It is only 10 in the morning and already the heat in Pasadena is somewhere in the region of ‘face-melting’.

The sea breeze that kindly buffets the waterfronts of the United States’ Pacific coast is nowhere to be felt. Here, hemmed in by hills that form a dramatic natural amphitheatre, all is still, sweaty and parched.

In the middle of it all, gracefully defiant in the sun, sits the Rose Bowl.

This stadium in Los Angeles’ northern suburbs, now 102 years young, understandably holds a beloved position in the American sporting consciousness. Five NFL Super Bowls have been played here, plus the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, Brandi Chastain and all that. It wears its history lightly — a few plaques, a couple of modest statues — but it is known as ‘America’s stadium’ for a reason.

It is not only U.S. sports fans who revere the place, however; the Rose Bowl is also on the list of Brazilian football’s holy sites.

It was here, 30 years ago next month, that Brazil sealed their fourth World Cup title, pulling away from Germany to become the most successful nation in men’s football history (both have won another since).

Close your eyes a touch and you can almost see the after images: Italy’s Roberto Baggio sending the decisive penalty into orbit; Romario smooching the…

It is only 10 in the morning and already the heat in Pasadena is somewhere in the region of ‘face-melting’.

The sea breeze that kindly buffets the waterfronts of the United States’ Pacific coast is nowhere to be felt. Here, hemmed in by hills that form a dramatic natural amphitheatre, all is still, sweaty and parched.

In the middle of it all, gracefully defiant in the sun, sits the Rose Bowl.

This stadium in Los Angeles’ northern suburbs, now 102 years young, understandably holds a beloved position in the American sporting consciousness. Five NFL Super Bowls have been played here, plus the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, Brandi Chastain and all that. It wears its history lightly — a few plaques, a couple of modest statues — but it is known as ‘America’s stadium’ for a reason.

It is not only U.S. sports fans who revere the place, however; the Rose Bowl is also on the list of Brazilian football’s holy sites.

It was here, 30 years ago next month, that Brazil sealed their fourth World Cup title, pulling away from Germany to become the most successful nation in men’s football history (both have won another since).

Close your eyes a touch and you can almost see the after images: Italy’s Roberto Baggio sending the decisive penalty into orbit; Romario smooching the…

The 2023 Women’s World Cup gets under way in Australia and New Zealand on July 20, with the U.S. hoping to navigate an expanded 32-team tournament to become the first country to win football’s biggest prize three times in a row.

They are the favourites, but will the four-time winners actually pull off the ‘three-peat’? What of England, European champions but decimated by injuries to key players as they attempt to win the tournament for the first time? Will Germany bounce back from losing the final of the Euros to lift the game’s biggest prize?

How will the likes of France, Spain and Canada perform after their preparations have been disrupted by disputes with their federations over the past few months?

And can we expect any surprises from any of the eight countries — Haiti, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Vietnam and Zambia — making their World Cup debuts?

Our expert writers give their verdicts on what they think will happen over the next five weeks.

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Flo Lloyd-Hughes, women’s football reporter

Winner: Germany. This is a very open tournament and there are four or five teams that have a good chance of winning the title. Germany are often the masters of their own downfall, but given their disappointment at the Euros last summer and their…

The 2023 Women’s World Cup is almost here. It is the ninth iteration of the tournament and the biggest yet as, for the first time, 32 teams will compete for the trophy.

That means a new format with more matches and more players, as well as some new rules that have not been in operation before.

Here’s a primer ahead of the biggest women’s football tournament in history.

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The basics

What is the Women’s World Cup?

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is an international tournament that pits the best national sides against one another every four years.

Where is it being held?

The tournament is being played in Australia and New Zealand.

It is the first Women’s World Cup to be hosted across two countries and the first World Cup (regardless of gender) to be hosted across two confederations — Australia are part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and New Zealand are part of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).

When is it?

The first two games of the tournament — New Zealand vs Norway and Australia vs Republic of Ireland — will be played on July 20.

The group stage will conclude with the final two games in Group H a fortnight later on August 3.

The knockout stage will begin on…