Group E is made up of two teams who are competing in their very first World Cup, Spain and Costa Rica, alongside South Korea and World Cup veterans Brazil.
When looking at the fixtures it seems almost certain that Brazil will top table, as they compete in their seventh World Cup finals. Second place is, however less of a full-gone conclusion with both Spain and South Korea hoping to advance after strong qualifying performances.
The first set of games in Group E will be played in Montreal and will see Brazil take on South Korea and the two competition debutants do battle for their first-ever World Cup win.
Brazil
World Ranking: 7
Nickname: As Canarinhas (The Female Canaries)
Previous Best: Runner’s up (2007)
Brazil are the only South American team to have competed in every Women’s World Cup since its existence, and this year they boast a team of experience and youth with two players – Gessica and Lzidoro – in the squad who are yet to be capped. The two youngsters will play alongside BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year nominee Marta who has 92 caps for her country and 91 goals, and Formiga, who has represented her country in every World Cup since 1995.
Brazil have shown their dominance in international football in the Copa America Femenina, winning the competition six out of the last seven times, including last year where they beat Ecuador in the final to qualify for the World Cup. The Canarinhas have yet to transfer this success to the World Cup stage though, and are yet to win the competition, despite reaching the final in 2007 where they were beaten by Germany.
This year, however, Brazil should easily make it out of the group, although their success could be rewarded with a tricky last 16 match-up against Sweden, who are ranked fifth in the world, or competition favourites USA.
South Korea
World Ranking: 18
Nickname: Taegeuk Nangji (Taegeuk Ladies)
Previous Best: Group Stage (2003)
South Korea qualified for the World Cup by winning their group in the Asian Cup last year, scoring a massive 16 goals in three games including 12 against Myanmar and four against World Cup newcomers Thailand.
The Taegeuk Ladies have one of the youngest squads at the World Cup with an average age of just 23, and their key player – Chelsea’s Ji So-Yun – is yet to play in a senior finals. The enigmatic striker has, however, notched up 74 caps for the national side and scored 38 goals in the process. She has also played in two youth tournaments, the 2008 Under 17’s World Cup and the 2010 Under 20’s World Cup, and recently won the female PFA Player of the Year Award.
Manager Yoon Deok-Yeo has World Cup experience himself, after featuring for the South Korean men’s side at Italia 1990 where he was famously sent off in their final group match against Uruguay.
Spain
World Ranking: 14
Nickname: La Roja (The Red One)
Previous Best: N/A
The Spaniards have never qualified for a World Cup before but will be looking to make an impression in 2015 having scored an emphatic 42 goals in their unbeaten qualifying campaign, whilst only conceding two.
Spain’s key player comes in the form of Captain Veronica Boquete, who has scored 30 goals for her country, including an injury-time winner against Scotland in the 2013 European Championships at the age of 16. Boquete will be joined in the squad by Victoria Losada and Natalia Pablos of Arsenal Ladies. Natalia has a good goal-scoring record for both Spain and Arsenal having bagged 19 in 21 appearances for her country, and three so far in her debut season at the Gunners.
La Roja head coach Ignacio Quereda was appointed way back in 1988, making him one of the longest serving national coaches ever. Under his management the Spanish team has qualified for the European Championships in 1997 and 2013, and he has also led the national Under 19’s squad to victory in the 2004 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship.
Costa Rica
World Ranking: 37
Nickname: Las Ticas
Previous Best: N/A
Having never featured in the World Cup before, the Las Ticas secured their place by coming second in the 2014 North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Women’s Championship Tournament, losing in the final to the USA 6-0.
During the tournament midfielder Shirley Cruz was named in the competition’s All-Star Team, and the 29-year-old is only the second Costa Rican female player to ever play in Europe. Cruz currently plays her domestic football at PSG after previously helping Lyon win countless awards and trophies in her six-year spell at the club. She was also named Female Player of the Year in 2013 by the French Football Federation.
In stark contrast, the Costa Rica squad also includes the inexperienced 15-year-old Gloriana Villalobos who has only made two appearances for the national senior team. The teenager has, however, captained the U17 team at the tender age of 14, and this World Cup could really help put her on the map in women’s football.
