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AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND (July 24, 2023) The fifth and sixth teams to debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup are Portugal and the Republic of Ireland.
While the men’s national team are a mainstay at the World Cup since 1998, the women’s national team are starting their road in the World Cup this year. They participated in the Women’s Euro in 2017 and 2022 being coached by Francisco Neto. The Selecção das Quinas player to watch is Dolores Silva. The midfielder is a three time Portuguese Cup winner and a four time Portuguese National Football Championship winner. The Portuguese women's team will have quite the challenge from the Netherlands right out of the gate during their group stage play. Portugal is currently ranked 22nd in the world and they are looking to continue the march to the top of the standings.
The Girls in Green punched their ticket to the Women’s World Cup by beating Scotland in a 1-0 victory in the European play-offs. The 23rd ranked team, behind Portugal, are coached by former Houston Dash head coach Vera Pauw. Another Houston connection to the Women’s World Cup is through Denise O’Sullivan, former Houston Dash player. The Girls in Green are captained by Katie McCabe, who plays winger, forward, fullback, and wingback. This is a very solid team that played their first game against Australia before a sold out, record breaking crowd.
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