Women’s World Cup Group B Preview: Focus on Sam Kerr As Super Falcons Aim to Soar High

• Sam Kerr will be the player to watch, not only in Group B but in the whole tournament
• Group B has been marked as the 'Group of Death' in some quarters
• Co-hosts Australia will be joined by Olympic champions Canada and Africa's finest, Nigeria

The Big Question in Group B will be whether Australia can ride on home support and the genius that is Sam Kerr to finally break the quarter-final voodoo.

The Matildas have never gone past the quarter-finals, but with a much stronger squad and home advantage, the onus will be on them to put on a show.

But first, they will have to overcome a Group with tricky opposition in the form of record African champions Nigeria, Olympic champions Canada and debutants Ireland.

Sports Brief has also done previews for Group A, Group C, Group D, Group E, Group F, Group G and Group H.

Barcelona's Oshoala leads World Cup charge for ever-present Nigeria

Football

Australia

Sam Kerr will head into the tournament as the highest-ranked player by EA Sports. The Chelsea Women hitman will be expected to bring her A-game and power Tony Gustavsson's side to history.

The weight of an expectant nation will be firmly on her shoulders, but luckily for her, she will be supported by other players who ply their trade in key leagues across the world; among them, Ellie Carpenter(Lyon), Emily van Egmond(San Diego Wave), Alex Chidiac(Racing Louisville) and Caitlin Foord(Arsenal).

They recently put on a morale-boosting performance to snap England's 30-match unbeaten record under Sarina Wiegman. The Lionesses are one of the favourites for the tournament.

Player(s) to watch; Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter, Mary Fowler

Nigeria

The Super Falcons boast of arguably Africa's greatest player ever in Asisat Oshoala. The Barcelona star will lead a star-studded squad to the tournament, but they will be wary of having to come up against the hosts and much-fancied Canada in their first two games.

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Football

The pragmatic Randy Waldrum has insisted that Oshoala gives them a fighting chance against any opponent and it's hard to argue when you look at her goalscoring statistics.

Nigeria has never won any knockout game on the global stage.

Player(s) to watch; Asisat Oshoala, Uchenna Kanu

Canada

Canada are the strong favourites to win the group going by the strength and experience of the squad Bev Priestman will parade from July 21.

But first, they will have to address and find solutions to their calamitous buildup. After their triumph at the Tokyo Olympics, Canada has had a chaotic time, from pay disputes to the influential Janine Beckie pulling out of the tournament with injury.

Beckie's absence will be a huge blow, but Jessie Fleming, Julia Grosso and Ashley Lawrence will be the go-to players for Priestman, with Christine Sinclair's involvement also an interesting spectacle. The 40-year veteran will provide experience as they seek to better their best-ever semifinal finish in 2003.

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Football

Player(s) to watch: Julia Grosso, Ashley Lawrence

Ireland

The Irish participation in this year's tourney is a result of decade-long hard work and consistency that will pay off with an appearance at a first-ever major championship.

The debutants' tag will be followed by the under-dogs tag, but Vera Pauw's side will have nothing to lose.

The one armoury the experienced Dutch tactician will have at her disposal is the midfield partnership of Arsenal's Katie McCabe and North Carolina Courage's Denise O’Sullivan.

Players to watch; Denise O’Sullivan, Katie McCabe