The match
Sweden are one of just seven nations to have participated in every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and they head to Australia & New Zealand 2023 with hopes of ending a 32-year title drought.
Even with injuries hampering their build-up, the current Olympic silver medallists – who sit third in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s Ranking – are favoured by many as genuine title contenders. Pressure will be on, therefore, to get off to a winning start in Wellington.
Perennial bridesmaids at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa finally broke through for a maiden WAFCON title last year to book their place at a second Women’s World Cup.
Having lost all three matches in that previous outing at the global finals in 2019, long-serving coach Desiree Ellis made the decision to revamp the squad, with more than half of her 23-woman selection this time boasting 30 caps or less.
That sets up what should be a fascinating encounter in the New Zealand capital as Banyana Banyana look to upset their more fancied European rivals in the sides’ first Women’s World Cup meeting.
Team news
There are plenty of issues for Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson to contend with after right-back Hanna Lundkvist picked up an ankle injury in the team’s final pre-tournament friendly against the Philippines and was forced to withdraw from the squad, with Stina Lennartsson flown in as her replacement. The latter was informed of the call-up while playing a round of golf.
Star forward Fridolina Rolfo has admitted to not having fully recovered from a lingering knee injury and she has reportedly also been dealing with illness, which forced her to miss training earlier in the week.
Amanda Ilestedt has a thigh issue and experienced central defender Linda Sembrant failed to finish Friday’s training session. All of this comes on top of persistent calf injuries that have seen Caroline Seger, the nation’s most-capped player, play hardly any football since April, and which she admits may limit her involvement at the tournament.
The outlook is far more positive for South Africa, with no concerns reported from the camp following their final pre-tournament friendly, a 2-0 win over Costa Rica in Wellington, earlier this week. Star forward Thembi Kgatlana is finally fit after a long-term Achilles injury.
Players to watch
Fridolina Rolfo (Sweden)
A star for both her club side, FC Barcelona, and national team, the only question over Rolfo is where she is best deployed, given she’s an attack-minded left-back for her club but often charged with more advanced duties for Sweden.
Regardless of her position, the 29-year-old – fresh off scoring the winner in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final last month – is a constant threat to impact any match she features in.
Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa)
Described by Ellis as a “special talent”, the 27-year-old has missed much of the past year through injury, although she made an impressive return to club action with Racing Louisville in June.
With her place in history assured as the first – and so far, only – South African to have scored at the Women’s World Cup, the challenge now is trying to spearhead a push for the nation’s first points at the finals.
Facts and figures
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Sweden are unbeaten in their previous four FIFA Women’s World Cup matches against African nations, with two wins and two draws
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Caroline Seger has featured at the last four FIFA Women’s World Cup final competitions and is set to become the first Swede to participate in five editions of the tournament.
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Fourteen of Sweden’s squad for the 2023 finals have made an appearance in a Women’s World Cup match compared to 11 for South Africa.
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The earliest goal in Women’s World Cup history was scored by Sweden’s Lena Videkull after just 30 seconds of their 8-0 victory against Japan in 1991 group stage. That remains the nation’s biggest win at the finals.
Quotes
“You often hear in Sweden, across many sports, ‘Yeah, we like being the underdogs and we perform better in that role.’ I don’t agree with that. For me, if you’re an underdog, it’s because you’ve been kind of a loser before. If you’re the favourites, something has made you favourites and it’s because you’ve done something very good. I think we should embrace being favourites – because we’ve earned it.”
Peter Gerhardsson, Sweden coach
“Every chance that we create needs to be in the back of the net. We need to play more compact and not lose discipline on the field of play. The World Cup level is not the same as any other level. We now know what it takes to compete.”
Andile Dlamini, South Africa goalkeeper
