Women's World Cup Group E: Top-ranked USA remain favourites

AFP Sport takes a detailed look at Group E:

USA (FIFA ranking 1)

Coach: Vlatko Andonovski (MKD)

Star player: Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)

Best World Cup performance: Winners (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019)

The superpower of international women's football, the United States are aiming to win a third consecutive World Cup and a record-extending fifth overall.

English-born Jill Ellis led the team to their last two victories before being replaced by Vlatko Andonovski.

Born in the former Yugoslavia in what is now North Macedonia, Andonovski moved to the USA over two decades ago and became national coach in 2019 after enjoying success at club level.

After only taking bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, Andonovski's side must show that they can still outperform an ever-improving European contingent, not to mention an Australia side with high hopes as co-hosts.

The tournament represents a World Cup farewell for icon Megan Rapinoe, who is now 38 and will retire after this season.

There is still huge quality throughout the squad, even with Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario falling victim to the knee injury curse sweeping through the women's game.

Would be a huge surprise if they failed to make the semi-finals at the very least.

VIETNAM (FIFA ranking 32)

Coach: Mai Duc Chung (VIE)

Star player: Huynh Nhu (Lank FC Vilaverdense/POR)

Best World Cup performance: First appearance

Vietnam are heading to their first World Cup -- men's or women's -- off the back of their run to the quarter-finals of last year's Asian Cup.

History was made by a team coached by Mai Duc Chung, who told FIFA.com that Vietnam "won't set high ambitions", but added: "We are not scared".

An opening game against the holders is a daunting prospect, and Vietnam will hope to avoid the fate that befell their Southeast Asian rivals Thailand, who lost 13-0 to the United States in their first game at France 2019.

Vietnam's star player is striker Huynh Nhu, who last year became the first woman from the country to join a professional European club when she signed for Lank Vilaverdense in Portugal.

THE NETHERLANDS (FIFA ranking 9)

Coach: Andries Jonker (NED)

Star player: Lieke Martens (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA)

Best World Cup performance: Runners-up (2019)

The Netherlands only recently emerged as a force in the women's game, winning Euro 2017 as hosts and then enjoying a remarkable run at the 2019 World Cup as they went all the way to the final before losing 2-0 to the United States.

Yet a repeat of that performance appears unlikely.

Those feats were achieved under former coach Sarina Wiegman, who left after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 to take charge of England,

Her successor, Englishman Mark Parsons, oversaw a quarter-final exit to France at last year's Euro and was replaced by Andries Jonker.

The Netherlands eased through World Cup qualifying but they head to New Zealand without prolific striker Vivianne Miedema as she continues her recovery from an ACL injury suffered last December.

It will therefore be up to the likes of winger Lieke Martens and midfielder Danielle van de Donk to lead the Dutch charge.

PORTUGAL (FIFA ranking 21)

Coach: Francisco Neto (POR)

Star player: Jessica Silva (Benfica/POR)

Best World Cup performance: First appearance

Portugal took the long route to qualify for their first Women's World Cup. They came second in their qualifying group behind Germany, then won play-offs against Belgium and Iceland.

That set up an inter-confederation play-off in February against Cameroon, which Portugal won 2-1 thanks to a 94th-minute Carole Costa penalty.

Before that, Francisco Neto's team went out of last year's Euro without winning a game, but they did hold European champions England to a 0-0 draw away in a friendly earlier this month.

Being drawn in a group with the two finalists from the 2019 edition means it would be a big surprise if Portugal were to go beyond the first round.