Women's World Cup: Group E preview

Perhaps it's due to a series of underwhelming World Cup finishes, but fifth-ranked Canada arrives in France with nary the fanfare of other nations at the pinnacle of women's football.

That may suit Kenneth Heiner-Moller's young side well as it vies for group honors with the eighth-ranked Netherlands loaded with established stars, while both New Zealand (19th) and Cameroon (46th) will look to play party pooper.

Group Schedule

Players to watch

Christine Sinclair (Canada)

All eyes will be on 35-year-old Canadian forward Christine Sinclair as she looks to surpass American Abby Wambach's international goal record. Sinclair enters her fifth World Cup on 181 goals, three short of matching Wambach's standard, and the British Columbia-born veteran will certainly get her chances pairing with Janine Beckie and Nichelle Prince in a dynamic front-three.

Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands)

For all the star power in the Netherlands squad, the ilk of 2017 Best FIFA Women's Player, Lieke Martens, irrepressible goal threat Vivianne Miedema is arguably the most dangerous. The 22-year-old just shattered the WSL single-season scoring standard with 22 goals for Arsenal, and her 57 tallies in 74 appearances for the Dutch is absurd.

Abby Erceg (New Zealand)

The Football Ferns send an experienced squad to France that includes three defenders with 120 or more international caps. Angular captain Abby Erceg leads the way alongside 139-time capped Ria Percival and 22-year-old upstart Meikayla Moore. It remains to be seen if they have enough firepower to become the first New Zealand side - female or male - to win a World Cup match.

Madeleine Ngono Mani (Cameroon)

Following an 11th-place finish in 2015, Cameroon makes its second World Cup appearance highlighted by a thrilling attack littered with talent. Thirty-five-year-old Madeleine Ngono Mani is her nation's all-time leading scorer, with Gaelle Enganamouit and teenager Alexandra Takounda filling out a frontline that scored nine goals in four matches last time out.

Group Outlook

The winner of Group E will likely be determined when Canada and the Netherlands square off in Reims on the final matchday. There will be familiar foes as European-based standouts Martens and Kadeisha Buchanan line up opposite each other. Either way, both sides should expect facile passage to the knockout stage.

For New Zealand and Cameroon, progression appears a long shot, though the same was said of the latter in 2015 before it demolished Ecuador and topped Switzerland to finish second in Group C on six points. It's a tougher ask in 2019 for Africa's second-ranked side.

Predicted Finish