After a couple of days off in between rounds, action at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup resumes on Friday, August 11th with the quarter finals! Just eight nations remain in the hunt for the ultimate prize and one of those nations is none other than Australia’s Matildas!
Below, we take a look at all four World Cup quarter final matchups that are set to play out across Friday and Saturday, and provide our best bet for each. Good luck to everyone following!
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Quarter Finals Betting Tips
Spain vs Netherlands
Friday 11am AEST, August 11th, Sky Stadium (Wellington)
Spain’s 5-1 demolition job of Switzerland in their Round of 16 tie has seen them advance to the quarter finals for the first time at a Women’s World Cup. They’re a nation that has shown steady improvement over the years and are now ranked #6 in the world. Still, they are still vulnerable at times, as seen in their 4-0 loss against Japan in their final group game.
Netherlands have flown under the radar during this World Cup but are now starting to get some deserved recognition for their consistent performance. They topped their group which included #1 ranked USA and franked that form with a professional 2-0 win over South Africa in their first match in the knockout stage.
Spain have had the wood over the Netherlands in recent years and are currently riding a three-match win streak in this matchup (lead 3-2 H2H all time). However, the #9 ranked Dutch have been just as good, if not better than them during their four outings in the tournament to date and the $4+ odds of them pulling off an upset win in regular time certainly appeals. I’m keen to have a nibble at the price.
Netherlands to Win (regular time)
$4.75 (0.5 Units)
Japan vs Sweden
Friday 5:30pm AEST, August 11th, Eden Park (Auckland)
Japan continued their dominant form at this World Cup with a 3-1 win over Norway in the Round of 16. That made it four wins from as many games for the Japanese with 14 total goals scored compared to just one conceded. Their strong form has seen them shorten up a lot in the outright market where they’re now fourth favourite to win it all.
Sweden did the unthinkable and knocked out the 2x defending champions in the Round of 16. The match required extra time and then penalties, but eventually the Swedes defeated USA and advanced to the quarter finals for the seventh time from nine attempts. Of the eight nations remaining, Sweden (ranked #3) are the now the highest ranked by FIFA.
Japan have barely put a foot wrong at this tournament to date but the quality of their opposition sharply rises this time out. They’ve failed in their last two meetings against Sweden, with their most recent defeat coming at the 2021 Olympic Games (3-1). With that in mind, coupled with the fact that they just knocked out the tournament favourites, it’s hard to not like Sweden at the underdog price.
Sweden to Qualify
$2.20 (1.5 Units)
Australia vs France
Saturday 5pm AEST, August 12th, Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane)
Full preview and betting tips for the Matildas vs France here!
England vs Colombia
Saturday 8:30pm AEST, August 12th, Olympic Stadium (Sydney)
England’s win over Nigeria in their first knockout game was anything but smooth sailing. They went scoreless for 90 minutes, lost their best player Lauren James to a red card, before finally saluting in a penalty shootout. Regardless, the Lionesses are now 27 matches without a loss in tournament play and have become the clear favourites to lift the World Cup in Australia.
Colombia made history with their 1-0 win over Jamaica, qualifying for the quarter finals of a Women’s World Cup for the first time. Their Round of 16 win certainly wasn’t pretty, and they’ll have to go up numerous gears to be able to compete at the required level in the last eight, although just making it this stage of the tournament would be considered a massive success for the #23 ranked Colombians.
Simply put, England are levels above Colombia and should be getting the better of them comfortably in this quarter final matchup despite being without a couple of their key players. I expect them to take care of business and win by 2+ goals in Sydney.
England -1.5
$2.80 (1.5 Units)
