The final for the 2023 Women’s World Cup is in the books, and what a competition it was. We had shocks — Philippines over Norway! USA out in the round of 16! Germany out in the group stage! — and a worthy winner as Spain bested England 1-0 in Sydney in a battle of the tournament’s two best sides.
And so, attention naturally turns to the next World Cup, to be held in 2027. Our writers who covered the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand make their predictions and bold projections for what might await in the next cycle.
Sophie Lawson: The competitive balance continues
It would be too easy to simply say that I think Japan will build from this tournament and win the whole thing in four years, because so much can happen over a tournament cycle. While I do think and hope Nadeshiko will be in the mix, you can’t overlook the wealth of talent in the U.S. should the Americans find a coach who can make them sing from the same hymn sheet. Likewise, we’ve seen teams start to catch up and reduce gaps, even those that are poorly funded and/or supported back home.
So my simple, not at all bold, prediction for 2027 is that it will be a World Cup that’s too close to call, just as this one was with so many games in the knockout rounds decided by the finest of…
