Philippines v Switzerland
Friday, 5pm
Philippines player to watch: Jaclyn Sawicki is the captain of Western United in the A-League and a former Canadian representative.
Switzerland player to watch: Lia Walti is the skipper and heartbeat of the midfield as she nears 100 caps.
The oil: Finally, the World Cup arrives in Dunedin. The Swiss, ranked 20th in the world, have based themselves in Dunedin for the tournament so might get some local support. But expect plenty from the community to rally behind the 46th-ranked Filipinas, who make their World Cup debut.
Netherlands v Portugal
Sunday, 7.30pm
Netherlands player to watch: Lieke Martens has 57 goals in 142 games for the Dutch, and was world player of the year in 2017.
Portugal player to watch: Tricky forward Jessica Silva is hugely popular online for clips of her twists and tricks. Won the Champions League with Lyon three years ago.
The oil: Dutch football - everyone gets a bit excited at the sight of those orange shirts. Ranked ninth, they should be too strong for the 21st-ranked Portuguese.
Japan v Costa Rica
Wednesday, 5pm
Japan player to watch: Yui Hasegawa roams all over the midfield for Manchester City.
Costa Rica player to watch: Raquel Rodriguez has both a great nickname (Rocky) and an insane scoring record (73 goals in 43 games).
The oil: Could be a bit of a mismatch. The Japanese, world champions in 2011 and runners-up in 2015, are ranked 11th in the world. Costa Rica might be ranked 36th but they could be entertaining.
Argentina v South Africa
July 28, noon
Argentina player to watch: Estefania Banini. The Argentine captain plays for Atletico Madrid and was named in the World XI in 2021.
South Africa player to watch: Thembi Kgatlana will do her best to score goals for Banyana Banyana (the girls, the girls).
The oil: Argentina are world champions in men’s football but the under-resourced women have never made it out of the group stage at a World Cup. They are ranked 28th in the world, and South Africa 54th.
Switzerland v New Zealand
July 30, 7pm
Switzerland player to watch: Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic was part of Barcelona’s remarkable 62-game winning streak.
New Zealand player to watch: Captain and right-back Ali Riley will need to squeeze every ounce of ability and composure out of herself and her team-mates.
The oil: The Football Ferns have never won a game at the World Cup — so it is time to create history in front of a packed house in Dunedin. If they can pull off something special, it will really ignite this tournament.
Vietnam v Netherlands
August 1, 7pm
Vietnam player to watch: Huynh Nhu, the captain with 84 caps, was the first Vietnamese woman to play in Europe.
Netherlands player to watch: Jill Roord, the daughter of a former professional, is two-footed and a wonderful distributor of the ball.
The oil: The Orange Lionesses against the Golden Girls (yes, that is the Vietnamese team’s name) is a mismatch on paper. But World Cups are made for upsets.
