The World Cup is less than a month away, and numerous players on the Chelsea Women will be participating, here is everything you need to know.
There is now just a few weeks until the kick-off of the biggest women’s football event in the world. A record 32 teams will be competing for the right to call themselves world champions. The Chelsea Women have not stepped on the pitch since May 27, but the wait to see the Blues back on the field is nearly over.
19 players are going to be representing not only their nation, but the west Londoners on the world stage. No club team in the world has more players than the four-time defending Women’s Super League champions despite Barcelona’s claims. Three goalkeepers, eight defenders, six midfielders/wingers, and two forwards. Even with the United States sitting as the tournament favorites, any one of the Blues could begin the new campaign with another major trophy under their belt. Note: addressing Sjoeke Nüsken as a midfielder while she is a defender internationally due to that being her most likely role at Chelsea.
Chelsea players competing in Australia and New Zealand
Goalkeepers: Zecira Musovic (Sweden), Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany), Hannah Hampton (England)
With veteran Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl out of the Peter Gerhardsson’s team for this summer’s competition, the Blues’ Zecira Musovic may be the likeliest shot-stopper to get the most time. Lindahl is one of five Swedish internationals on the women’s side with over 190 career caps. Musovic is in a goalkeeping unit in Sweden that features Tove Enblom, and Jennifer Falk with her being the youngest of the trio. During the eight World Cup qualifying matches, Falk played the most of the three, contributing to three of the games. Despite that, Musovic has split time with Falk throughout 2023 during the friendlies with the west Londoner collecting the only clean sheet of the four contests.
Let’s get the party started @FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/38MnGgDj0d
— Zećira Mušović (@ZeciraMusovic) July 4, 2023
The west London outfit’s newest addition Hannah Hampton is the youngest of the Blues’ World Cup goalkeepers. She will sit behind Mary Earps, and Ellie Roebuck. Neither Hampton or Roebuck played a minute last summer at the Euros. For the 22-year-old, this is going to be a quality learning experience as she makes the transition to whatever environment she may end up in next in September.
The veteran CFCW No. 1 Ann-Katrin Berger is slated to play behind Wolfsburg’s Merle Frohms who started in nine out of the 10 World Cup qualifiers for Germany. Berger recently stood between the sticks in a friendly against Brazil in front of over 32,000 people in April. The 32-year-old deserves a few starts for her national team due to her production at the club level in 2022/2023, but that will ultimately come down to Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.