Who will book a place in the 2023 World Cup semi-finals?

Fans, who love to eat well and enjoy the best that football has to offer, would love nothing more than to witness the first part of the feast that is the Women's World Cup quarter-finals. Will it be Spain's first ever semi-final in the history of the Women's World Cup, with the legendary Barcelona Women's team at the core? Many are asking that question. The women's team from the land of the bulls has made incredible progress, having failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, then being eliminated in the group stage of the 2015 World Cup, failing to get past the round of 16 four years ago, and now, for the first time, being in the quarter-finals after a resounding victory over Switzerland in the knockout round.

Will it be the Netherlands’ second consecutive semi-final, having done so in 2019 (beating Italy in the quarter-finals, then Sweden in the semi-finals)? It’s worth noting that Andries Jonker’s side have had a similar journey to Spain. They didn’t make it to the World Cup finals until 2011, but then reached the round of 16 in 2015.

The Japanese women's team is the only representative of Asia to enter the quarter-finals of the 2023 World Cup.

There is no doubt that this is a difficult match to predict. It is the only meeting between two increasingly highly regarded European giants at this stage. Although the Netherlands have a better record in this tournament than Spain, having not lost a game, they are still considered underdogs. They have faced each other 10 times before, with Spain winning five (most recently 2-0 in the 2019 Algarve Cup) and drawing two, the Netherlands winning three. Now it is a real showdown as Spain, who have scored 13 goals in this tournament thanks to a very sharp attack, with star man Aitana Bonmati, will face a tough test from a Dutch defence that has conceded just one goal and a very mobile midfield, led by Jill Roord. Roord made Dutch football history by becoming the first player from the country to score in three consecutive Women's World Cups.

So what about the next game between Japan and Sweden? Will Japan reach the semi-finals for the third time in the last four tournaments, and will their status as the only quarter-finalists to have won the World Cup help them overcome Sweden, the third-ranked team in the world , who also finished third at the 2019 World Cup? Looking at the numbers, it’s easier to be impressed with Japan than Sweden, even though the Nordic side sent the US home in one of the craziest penalty shootouts in the tournament’s history and are in the quarter-finals for the seventh time in nine appearances. Hinata Miyazawa, the leading candidate for top scorer, and her teammates have scored 14 goals in the tournament, conceded just one, and only once in their four wins have they scored fewer than three goals (the 2-0 win over Costa Rica).

The Spanish women's team (right) has a better head-to-head record against the Netherlands

As for Sweden, coach Peter Gerhardson and his coaching staff not only have to deal with the fact that many of their players were very tired after the win over the USA, but they may also be without key player Filipna Angeldal, who left the field on a stretcher in that match. Their hero from that match, goalkeeper Zecira Musovic, could be the heroine again when they face Japan, who are the favorites and have won eight of their last 10 games against European opponents, most recently against Spain (4-0). The last time they met in a Women's World Cup was in the semi-finals of the 2011 tournament, with Japan winning 3-1, who went on to win the final after beating the USA in a heroic penalty shootout.

What are the predictions for the first two quarter-final matches? Spain vs. Netherlands will probably go into extra time and possibly penalties. Meanwhile, Japan is likely to advance in the second match. Let's wait and see.

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