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

The 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup is set to get underway on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand, marking the first time the tournament has been hosted by more than one country. Group H is headlined by the clear favorites Germany while Morocco, Colombia, and South Korea round out the group and will fight for a top-two finish.

Germany

Fresh off their UEFA Women’s Euro campaign last year that saw them finish as runners-up, No. 2 Germany are expected to finish on top of Group H without much trouble. They’re eight-time Euro champions, winning six in a row between 1997 and 2013, while narrowly losing out to England in the final of the 2022 edition. The Germans are two-time World Cup winners, with their most recent title coming in 2007 when they defeated Brazil with a 2-0 score in the final.

They’ll be led by the likes of Bayern Munich’s Lea Schuller, who has scored 31 goals through 47 caps for Germany since 2017. She’s coming off a 14-goal season for Bayern across all competitions, bringing her total to 41 goals through 57 games with the elite Frauen-Bundesliga side.

Morocco

Ranked No. 72, Morocco is making their women’s World Cup debut, becoming the first-ever Arab country to qualify for the tournament. In hopes of somewhat replicating the impressive run made by the Moroccan men in Qatar last year, they’ll be led by striker Rosella Ayane, who plays for Tottenham and has scored nine goals through 21 appearances for her national team. The 27-year-old scored the lone goal for her side in the 2022 African Cup of Nations final that saw them just edged out 2-1 by South Africa.

Although they’re the underdogs by far, head coach Reynald Pedros will hope his side can pull off some big upsets in the group stage and earn a spot in the knockout rounds.

Colombia

The Colombians are making their third appearance in the women’s World Cup after failing to qualify in 2019. In 2015, they made it to the round of 16 where they lost 2-0 to the United States. They’re coming off a second-place finish in this year’s Revelations Cup held in Mexico, which was preceded by a run to the 2022 Copa America Femenina final that saw them lose to Brazil with a 1-0 score. Ranked No. 25, the Colombians will feature the likes of Manuela Vanegas, Mayra Ramiraz, and Linda Caicedo, who all play in Liga F, Spain’s top flight women’s league.

South Korea

The South Korean side is coming off a second-place finish in last year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup that saw them narrowly lose to China with a 3-2 score thanks to a stoppage time goal from Xiao Yuyi. It was the first time they’d ever made it to the final of a major tournament and they’ll look to ride that momentum into their fourth Women’s World Cup appearance. South Korea has only won one match in World Cup play, coming in Canada in 2015 when they advanced to the knockout rounds for the first and only time.

They’re the second-highest ranked country in the group at No. 17, and will be led by Ji So-yun, South Korea’s all-time leading scorer with 67 goals through 145 caps. The former Chelsea star made the move to Suwon FC last year, where she’s scored six goals through 20 matches in club play.

Germany: -1600
Colombia: +1100
South Korea: +1800
Morocco: +15000

Group H Schedule

July 24 - Germany vs. Morocco (4:30 a.m. ET)
July 24 - Colombia vs. South Korea (10 p.m. ET)

July 30 - South Korea vs. Morocco (12:30 a.m. ET)
July 30 - Germany vs. Colombia (5:30 a.m. ET)

August 3 - Morocco vs. Colombia (6 a.m. ET)
August 3 - South Korea vs. Germany (6 a.m. ET)