The 2023 Women’s World Cup is just over a month away and Italy are raring to go and find redemption after their disappointing Euro 2022 campaign, Apollo Heyes writes.
The Azzurre had high hopes for the European Championship in England, keen to follow up on their impressive quarter-final finish in the 2019 World Cup, but things didn’t go to plan for Milena Bertolini’s side.
Italy finished bottom of Group D, picking up just one point after a draw with Iceland, suffering losses to France and Belgium. The result showed that the team still had a long way to go to follow up on their success in 2019, something that was helped by the professionalisation of Serie A Women starting that summer.
A year later, are Italy ready to prove themselves on the world stage at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand?
The Azzurre secured their spot in the tournament after winning their final two qualifying games following Euro 2022, beating Moldova 8-0 and Romania 2-0 to book their tickets to World Cup. A few disappointing friendlies followed, before they travelled to England for the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup.
A four-team tournament including England, Belgium and South Korea, the invitational gave the Azzurre the chance to test their mettle against some equally rated teams, as well as one of the favourites to lift the world title this summer.
Italy showed some positive signs at the Arnold Clark Cup. Their opening match was a tight 2-1 loss to Belgium, falling after a 90th minute goal from Tessa Wullaert, and they followed this up with a plucky 2-1 loss to England, doing well against the Euro 2022 champions. In their final outing, the Azzurre edged out a 2-1 win over South Korea, with Martina Rosucci’s 95th minute winner securing the result.
The most recent outing for Bertolini’s side was a 2-1 win over Colombia in a friendly back in April, and their final warm-up before the World Cup will be a friendly with Morocco on July 1, giving the team the chance to get ready for their most important outing yet.
In the FIFA world rankings, the Azzurre sit 16th, making them the second highest seed in the group. They’ve been drawn into Group G at the World Cup, facing them up against Sweden (3rd in rankings), Argentina (28th), and South Africa (54th).
Italy’s schedule at the 2023 World Cup: Argentina on July 24 (07:00 UK time), Sweden on July 29 (08:30), and South Africa on August 2 (08:00).