Republic of Ireland make an impact with Katie McCabe and Women’s World Cup debutants want to follow suit

The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is set to be a tournament of many firsts.

Just one day in and we’ve already see the Football Ferns claim a first ever win at the event in 16 attempts.

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Hannah Wilkinson’s goal saw New Zealand stun Norway[/caption]

And for eight nations, this will be their first opportunity to compete on the World Cup stage. 

So who are the countries making their debuts over the next few days down under? talkSPORT.com takes a look. 

Republic of Ireland – FIFA World ranking: 22

Player to watch: Katie McCabe

Ireland’s football made the headlines even before the tournament began after their warm-up friendly against Colombia was called off mid-game due to excessive rough play. 

Over 75,000 were then in attendance for Ireland’s first ever World Cup match against hosts Australia, which they narrowly lost 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Steph Catley. 

But Ireland still have a chance to make it out of the group stage at their very first tournament and there was much to be optimistic about for Ireland in their first game.

Captain Katie McCabe was tireless on the pitch and created a number of chances for Ireland who ultimately failed to find the net.

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McCabe played a starring role against Australia on Ireland’s debut[/caption]

Haiti – FIFA World ranking: 53

Player to watch: Melchie Dumornay

Haiti’s journey against a backdrop of strife has been nothing short of inspirational – the country is currently embroiled in gang violence and the population is still reeling from devastating earthquakes which killed hundreds of thousands in 2010 and 2021. 

The President of the Haitian Football Federation was also handed a lifetime ban by FIFA in 2020 for alleged harassment and sexual abuse of underage female footballers, which was then overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

FIFA have since filed a complaint against this ruling. 

Amidst all this, the Haitian women’s squad are determined to do one thing: inspire a generation of girls to follow in their footsteps: whatever happens, they know they are making history. 

Goalkeeper Kerly Theus told the BBC in an interview: “‘This message is specifically for the girls in Haiti: ‘Keep pushing, keep driving and this moment, you’ll have it too when it’s your time’.”

Haiti face the Lionesses in Brisbane live on talkSPORT at 10:30am on Saturday 22 July.

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Dumornay will be looking to impress against the Lionesses[/caption]

Morocco – FIFA World ranking: 72

Player to watch: Rosella Ayane 

Nicknamed the “Atlas Lionesses”, Morocco women’s national team are hoping to emulate the success of their men’s team who surpassed all expectations to reach the semi-final of the Men’s World Cup in Qatar.

The team are certainly in experienced hands as their manager, Reynald Pedros, is both a former French international player, and has coached Lyon women to two Champions League titles.

The team have another keen supporter in the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI who has opened a number of football facilities to support the growth of both the national men’s and women’s teams.

Coach Pedros told the BBC that ‘the will of the king’ was a vital part of the investment in women’s football. 

He said: “I believe if we did not have the support of the federation we would not succeed.”

Morocco take on Germany in their opening match on Tuesday 24 July at 9:30am.

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Ayane has just signed a new contract with Tottenham[/caption]

Zambia – FIFA World ranking: 77

Player to watch: Barbra Banda 

Zambia sent shockwaves rippling through the footballing world when they beat one of the tournament favourites, Germany, in a 3-2 win. 

They will be hoping to go further by beating more dangerous teams in their group stages as they face Spain, Costa Rica and former World champions Japan. 

Their captain, Barbra Banda, has already made history by becoming the first women to score more than one hat-trick at an Olympic games and the former professional boxer will be hoping to net more goals during the World Cup. 

Off the pitch, Zambia are dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct against their head coach, Bruce Mwape, and an investigation by police and FIFA is ongoing. 

Their opening fixture against Japan on Saturday will be one of the first opportunities to see what this Zambian team can do on the big stage.

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Banda stunned Germany ahead of the World Cup[/caption]

Portugal – FIFA World ranking: 21

Player to watch: Ines Pereira 

Portugal will take huge confidence from the fact that they were able to hold England to a 0-0 draw at Milton Keynes in a send-off game earlier this month.

The popularity of domestic women’s football is growing quickly in Portugal, largely thanks to the investment of the Portuguese FA. 

Coach Francisco Neto has said their goal is to make it out of the group stages, but that would likely require a win against either the USA or the Netherlands. 

But Portugal have strength and experience in their team, with seven players boasting over 100 caps. 

They will have the chance to show their quality when they face the Netherlands on Sunday 23 July at 8:30am.

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Pereira plays her club football in Switzerland with Servette[/caption]

Panama – FIFA World ranking: 52

Player to watch: Riley Tanner

After missing out on qualification for the 2019 World Cup after a penalty shootout defeat to Jamaica, Panama fought hard to seize their spot in Australia and New Zealand this year. 

Their coach Ignacio Quintana has not just led Panama to their first World Cup – he has also fought to secure equal pay and working conditions with the men’s team. 

They will go into their group stage matches hoping to make the most of any experiences they can take from their time at the World Cup – any success for them could mean one of the biggest tournament upsets we have ever seen. 

Panama take on Brazil on Monday 24 July at 12pm.

Philippines – FIFA World ranking: 46

Player to watch: Isabella Flanigan 

The Philippines enter their first World Cup coached by ex-Australia coach, Alen Stajcic.  

In a nation which is dominated by basketball and boxing, the Filipinas have propelled themselves into the spotlight by qualifying for this tournament. 

Their team manager, Jefferson Cheng, told The Guardian: “We are dreaming of creating our own Cinderella story. Obviously the odds are against us based on our ranking but I assure you we will represent our country in the best way possible.”

The Philippines will first face Switzerland on Saturday 21 July at 6am.

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Flanigan is just 18 and looking to make a name for herself[/caption]

Vietnam – FIFA World ranking: 32

Player to watch: Huynh Nhu 

Vietnam are hoping their presence at their first World Cup will do great things for the development of the game, domestically and nationally. 

Coach Mai Duc Chung told fifa.com: “It’s a chance for us to compete with very good opponents and we can learn from their experience, skills and techniques. We also have to be mentally strong. We will respect all the competitors, but we are not scared.”

One of the unique features of this Vietnamese team is that every single member of the squad has been trained domestically, with only captain Hyunh Nhu playing abroad. 

But it could not be more of a difficult start to the tournament for the first-timers, as both the 2019 defending champions, the USA, and 2019 runners-up, the Netherlands, are in their group.

They open against the USA at 2am on Saturday 22 July.

Women's World Cup on talkSPORT

Listen to live commentary of the 2023 Women’s World Cup on the talkSPORT network, with our coverage kicking off on Saturday with England vs Haiti on talkSPORT at 10.30am.

And you can follow all the World Cup results, keep up-to-date with the latest fixtures and see the group standings in our new match centre HERE.