2023 World Cup predictions: Group B preview, odds to advance, schedule, more

Group B of the 2023 women’s World Cup features a pair of top ten teams in Australia (No. 10) and Canada (No. 7). Those two nations are favored to advance to the next round, but Ireland and Nigeria will look to play spoiler.

In the sections ahead, we’ll assess all four Group B teams and their potential to qualify out of the Group Stage.

Australia

Australia check in as a co-host in this tournament, and they have a talented squad to make some noise. Per DraftKings Sportsbook, the Matildas have the best odds (-200) to win Group B. They also have -1100 odds to advance the the knockout round, so they are a heavy favorite to make it to the round of 16.

Behind superstar Sam Kerr and plenty of supporting talent, the Matildas have the sixth-best odds (+1200) to win the World Cup.

Canada

Canada is No. 7 in the latest FIFA rankings, and they have the second-best odds (behind Australia) at +195 to win Group B. If we read between the betting lines at DraftKings Sportsbook, Australia and Canada are expected to advance from this group without much resistance. The Canadians hold -500 odds to make it to the knockout round, which implies an 83% chance of that happening.

Canada won the gold medal at the 2021 Olympics, and Christine Sinclair — who is the all-time leading international scorer for men and women — will look to lead her nation on a deep run.

Ireland

Ireland rank No. 22 in the FIFA standings, and they are slight underdogs (+350 odds) to qualify from Group B. Essentially, Ireland will need to notch an upset against Canada or Australia and then take care of business against Nigeria in order to find themselves in a position to make it to the knockout round.

This is the first time “The Girls in Green” have qualified for the World Cup, and they’ll look to make some noise despite the underdog status.

Nigeria

Nigeria, who is ranked No. 40, has qualified for all eight editions of the women’s World Cup. Despite that, they have only made it to the knockout round in two tournaments. The odds are against Nigeria to make it that far in 2023, as DraftKings Sportsbook gives them +550 odds to qualify out of the Group Stage.

Nigeria’s recipe for tournament success is similar to the path laid out for Ireland: notch an upset against Australia or Canada and then hold serve in the remaining contests.

Australia: -200
Canada: +195
Ireland: +1600
Nigeria: +3000

Group B Schedule

July 20: Australia vs. Ireland (6 a.m. ET)
July 20: Nigeria vs. Canada (10:30 p.m. ET)

July 26: Canada vs. Ireland (8 a.m. ET)
July 27: Australia vs. Nigeria (6 a.m. ET)

July 31: Ireland vs. Nigeria (6 a.m. ET)
July 31: Canada vs. Australia (6 a.m. ET)