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USWNT grouped with Netherlands, Vietnam in 2023 World Cup draw originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The U.S. women’s national team will face a familiar foe early at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Saturday’s draw placed the USWNT, Netherlands, Vietnam and a to-be-determined playoff winner in Group E for the 2023 event in Australia and New Zealand. The USWNT will begin group play against Vietnam on July 22, face the Netherlands on July 27 and finish up against the playoff winner on Aug. 1. All three of the Americans’ group stage matches will be played in New Zealand.
Though the USWNT will face Vietnam first, the biggest match of the group stage will come against the Netherlands. The two sides met in the 2019 Women’s World Cup Final in France with the USWNT prevailing thanks to goals from Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle. The two sides will have their sights set on reaching another final in 2023, as the USWNT is No. 1 in FIFA’s rankings and the Dutch are No. 8.
The 2023 draw could set up another intriguing final showdown for the Americans. England, which is No. 4 in the FIFA rankings and beat the USWNT 2-1 at Wembley Stadium earlier this month, was placed in Group D alongside China, Denmark and a to-be-determined playoff winner. Group D is on the opposite side of the bracket as Group E, meaning the USWNT and England would not face one another until the final or third-place match.
The host nations will get the tournament started on July 20. New Zealand will face Norway in a Group A match, while Australia will go up against Ireland in the Group B opener.
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup draw
Here is the full draw for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, along with the nations competing for the final playoff spots:
Group A
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New Zealand
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Norway
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Philippines
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Switzerland
Group B
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Australia
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Canada
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Ireland
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Nigeria
Group C
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Costa Rica
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Japan
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Spain
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Zambia
Group D
Group E
Group F
Group G
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Argentina
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Italy
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South Africa
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Sweden
Group H
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Colombia
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Germany
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Morocco
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South Korea
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