The Portuguese women’s soccer team will face the winner of the Cameroon-Thailand Intercontinental Play-off clash on February 22, 2023, in Hamilton, in a clash that puts their presence at the 2023 World Cup on the line.
According to the draw to be held this Friday in Zurich, Switzerland, Portugal will face Cameroonians (ranked 58th in the FIFA rankings) or Thais (41st), who will face each other on February 18 in the Group A final. in Hamilton.
Despite the 58th place in the FIFA ‘ranking’, Cameroon was the most cited team in terms of the past in World Cups, despite two high-profile attendances, in which they always managed to reach the round of 16.
In 2015, the African team finished second in Group C on their debut, behind Japan (1-2) and ahead of Switzerland (2-1) and Ecuador (6-0) as they fell to China in the first game to be eliminated. (0-1), which would lose in the ‘quarters’ with the United States (0-1).
Four years later, Cameroon finished third in Group E, with a win over New Zealand (2-1) and two losses, beating Canada (0-1) and the Netherlands (1-3) before being eliminated by England (0- 3), who finished in fourth place.
In total, Cameroon has three wins and five defeats, scoring 12 goals and conceding 12, for a total of nine points, putting them in 18th place in the World Cup rankings, as the second African team, behind Nigeria (14th). ), his ‘executioner’ in the continental clearance.
As for Thailand, the team with the best FIFA ranking (41st) among the unseeded players – those who may be lucky for Portugal -, it was also in the last two World Cups, but with much more modest results, adding two group stage eliminations, with one win and five losses.
The Thais really went down in history when they were thrashed 13-0 by the United States on 11 June 2019 in a match that saw Alex Morgan score five goals.
In its history, Portugal has never played against Cameroon and won its only match against Thailand, 4-1, on October 6, 2018, in the Four Nations Tournament, in a match in which Carolina Mendes jumped off the bench for a ‘hat ‘ to score. trick’.
In Hamilton, and before Portugal faces Cameroon or Thailand, Portugal will play a friendly against New Zealand on February 17 as part of the intercontinental play-off, which awards the last three places in the competition and also serves as a test for the competition .
Present with the last two Europeans, in 2015 and 2022, ‘falling’ in both in the group stage, the roster of the ‘quinas’ seeks their first presence in a World Cup.
The Portuguese team reached the intercontinental play-off by finishing second in the European Group H of qualifying, behind Germany, and qualifying for the continental play-off, beating Belgium (2-1) and Iceland (4-1 after extra time).
For the final, 29 of the 32 teams have already been defined, 11 from Europe, namely Sweden, Spain, England, Denmark, Norway, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and Ireland.
The other formations already qualified are the hosts Australia and New Zealand, plus China, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam (Asia), Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia (Africa), Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica and the United States (CONCACAF) and Argentina, Brazil and Colombia (South America).
The finals of the 2023 Women’s World Cup will take place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20.
News updated at 13:10
Source: DN
