The 2023 Women’s World Cup kicks off Thursday with the U.S. looking to win a third straight title, something no team — men’s or women’s — has done before.
 
The U.S. Women's National Team has won four titles overall, the most of any nation. The players’ jerseys feature four stars above the team’s crest that commemorate those wins. But as the team seeks another title this year — its fifth overall — there's more competition.
 
Before games begin, the PBS NewsHour created a preview guide to the World Cup.

This newsletter was compiled and edited by Joshua Barajas.

By Gretchen Frazee, @gretchenfrazee
Senior Coordinating Broadcast Producer
 
As the No. 1 team in the world, the U.S. women’s soccer team is the favorite to take the World Cup title. They’re not taking anything for granted.
 
The upcoming women’s World Cup will be a worldwide “paradigm shift” for women’s sports, forward Megan Rapinoe told the PBS NewsHour at a preview of the games.
 
“You’ve seen what’s happened since last World Cup — whether it’s stadiums selling out, or the women’s Final Four, you know, cricket league in India,” she said, noting how women’s sports across the globe have seen an uptick in interest in the past few years. “There’s so many examples of this and it feels like this is a paradigm shift, or a moment we’ll look back to and say, ‘Nothing was ever the same after this women’s World Cup.’”

This year, the games are in Australia and New Zealand. An expanded field of 32 teams has been divided into eight groups, and the top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16. From there, it’s single elimination.
 
The United States’ first game is at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, July 21 against Vietnam. It will be broadcast by FOX, the official English language broadcast sponsor in the U.S. Other broadcasters will offer Spanish-language commentary, including Telemundo and NBC Universo. 
 
Here are five things to watch during the tournament.
 
1. Who are the key U.S. players?
 
The U.S. team has a host of new faces, after a series of injuries and a desire for a change after the third-place finish in the last Olympic Games. 
 
Fourteen of the 23 players on the roster have never played in a World Cup.
 
That also means the U.S. squad has an age range of two decades: “From 18 through Pinoe” as forward Alex Morgan put it. 
 
Two-time World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe has said she will retire soon after the tournament, at the end of the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season. At 38, she is the oldest player on the team and is not expected to be in the starting lineup but will be key to leading the team both on and off the field.

“She’s certainly a great player, and that's why we want her on the team. But her experience and leadership is what this team needs as well,” Coach Vlatko Andonovski said at the team’s Media Day shortly after the roster was announced, adding that she’s one of the most “creative” players he’s ever seen.
 
Alyssa Thompson, 18, takes the title of the youngest player on the team. She’s also the youngest player named to a U.S. Women’s National Team roster since 1995. 
 
Other players who are making their first World Cup appearance:

• Trinity Rodman, who scored both goals in the U.S. send-off game versus Wales
• Sophia Smith, who scored a hat-trick in her last NWSL game
• Naomi Girma, who will be crucial to holding down the back line with Becky Sauerbrunn’s absence

2. Who could be the United States’ biggest competition

England is likely a serious competitor for the U.S. The team won the Euro 2022 final and then proceeded to beat the U.S. in a friendly match at Wembley Stadium after a U.S. goal was taken back because of a controversial offside call made after a video review. 
 
Spain is also a strong team, having beaten the U.S. last year, despite 15 of its top players refusing to play because they said their coach was negatively affecting their physical and mental health. Some of those players have since rejoined the World Cup team.
 
Soccer superstar Marta, who will be playing her sixth and final World Cup, is leading Brazil, a team that has had strong showings in recent international play. The team is coached by Pia Sundhage, the Swedish manager who led the U.S. to two Olympic gold medals and a second-place finish at the 2011 World Cup.
 
Many of the big names will also not be making an appearance at the World Cup this year because of injuries. ACL injuries alone ruled out England’s defender Leah Williamson and forward Beth Mead, the Netherlands midfielder Vivianne Miedema, Canadian forward Janine Beckie, and the United States’ forwards Christen Press and Catarina Macario, among others. 
 
3. Don’t discount the underdogs
 
This year’s tournament expands the field from 24 to 32 teams.

Eight nations will be making their World Cup debut: Zambia, Morocco, Ireland, Vietnam, Haiti, Panama, Portugal and the Philippines.
 
In a shocking upset, Zambia beat Germany 3-2 in a friendly match earlier this month. Vietnam lost to Germany in June, but did find the back of the net, with a final score of 2-1. 
 
Of course, those matches could say more about Germany’s weaknesses than their opponents’ strengths. But with the vast improvement in the women’s game worldwide, it’s wise not to underestimate any team.
 
“There's no team that's going to be overrun,” Claire Watkins, a reporter for Just Women’s Sports told the NewsHour. “I think the most exciting thing is not just who's going to be at the top, but just the play throughout.”
 
4. First cup since equal pay win
 
This women’s World Cup is the first since the $24 million equal-pay settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The deal guarantees the earnings from the men and women’s World Cup are distributed equally between the two teams. 
 
A new FIFA pay model also specifically earmarks prize money for players rather than giving it to the national federations. As a result, players will each earn at least $30,000, and players on the winning team will earn $270,000 each. 
 
Total prize money is $110 million, up from $30 million four years ago. But it is still well below the $440 million allotted in the men’s tournament.
 
5. Mothers on the team and the latest push for more support

Three of the U.S. players this year are first-time mothers: Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz and Alex Morgan. That is the same number of mothers on the roster in 2015, but this time around, they are getting more accommodations, such as flights, lodging and meals to caregivers and children until the age of 6, thanks to the push for equality. 
 
“I have fought hard for female athletes to get the support and resources needed to be able to continue to stay on top of our game after having children,” Alex Morgan, who regularly brings her daughter Charlie to games, said at a news conference, adding that players with children don’t get the same support in other countries. 
 
Morgan said she is still figuring out exactly where Charlie will stay and whether she will travel with the team.


A FINAL ‘AWESOME’ NOTE

Ahead of the tournament, NewsHour co-anchor Amna Nawaz passed along a question to Alex Morgan from her 7-year-old daughter. Simply: “Why are you so awesome?”
 
The forward laughed, then said, “It’s because of these girls beside me. We all lift each other up.”