The first 32-team edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup has had a little bit of everything: exciting underdogs, star turns and some heavyweights looking utterly spectacular. As is always the case, however, the group stage is just a table-setter. The tournament really begins when the knockout rounds start.
Said tournament won't feature some of the heavyweights. Germany, the three-time World Cup finalists and two-time champs, had their spot in the round-of-16 yoinked away by Morocco's win over Colombia on the final day of the group stage. (Germany had beaten Morocco 6-0 in the first group game, too. Ouch.) Brazil, the 2007 runners-up and four-time World Cup semifinalists, were knocked out in favor of Jamaica. For all of the hand-wringing about the current form of the U.S. women, they did advance! That's no longer a given, no matter who you are. You can't just win on talent alone anymore; you've got to have good ideas, and you've got to execute them.
With the dance card filled in and the matchups set, it's time to take a breath and preview what's coming. Let's talk about each qualifying team's biggest strengths and weaknesses: basically, the reasons they advanced, the reasons they could make a run and the fatal flaws that will probably trip them up at some point. Only one team can win the title, after all.
Editor's note: As teams officially qualify for the round of 16, we will add them to the file in alphabetical order. Betting odds below are from Caesars Sportsbook. If you add up all the equivalent odds, they will have a total above 100% because, well, that's why the casino always wins in the long run.
