The orange lionesses descend to the bottom in search of their new football success. Between 20 July and 20 August 2023, the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand. What does the Netherlands schedule look like? Can you follow the matches despite the big time difference? What is the chance of new success after the European title in 2017 and reaching the World Cup final in 2019?
The road to Australia and New Zealand
In the fall of 2021, after the postponed Olympic Games, the Netherlands will start qualifying for the 2023 World Cup. Briton Mark Parsons succeeded Sarina Wegman, but the cooperation is not going smoothly. Parsons initially combines national coaching with club commitments in the United States. For example, he arrived too late for preparations due to a missed flight from the United States. Moreover, the Orange Lionesses fell behind in the seemingly easy qualifying group, due to two draws against the Czech Republic.
In between, the (already postponed) European Championship will be held in England in the summer of 2022. But this turned out to be a disappointment for the reigning European champions. The orange lionesses do not scurry and lose to France in the quarterfinals after extra time. Parsons has to leave again and Andries Juncker takes over. His first mission in September 2022 is important right away. Orange must beat their rival Iceland in order to reach the World Cup. It took some effort, but it worked in the end, thanks to Ezmi Bruges 1-0 in stoppage time. all’s well That ends well.
opponents in Australia and New Zealand
The Orange Lioness tournament kicks off on Sunday, July 23. Then the Netherlands will face Portugal in Dunedin, just like the European Championships in England (3-2 win). In 4 days, the best team in the world in women’s football, the United States, is waiting for you in Wellington. A new opportunity to take revenge on the Orange team, after the 2019 World Cup final and the missed penalty kicks during the Olympic Games in Tokyo. This random starts during the afternoon in New Zealand, when it’s 3:00 am in the Netherlands. On Tuesday, August 1, the Netherlands will return to Dunedin for their final group match, against World Cup debutants Vietnam.
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Travel schedule in Australia and New Zealand
Therefore the Orange Lioness will remain in New Zealand during the group stage. They have to go back and forth for the game against Team USA, between Dunedin in the South Island and Wellington in the North Island. Should the Netherlands finish first or second in the group, a trip to Australia awaits. Because on their side of the table the Final Eight takes place in Melbourne or Sydney. Sweden, Italy, Argentina and South Africa are potential rivals.
The quarter-finals and semi-finals are held in New Zealand, namely in Wellington and Auckland. The final part of the tournament will be held on Australian soil, the final will be held in Sydney and the match for the bronze medal in Brisbane. Pass the group stage first, but then the Lionesses can spend many hours flying.
Check in Australia and New Zealand
6 years after the European title, the core of the orange lionesses is still together. Lieke Martins, Jackie Gronnen, Sherida Spets and Daniel van de Donk remain regulars in the national team. This certainly applies to Vivian Miedema, but the star player is recovering from a serious knee injury and misses the World Cup. Other known absentees are Sari van Venendael and Kika van Es (both retired) and Shanice van de Sanden (not selected). But with Bruges and goalkeeper Daphne van Doumselaar, Gil Roard, Victoria Belova, Wiki Kaptein and Lynn Willems, a new generation of Lionesses has emerged. The full selection looks like this:
guards: Dafne van Doumselaar (Aston Villa), Liz Cope (Ajax), Jacintha Weimar (Feyenoord)
Defenders: Kerstin Casparig (Manchester City), Kaitlin Dykstra (FC Twente), Mirele van Dongen (Atletico Madrid), Stephanie van der Graagt (Internationale, retire after the World Cup), Dominic Jansen (Wolfsburg), Anek Nouwen (Chelsea), flexible. Willems (VfL Wolfsburg)
Midfielders: Gilles Bagings (Bayern Munich), Daniel van de Donk, Damaris Igorola (Olympique Lyonnais), Jackie Groene (Paris Saint-Germain), Wake Captain (FC Twente), Viktoria Belova (Arsenal), Gil Rohr (Manchester City), Sherida Spit (Ajax)
Attackers: Lineth Beerenstein (Juventus), Esmee Brugts (PSV, chooses a new team after the World Cup), Renate Jansen (FC Twente), Lieke Martens (Paris Saint-Germain), Katja Snoeijs (Everton)
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Opportunities in Australia and New Zealand
Can this pick win a medal at a major championship, like they did in 2017 and 2019? In any case, the Orange should be immediately present for the opener. Portugal is a difficult opponent, as we know since the difficult 3-2 victory in the European Championship, one year ago. Previous meetings with the United States were always the same, with Team USA Still a winner. Is the New Zealand dime falling in the right direction? The final group match against Vietnam should not cause any problems, but the Netherlands must therefore work hard for this. During the course of the tournament, travel back and forth between different time zones can still play a role.
The Netherlands is not among the frontrunners, partly due to Miedema’s absence. On the other hand, the schedule is favorable. Getting past the group stage isn’t obvious, but it’s certainly not impossible. Then, Sweden, Italy, Argentina or South Africa may be waiting for you. Sweden is the strongest team on this list, but the Orange have not lost to this Scandinavian opponent for a long time. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, Spain, Norway and Japan were the most attractive potential opponents. Powerful countries, but usually equal to the Netherlands. The Netherlands will not (again) face the top favourites, such as England, Germany, France, Brazil and the United States until the final at the earliest.
Schedule in Australia and New Zealand
group stage:
Sunday, July 23, 2023: Netherlands – Portugal (Dunedin, 9:30 a.m.).
Thursday 27 July 2023: US-Netherlands (Wellington, 3:00 AM)
Tuesday, August 1, 2023: Vietnam-Netherlands (Dunedin, 9 a.m.).
Knockout stage (optional):
Sunday 6 August 2023: Final Eight (Sydney, 4am or Melbourne, 11am)
Friday 11th August 2023: Quarter Finals (Wellington, 3am or Auckland, 9:30am)
Tuesday, August 15, 2023: Semi-finals (Auckland, 10am)
Saturday 19th August 2023: Third Place Match (Brisbane, 10am CEST)
Sunday 20 August 2023: Final (Sydney, 12 noon)
Departure times are Dutch times. In Australia it is 8 hours behind the Netherlands, and in New Zealand it is 10 hours later. You can follow Oranje Leeuwinnen’s live broadcast via NOS.
(Source: UEFA, FIFA, KNVB, The Athletic, NRC, Algemeen Dagblad. Photo: Gerrit van Keulen / ANP)
