THE Philippines will play in Group A with co-host New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland in the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup to be held from July 20 to Aug. 20.
The Filipinas’ grouping has been confirmed following Saturday’s draw ceremony held in Auckland, New Zealand.
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The schedule has also been set with PWNT going up against Switzerland on July 21 in Dunedin, before batlting the host on July 26 in Wellington. The Filipinas close the group stage against Norway in Auckland.
Of all the teams in Group A, New Zealand is the most familiar to the Philippine team having faced them in a friendly last Sept. 6, with the Filipinas squandering a 1-0 lead to lose to the Football Ferns, 2-1, in California.
The Filipinas were also able to avoid the strongest contenders in two-time defending champion US and 2019 runners-up Netherlands, which were bracketed in Group E.
PWNT also avoided early matches with Sweden, Women’s Euro champion England, and Germany, and France, ranked second to fifth in the Coca-Cola women’s world rankings.
Norway, which advanced to the knockout stage of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, is the highest ranked team in Group A at No. 12 followed by Switzerland at No. 21, and New Zealand at No. 22.
Making its World Cup debut through its fourth-place finish in the AFC Asian Women’s Cup, the Philippines is at No. 53.
Other groups are as follows:
Group B: Australia, Ireland, Nigeria, Canada
Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan
Group D: England, Group B playoff winner, Denmark, China
Group E: United States, Vietnam, Netherlands, Group A playoff winner
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Group C playoff winner
Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
Group H: Germany, Morocco, Colombia, Korea
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