With Paraguay (No. 51) also in playoff action at the start of next year (in Group C), Las Guaraníes will have to overcome Chinese Taipei (No. 40) to make it to the final of the group, against the winner of Papua New Guinea (No. 50) vs. Panama (No. 57). With this challenge ahead, the Reggae Girlz — led by charismatic striker, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw — ought to give Paraguay more than a good run for their money and could provide an early look into how the South American team will fare in their playoff group.
In the third playoff group, Portugal (No. 23) await the winner of Cameroon (No. 58) vs. Thailand (No. 41), which gives more weight to the friendly pair of matches Senegal and Cameroon will play in Dakar — both African nations are two matches from a place at the World Cup, but neither are considered favourites. This window is the last chance for nations like Senegal and Cameroon to work on their shortcomings before they attempt to join the fun next summer in Australia and New Zealand.
Other teams looking for tests in Europe
Still looking for their feet under coach Futoshi Ikeda, Japan are once again in Europe this month as they face England (Friday) and Spain (Tuesday), the latter the last team they’ll meet in their World Cup group at the end of July.
Not quite the team they were since winning the 2011 World Cup, the departure of coach Asako Takakura after five fruitless years has given Nadeshiko the chance to hit reset once more. However, they’ve yet to look like the real deal under Ikeda. With the coach trying to integrate younger players like striker Riko Ueki, midfielders Nanami Kitamura and Hinata Miyazawa into the fold while experimenting with different formations, there is a lack of a clear overarching picture.
With time ticking down to the World Cup, the question isn’t so much whether Japan will be ready in time, but rather if Ikeda knows what he wants from this team. Facing two teams who like to keep the ball as much as they do, there is no better time to see if the coach has answers to the bigger questions around their playing style.
For Spain, who will spar with Argentina before facing Japan, there are ample distractions off the pitch with the majority of the Barcelona and Basque contingent still missing from the squad due to the dispute with the federation and no clear end in sight. As such, the squad Jorge Vilda has called in has a distinctly young feel to it, with 13 of the 23 born in the 2000s.
The coach and his charges would have taken great heart from beating the USA last time out, but Japan will be a different problem for them. A win wouldn’t necessarily be building confidence, but with Spain known for struggling to put their best attacking football on display at major tournaments, it could be a road map for their trickiest World Cup group game next summer.
