The players to watch in the Women's World Cup

The greatest Australian player of all time and widely considered one of the best strikers ever, Sam Kerr is embarking on a home World Cup — her fourth in total. The 29-year-old has been Matildas' captain since 2019 and she enters the tournament as the leading scorer in Australian history, with 63 goals in 120 games.

At EURO 2021 in England, "Poppi" led Germany all the way to the final against England and sparked a wave of euphoria for the national team. At the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the VfL Wolfsburg striker will also lead the DFB team onto the pitch as captain.

At 40, Christine Sinclair may be the oldest player on this list but she is a bonafide legend of Canadian soccer. The 14-time Canadian soccer player of the year has already played in five World Cups and should she score at this tournament, she would become the first player — male or female — to score at six World Cups.

The Barcelona star won the 2023 Champions League against Alex Popp and VfL Wolfsburg. In 2021 and 2022, she was awarded the Ballon d'Or as FIFA World Player of the Year and UEFA Player of the Year respectively. In addition, she has won six league titles, eight cups and two Champions Leagues with the Catalans. A title with Spain's national team is still missing.

One of the leading lights in African women's football, Oshoala became the first African player to win the Women's Champions League with Barcelona. In 2014, she finished runner-up in the U20 World Cup and was named Africa's Female Footballer of the Year, an award she also won in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022. Her first World Cup appearance in 2015, saw Nigeria eliminated in the group stages.

At 37, the "eternal" Marta is set to appear at her sixth World Cup with one last chance to finally win the title with the "Selecao". Marta came closest in her second World Cup appearance in 2007, but Germany's golden goal in the final prevented Brazil's triumph. After that, Marta and Brazil have been knocked out once in the quarterfinals (2011) and twice in the Round of 16 (2015, 2019).

In the defending champions star-studded ensemble, Morgan shines brightest. The USWNT are out to complete the three-peat Down Under. In 2019 at the World Cup in France Morgan, was one of six players to feature in three World Cup finals as the US defended the title won in 2015. Another title defense is unlikely to be a foregone conclusion, given that several nations have closed the gap since.

Set to make their World Cup debut, Zambia's hopes are pinned on star striker Barbra Banda. She stole the headlines for all the right reasons becoming the first woman to score consecutive hat-tricks at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, she made headlines for all the wrong reasons when she was banned from the Africa Cup of Nations due to her testosterone levels being too high.

Considered one of the best female players in the world, Harder was the most expensive until 2022. The striker, who has joined Bayern from Chelsea, isn't amongst the favorites with Denmark. It will be interesting to see whether the 30-year-old can add more than the three group stage games to her 140 international appearances to date with a side that finished runner-up at EURO 2017.

The 27-year-old has been under contract with Olympique Lyon since 2014 and contributing to their status as Women's Champions League record titleholders with six winner's medals (2016-2020, 2022). It's an unparalleled track record. With Norway, the first winner of the Ballon d'Or (2018) has so far reached one major final when they lost 1-0 to Germany in the 2013 European Championships.

The 32-year-old Bayern Munich defender will captain Japan as they attempt to win their second World Cup title. Kumagai made her debut for Japan's national team in 2008 and was part of the team that won the title in Germany in 2011 and before falling just short in their title defence. In 2019, after two consecutive appearances in the final, the Netherlands knocked Japan out in the round of 16.

The 20-year-old Manchester City forward is going to be a fan favourite for the co-hosts. The home tournament will be Fowler's second World Cup despite her young age: After making her debut for the "Matildas" in 2018, Fowler was the youngest player at the 2019 tournament in France. Their journey ended in the Round of 16 against Norway. This time they're hoping to go deeper.

In 2022, Walsh replaced Pernille Harder as the world's most expensive player moving from Manchester City t Barcelona for close to €500,000 and won her first ever title with England at EURO 2022 on home soil. In the final against Germany, a 2-1 win after extra-time, Walsh was named player of the match. England and their midfield star are among the top favorites for the World Cup.