Ultimate Guide to 2023 World Cup from Chelsea Women’s perspective

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.

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.

Defenders: Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada), Maren Mjelde (Norway), Jess Carter (England), Millie Bright (England), Aniek Nouwen (Netherlands), Eve Perisset (France), Niamh Charles (England), Ashley Lawrence (Canada)

Two of the top contenders in this competition will have at least two Blues starting in their backline. After an up and down first season in west London, Kadeisha Buchanan hits the reset button with her national team playing alongside Ashley Lawrence for the first time since her move to CFCW.

On the English side, it is going to be something special to see Millie Bright back on the pitch for the first time since the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League against Lyon. In the final friendly before the World Cup against Portugal, Jess Carter played all 90 minutes as her nation’s left-sided center back. At the half, Niamh Charles was subbed on for Alex Greenwood as the full back on the left side. Charles looks to be an impact player for the English while the captain Bright should start alongside the Blues’ No. 7.

Outside of Canada and England in the backline, the west Londoners are represented through a savvy Norwegian veteran Maren Mjelde, and a Dutch center back trying to make it back into Emma Hayes’ side. Aniek Nouwen came off the bench for her nation in four of the five matches in 2023, failing to make it into the starting lineup. Mjelde on the other hand is slatted to captain Norway in what will be her third World Cup representing her country.

Midfielders: Jessie Fleming (Canada), Guro Reiten (Norway), Lauren James (England), Melanie Leupolz (Germany), Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, (Sweden)

Defender/Midfielder: Sjoeke Nüsken (Germany)

Germany’s No. 24 is far to versatile to place into a single position. In the last match in which Nüsken started for her home country, she placed as a left-sided center back. This is a player that is not a household name like a Catarina Macario, but her talent as a passer and disruptor at just 22 is remarkable. One of the Blues’ newest addition has 17 appearances for her nation to her name, and will combine with two of her future club teammates.

One of them being Melanie Leupolz. West London’s No. 8 has not started a match for the Germans since November 2021, but had a 45 minute outing against Vietnam recently. She proved at the end of the club campaign that she is prepared post pregnancy to take on a lot of minutes in a match. It will just come down to the manager with so many skilled midfield players.

Without Beth Mead, a lot of eyes going going to be on Lauren James. The Arnold Clark Cup Player of the Tournament has been nothing short of spectacular for England this year. James said recently she wants to carve out her own name will have that chance this summer. Her and Manchester City’s Chole Kelly are competing for the starting right winger position.

Over in the Nordics, two midfielders will be representing the west London outfit. The standout player of the 2022-2023 campaign Guro Reiten is in an exciting Norwegian team aiming to enact revenge from its display during the Euros. The Blues’ left-winger started in every match for Norway last summer, netting a goal and an assist in the first contest against Northern Ireland. The Swedish attacker Johanna Rytting Kaneryd has started in three out of the last five contests for her country. Against China in February, west London’s No. 19 scored the opening goal in the first minute of the friendly. At 25 caps for Sweden, she is still in the beginning of her international career. If she receives the chance, Kaneryd could produce some highlight reel moments that end up in goals.

On the CONCACAF side, Jessie Fleming will be a major part in how successful the Canadians are down under. Fleming scored the winning goals in the semifinals, and the Gold Medal Match of the 2020 Olympics. At the age of 25, she is one of only five players on Bev Priestman’s team with over 100 international caps. Although she struggles to find a specific role for the west London side, Fleming is one of the most influential players for her national team. She netted three goals in the CONCACAF W-Championship last summer, and will aim to guide a side still fighting for equity to an improved finish from 2019.

Forwards: Sam Kerr (Australia), Maika Hamano (Japan)

Who knows how many minutes she will receive, but Japanese international Maika Hamano is one of the most intriguing players for any CFCW fan in this competition. At the age of 19, Hamano has been sensational for Hammarby at the Swedish top-flight. She is the youngest player on Japan during this World Cup by a few months. Due to her highlight reel goals at the club level, being able to see what could be the future of this club in the frontline on the world stage is exciting. It won’t be a role in the starting lineup, but if the Japanese need a jolt of energy off the bench, Hamano is the player that can provide that.

