The Japan Times - Football: Women's World Cup Group A

AFP Sport takes a detailed look at Group A:

NEW ZEALAND (FIFA ranking 26)

Coach: Jitka Klimkova (CZE)

Star player: CJ Bott (Leicester City)

Best World Cup performance: Group stage (1991, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019)

The co-hosts are heading into their sixth Women's World Cup having so far failed to win any of their 15 previous matches at the finals.

They have never got out of their group at the tournament and it would be a surprise if they did so this time, even with the advantage of having a home crowd behind them.

A positive result of any sort in their first match -- and the tournament's opening game -- against Norway at Auckland's Eden Park on July 20 would be a huge confidence boost.

Ranked 26th in the world, the Football Ferns are coached by the Czech Jitka Klimkova, the former national Under-17 coach who took over in 2021.

They may be lacking in household names, but look out for CJ Bott, a full-back with English WSL side Leicester City.

NORWAY (FIFA ranking 12)

Coach: Hege Riise (NOR)

Star player: Ada Hegerberg (Lyon)

Best World Cup performance: winners (1995)

Norway were powerhouses of the women's game as they reached the final of the first World Cup in 1991 and then lifted the trophy four years later.

Recent performances have been more underwhelming. They lost comfortably to England in the 2019 quarter-finals and then went out of Euro 2022 in the group stage after a humiliating 8-0 defeat against the English.

The appointment as coach of former star player Hege Riise after the Euros has led to an improvement. Norway cruised through World Cup qualifying and in recent months have beaten the Netherlands, and held England, France and Sweden.

They have depth to their squad, with Chelsea's Guro Reiten offering creativity from midfield alongside Barcelona duo Ingrid Syrstad Engen and Caroline Graham Hansen.

Then there is Ada Hegerberg, the 2018 Women's Ballon d'Or winner and prolific striker who will be eager to impress after refusing to play at the 2019 World Cup.

Will hope to get to the last eight at least.

PHILIPPINES (FIFA ranking 46)

Coach: Alen Stajcic (AUS)

Star player: Sarina Bolden (Western Sydney Wanderers/AUS)

Best World Cup performance: first appearance

The 46th-ranked Philippines are appearing at their first Women's World Cup, fresh from reaching the semi-finals at last year's Women's Asian Cup and winning the AFF Women's Championship for teams from Southeast Asia.

They also took bronze at last year's Southeast Asian Games but can be under no illusions as to the size of the task awaiting them in New Zealand.

They are rank outsiders in Group A, although in Alen Stajcic they have an experienced coach who has previously managed his native Australia at the Women's World Cup.

Will hope to cause a surprise or two with Australia-based forward Sarina Bolden providing the main goal threat.

SWITZERLAND (FIFA ranking 20)

Coach: Inka Grings (GER)

Star player: Ramona Bachmann (Paris Saint-Germain)

Best World Cup performance: last 16 (2015)

Qualified for just their second Women's World Cup by beating Wales in a play-off after coming second to Italy in their qualifying group.

Will now hope to make a greater impression than at last year's European Championship, when they went out in the group stage without winning a match.

Former German international Inka Grings took over at the beginning of the year and is aiming to take a side led by Paris Saint-Germain's Ramona Bachmann and Barcelona's Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic into the knockout stages.

That would boost morale ahead of Euro 2025, which the Swiss will host.

K.Hashimoto--JT