da wazamba： From well-established stars to up-and-coming talents, GOAL picks out 50 names to watch at this summer's tournament down under…
da blaze casino： This summer’s Women’s World Cup is set to be the biggest and best yet, with more teams involved than ever before. It means there are to be eight debutantes in Australia and New Zealand, with some nations appearing in a World Cup for the first time at any level, on both the men’s and women’s side.
As always, it’s a huge stage for players to announce themselves on, with plenty of new faces sure to rise to the fore over the next few weeks. There are, though, plenty of well-known names ready for a big summer, too, some of whom will be playing at their final World Cup.
GOAL picks out 50 players to keep an eye on across the tournament…
GettyRosella Ayane (Morocco)
Since declaring for Morocco in 2021, England-born Rosella Ayane has become a prolific presence on the international scene. The Spurs forward, who qualifies to play for the African nation through her father, netted just a minute into her debut and has continued to be a prolific outlet for a nation that she helped finish as runners-up in the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Able to play as a centre-forward or out wide, Ayane will be one of Morocco’s key players this summer as they look to make the knockout rounds in their first ever Women’s World Cup.
AdvertisementGettyEstefania Banini (Argentina)
During the Copa de la Reina final in late May, Estefania Banini was the absolute star of the show. She and Atletico Madrid trailed city rivals Real by two goals as the clock ticked down, before Banini teed up Lucia Moral to half the deficit with two minutes to go. Then, in the sixth minute of stoppage-time, she fired a free-kick into the top corner from 25 yards. Atletico won the trophy on penalties.
The 32-year-old wasn't called up for nearly three years by Argentina after speaking up about poor working conditions for the women's national team. Fortunately for both parties, though, she has since returned and will be crucial if her country are to make it out of the group stages this summer.
GettyStina Blackstenius (Sweden)
When Arsenal were hit with an injury crisis this past season, particularly in their attack, big responsibility fell on Stina Blackstenius to score the goals. Despite having her critics at times, the Swedish striker assumed the role well, netting some huge ones.
As Arsenal ended a four-year trophy drought by lifting the Continental Cup, it was Blackstenius who bagged the winner in their semi-final win and the game-changing equaliser in the final. In Europe, she scored the goal that sent the Gunners to a first Champions League semi-final in 10 years – and then in both legs in the last four, too.
Blackstenius has proved she can carry that burden for her country, too, scoring five times as Sweden collected the silver medal at the 2021 Summer Olympics.
GettyAitana Bonmati (Spain)
Arguably the front-runner for this year's Ballon d'Or, Aitana Bonmati was massive for Barcelona as they won the Super Cup, the league and the Women's Champions League this past season. Indeed, no player was directly involved in more goals in the latter competition than the diminutive midfielder, whose box-to-box qualities were on show at an incredibly high level across the board.
Bonmati seemed likely to be a notable absentee from this summer’s World Cup as one of the 15 Spain internationals who had withdrawn from selection until improvements were made within the federation. Fortunately for La Roja, though, she is one of three from that list who returned in June.