If you had to pick a forward out of the bunch in this upcoming tournament, the Australian Sam Kerr has to be the most likely to head home with the Golden Boot. No Australian on the men’s or women’s side has more international goals than the west London striker. Kerr’s nation is considered one of the dark horses of the competition, but their group is going to make as challenging as possible to clinch as spot in the knockouts. They defeated both England and Spain in 2023, stunning the English on their home turf. CFCW’s No. 20 converted on the opening goal during that contest at Brentford’s home pitch. With the fans behind her, and the confidence from an impressive 2023, Kerr is well prepared to lead her nation against the rest of the world.

Group stage fixtures to watch featuring current and former CFCW players

Drew Spence v Perisset and France 

Jamaica v France

Date: July 23, 2023, 11:00 BST, 6:00 am EST

How to watch: ITV, FOX Sports

West London legend Drew Spence, who made 238 appearances over 10 years in blue will be a part of Lorne Donaldson’s Jamaican national team this summer. Jamaica landed in a talented Group F that features Brazil, Panama, and Perisset’s France. The west London outfit’s current full-back Perisset meets Spence in the two side’s first World Cup contest to open up Group F play at Sydney Football Stadium.

France’s No. 22 leads her reinvigorated side with a new head coach down under coming off a third place finish in the 2022 Euros. The European powerhouse will be favored over Spence’s CONCACAF side, but with Spence in the midfield and Khadija Shaw in the front line, it should be an intriguing contest any CFCW, and WSL fan will want to tune in to.

Pernille Harder v Bright and England 

Denmark v England

Date: July 28, 2023, 9:30 BST, 4:30 am EST

How to watch: BBC, FS1

While Denmark star Pernille Harder will not be donning the CFC blue next season, she will clash with four of her former teammates on the English national team. After the defending European champions open up the competition against Haiti, Sarina Wiegman’s team encounter what is arguably their toughest group stage match.

The former west Londoner, who holds the all-time lead in total goals with 70 for the Danish women will captain her side this summer. On the other end, Wiegman named Bright at England’s captain with the absence of Leah Williamson. The last time these two teams met in a major tournament was back in June of 2005 when the English prevailed 2-1. Carter, Charles, and Bright will have a tough task in front of them encountering Harder, and Lyon’s Signe Bruun in the frontline. For any Chelsea fan that wants to reminisce months after Harder left the club, this is the match to watch as she will wrangle with three of her past teammates in the opposition’s defense.

Fleming, Buchanan, Lawrence and Canada v Kerr and The Matildas 

Canada v Australia

Date: July 31, 2023, 11:00 BST, 6:00 am EST

How to watch: BBC, FOX Sports

Not only does this match have four current players on Emma Hayes’ side, but it very well could be the Group B decider. Buchanan, and one of the newest Blues’ Lawrence seek to make Kailen Sheridan’s job simple as Australian’s all-time leading goal-scorer runs at the backline. The defending Olympic Goal Medalists against the country that lifted the Cup of Nations on their home soil back in February is must-watch TV.

Four current CFCW players will be on the same pitch with one of them wearing the colors of the host nation. For Fleming’s future in west London, this is a tournament in which she needs to make a statement. Buchanan, and Lawrence will encounter the challenge of Kerr’s presence in the final third. The two sides most recently met back in September of 2022 where the Canadians taking both friendly matches in Australia. Fleming, and Kerr started both matches while the two west London defenders were out of the team due to injury issues.

Ji So-yun v Leupolz, Berger, Nüsken, and Germany 

South Korea v Germany

Date: August 3, 2023, 11:00 BST, 6:00 am EST

How to watch: BBC, FOX Sports

Who does not want to walk down memory lane and watch Ji So-yun on the world stage. At the age of 32, the Chelsea legend who left the club last summer heads to the World Cup as her nation’s all-time leading goal-scorer with 66 goals in 144 caps. In her final group stage match, Ji and the South Koreans encounter the runners-up from the Euros, Germany.

West London’s star midfielder of the past collides with what could be part of the future of Hayes’ side. Berger may not receive the chance to start between the posts, but it will sure be heartwarming to see her and Ji meet up again after so many years winning trophies together. Nüsken, who plays the majority of her minutes for her nation as a center back will have a front row seat to watch a football legend in a position she could play in west London next season.