Quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will begin on August 11 where eight teams will compete till the end to make way for the semi-finals.
The Round of 16 matches concluded with eight teams making their way to the quarters with some of the most thrilling matches.
Round of 16 matches — just like the group stage where big names like Brazil, Germany, Canada and New Zealand could not qualify — were full of surprises where we saw the defending champions United States losing on penalties to Sweden.
In the first Round of 16 encounter, Spain beat Switzerland 5-1 with a dominating display and ended their World Cup journey.
In the second game, Japan beat Norway 3-1 and secured their place in the quarter-finals. They had total control over the game. The Japanese qualified for the quarters for the first time since 2015.
In the third game, the Netherlands defeated South Africa 2-0 with Jill Roord and Lineth Beerensteyn scoring for the Dutch. That was another one-sided eliminator where the Netherlands dominated the game with more possession and made their way into the quarters.
In the fourth game, Sweden beat the United States 5-4 on penalties after the game ended 0-0 after 120 minutes.
In the fifth game, England eliminated Nigeria after beating them 4-2 on penalties. Nigeria fought till the very against the super English team and took the game to the extra time but were unable to convert the chances from the penalty spot.
In the sixth game, Australia beat Denmark 2-0 with Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso scoring for the home side.
The seventh game ended with Colombia beating Jamaica 1-0 after a close encounter. Jamaica — who needed crowdfunding to board the flight for the mega event because of no money — played valiantly throughout the game but could not penetrate Colombia’s defence.
Meanwhile, in the last game, France beat Women's World Cup debutants Morocco 4-0 and booked their place in the quarters.
Women’s World Cup quarter-final schedule:
August 11 — Friday
Match 1: Spain vs the Netherlands @ Wellington Regional Stadium, New Zealand
Match 2: Japan vs Sweden @ Eden Park, New Zealand
August 12 — Saturday
Match 3: Australia vs France @ Suncorp Stadium, Australia
Match 4: England vs Colombia @ Stadium Australia, Australia