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Europe's Women's World Cup hopefuls
Published: Wednesday 3 December 2014, 14.00CET
We profile Europe's FIFA Women's World Cup contenders England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland ahead of the draw.
by Paul Saffer
The Netherlands celebrate their play-off defeat of Italy ©AFP
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Dutch win play-offs
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Women's Player of the Year shortlist: Harder, Hegerberg, Henry
The 24-team lineup for the FIFA Women's World Cup was confirmed on Tuesday when Ecuador won a dramatic CONMEBOL-CONCACAF play-off against Trinidad and Tobago, and Europe's eight contenders are getting set for Saturday's draw.
Dutch reach World Cup
Players on Wembley first
Sjögran reaches 200
Relief for Sweden
Canada calls for quartet
England book Canada trip
Canada coup for Switzerland
In the expanded 24-nation finals, Europe has been given three of the eight extra berths. Qualifying group winners England, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland were joined last week by the Netherlands, who came through two rounds of play-offs involving the top four runners-up.
With Germany and Norway hoping to add to previous World Cup wins and the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland making debuts, we look at the eight European sides competing in Canada next summer.
In the draw
UEFA: England, France, Germany, Netherlands*, Norway, Spain*, Sweden, Switzerland*
AFC: Australia, China, Japan (holders), South Korea, Thailand*
CAF: Cameroon,*, Ivory Coast*, Nigeria
CONCACAF: Canada (hosts), Costa Rica*, Mexico, United States
CONMEBOL: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador*
OFC: New Zealand
*Debut
Finals draw: 18.05CET, Saturday, Ottowa (seedings confirmed prior to draw)
Finals: 6 June–5 July, Canada
Past World Cup finals (European teams in bold)
2011: Japan 2-2 United States (aet, 3-1 pens); Frankfurt, Germany
2007: Germany 2-0 Brazil; Shanghai, China
2003: Germany 1-0 Sweden (aet, golden goal); Carson, United States
1999: United States 0-0 China (aet, 5-4 pens); Pasadena, United States
1995: Norway 2-0 Germany; Stockholm, Sweden
1991: United States 2-1 Norway; Guangzhou, China
Powell on 15-year reign
EUROPE'S CONTENDERS
Previous finals appearances: 3
Best result: Quarter-finals (1995, 2007, 2011)
Qualifying record: W10 D0 L0 F52 A1 (Group 6 winners)
Top scorer: Eniola Aluko 13
• England played their first four qualifiers under caretaker coach Brent Hills before Mark Sampson's appointment last December.
• This will be England's first major final tournament without Hope Powell as player or (since 1997) coach.
• On 23 November a record crowd of more than 45,000 saw England lose 3-0 to Germany at Wembley.
France won the 2014 Cyprus Cup
Best result: Fourth place (2011)
Top scorer: Gaëtane Thiney 13
• France matched their run to the 2011 World Cup semi-finals by reaching the same stage at the 2012 Olympics.
• Philippe Bergerôo became coach after UEFA Women's EURO 2013 and has a 100% competitive record.
• In 2014 they have won the Cyprus Women's Cup and beaten Germany and Brazil in friendlies.
Silvia Neid on Germany's EURO dominance
Best result: Winners (2003, 2007)
Top scorer: Anja Mittag 11
• Germany are aiming to become the first three-time world champions having clinched a sixth straight European title last year.
• Their hat-trick bid as hosts in 2011 was ended by Japan in the quarter-finals after extra time.
• Germany lifted the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada earlier this year.
©womensports.gr
Qualifying top scorer Vivianne Miedema
Qualifying record: W8 D1 L1 F43 A6 (Group 5 runners-up)
Play-offs: Scotland 2-1a, 2-0h (agg 4-1), Italy 1-1h, 2-1a (agg 3-2)
Top scorer: Vivianne Miedema 16
• Miedema, 18, was also top scorer in the Netherlands' 2014 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship win.
• The first leg of their play-off final with Italy was watched by a Dutch women's record crowd of 13,100 in The Hague.
• The Netherlands had never qualified for a major finals before 2009, when they got to the UEFA Women's EURO semis.
Best result: Winners (1995)
Qualifying record: W9 D0 L1 F41 A5 (Group 5 winners)
Top scorer: Caroline Graham Hansen 8
• Coach Even Pellerud has previously led Norway in two World Cups: making it to the 1991 final and winning four years later in Sweden.
• Their only qualifying loss was 2-0 at home to the Netherlands in their last game with first place sealed.
• After Pellerud's return they marched to the UEFA Women's EURO 2013 final, also in Sweden.
©Selene Scarsi
Spain topped Italy in their group
Top scorer: Natalia 12
• Spain confirmed their form in reaching the UEFA Women's EURO 2013 quarter-finals by qualifying for a first World Cup.
• Ignacio Quereda will be the longest-serving coach in Canada having been in charge since 1988 (before the first World Cup).
• Several of Quereda's current squad were guided to victory by him at the 2004 European WU19 Championship.
Sweden's EURO legacy
Best result: Runners-up (2003)
Top scorer: Lotta Schelin 12
• Sweden were the best European performers in 2011, beating France for third place.
• In October's 2-1 loss in Germany, Schelin scored her 73rd Sweden goal to break Hanna Ljungberg's record, and Therese Sjögran became only the third European to earn 200 caps.
• Sweden are one of seven World Cup ever-presents along with Germany, Norway, Brazil, Japan, Nigeria and the United States.
©Keystone
Switzerland have made their first finals
Top scorer: Lara Dickenmann 11
• Switzerland were the first European side to qualify on 14 June, progressing to their maiden senior final tournament.
• They had the joint-biggest winning margin in their group of nine points (with France).
• Coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg played for Germany in their 1995 World Cup final defeat by Norway.
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Next match: Switzerland v Netherlands 13/11/2018 19:00CET
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