Who Will Win the Women's World Cup Final?
by Steve Ashfield | by Steve Ashfield
Who Will Be Crowned Women's World Champions?
It's been a fantastic 2023 Women's World Cup but perhaps the best is yet to come. European champions England face Spain in the final on Sunday August 20th. Both countries have had to play six matches in the finals to reach the most important match they've ever played. Fans from all over the world will be watching the match and it should be a thrilling occasion.
This tournament has been a great showcase for women's football. With the UEFA Women's Nations League being launched later this year, the female side of the game is continuing to grow. On this page, we'll look at how both Spain and England made it to the final and some stats from previous title deciders. Remember you can follow all the action from the final on our Sportytrader Livescore page.
European Champions Out to Conquer the World
No fan of English football needs reminding that their team hasn't lifted a World Cup since 1966. Last year saw the Lionesses become European champions, will 2023 be the year when they become the best in the world? Let's look at just how England have made it to their first ever Women's World Cup final.
The Road to the Final
It was on September 17, 2021 that England played their first qualifying match. They'd been drawn in Group D alongside Austria, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg, North Macedonia and Latvia. There were ten games to be played and England won every single one of them. Not just that but they scored 80 goals and kept ten clean sheets. Their best win was a 20-0 home victory over Latvia with four players scoring hat-tricks. Five of their matches saw them reach double figures.
That amazing group victory took them into the World Cup finals where they drew Haiti, Denmark and China. Here's the games that have been played on the way to their first Women's World Cup final.
- Group D - England 1 Haiti 0
- Group D - England 1 Denmark 0
- Group D - England 6 China 1
- Last 16 - England 0 Nigeria 0 - England won 4-2 on penalties
- Quarter Finals - England 2 Colombia 1
- Semi-Finals - England 3 Australia 1
That's 13 goals scored and just three conceded, one of which was a penalty. Their top scorer is Alessia Russo with three goals.
Will Spanish Eyes Be Smiling on Sunday?
Spain are playing in only their third Women's World Cup finals. They first qualified in 2015 but were beaten in the group stages. They drew with Costa Rica but lost to both Brazil and South Korea. Four years later they did qualify for the knockout stages finishing second behind Germany. That took them into the last 16 where the Spanish side lost 2-1 to eventual winners, Team USA with both the American goals being from the penalty spot.
Last year saw them reach the last eight of the European Championships for the third successive tournament. They were beaten 2-1 by England after extra time. Their best performance in the Euros was a semi-final in 1997. Now they hope to become world champions in 2023, let's look at how they got to the final.
The Road to the Final
They also had a dominant time in their qualifying group. Spain faced Scotland, Ukraine, the Faroe Islands and Hungary. Eight games were all won with 80 goals scored and just like England, they didn't concede a single goal. Their best win was a 12-0 home win over the Faroe Islands. They were then drawn against Costa Rica, Zambia and Japan in Group C.
- Group C - Spain 3 Costa Rica 0
- Group C - Spain 5 Zambia 0
- Group C - Spain 0 Japan 4
- Last 16 - Spain 5 Switzerland 1
- Quarter Finals - Spain 2 Netherlands 1
- Semi-Finals - Spain 2 Sweden 1
Five wins and a heavy defeat has seen them score 17 goals but concede seven. Their top scorers are Aitana Bonmati (above) Jennifer Hermoso and Alba Redondo, all with three goals, Read our Women's World Cup predictions page to see who our experts believe will be the winners on Sunday.
Stats Guide for the 2023 Women's World Cup Final
Here's some useful statistics about the 2023 Women's World Cup final,
- England have met Spain on 11 previous occasions winning six, drawing three and being beaten twice.
- England have lost one of their last six games against Spain.
- In competitive matches, England have four wins, one defeat and two draws.
- Six out of 11 games have seen both teams score.
- Over 2.5 goals have been scored in six of their previous 11 matches.
Who will win the Women's World Cup Final? It's going to be a great game and Spain are 2.75 at bet365 to win in 90 minutes. England are 2.87 at Unibet with a draw 3.00 at William Hill. Those odds reflect how close it could be between these two countries on Sunday. It's 4.50 at Betfair that either side wins the cup via a penalty shootout. The same bookmaker offers 8.50 on England winning on penalties and the same price for Spain to win that way. You can see all the prices on our odds page.
