick off in Australia and New Zealand with 32 teams travelling Down Under for a month-long festival of football.
USA are the reigning champions and looking to complete a hat-trick after triumphing in 2015 and 2019, although a host of top countries led by European superpowers England, Germany and Spain will also have their eyes on the title.
- Spain to win
- France to win each-way
Spanish Can Go All The Way
Peace hasn't quite broken out in Spain but there is enough of a truce to allow Jorge Vilda's European powers to go all the way Down Under.
Spanish women's football has been locked in a bitter civil war since last autumn with players walking out over a number of issues, coach Vilda's training approach among those complaints.
Critically, though, several rebels are back in the fold, as is the awesome Alexia Putellas, the Barcelona magician who missed last year's European Championship through injury, and whose presence might have turned a heartbreaking extra-time defeat by England in the quarters into a shot at the final.
Putellas is now one of nine stars from all-conquering Barcelona forming the backbone of a seriously strong La Roja group, who are ready to go all the way.
Spain are on a run of nine wins – defeating such nations as USA, Norway and Denmark – in their last ten internationals, demonstrating that even minus a handful of top stars they remain a potent force.
If there is a softer half to the draw then they are in it with a straightforward group to dominate and a routine path to the quarter-finals already looking mapped out.
France To Show Star Quality
If peace has not quite broken out in the Spanish ranks then it appears to have done so within the French dressing room and when you can add stability and happiness to the abundant talent that lies there, that makes Les Bleues a seriously dangerous proposition.
Four years ago as hosts we saw both sides of France, cruising effortlessly through the group but finding one obstacle too many when they met the US in the quarter-finals.
Three years later they reached the semi-finals at the European Championship and there are many who think their current trajectory will lead to a final.
Those previous relative successes were achieved on Corinne Diacre's watch but the head coach was cutting an unpopular figure going into the Euros.
Top players dug their heels in and were rewarded with the arrival in January of Herve Renard, a few weeks after he had masterminded Saudi Arabia's magnificent win over Argentina at the men's World Cup.
Veteran Lyon defender Wendie Renard (no relation) has returned to a far happier ship, striker Kadidiatou Diani and others have followed and there is gold dust rippling through the squad.
