Teams: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
Group G looks to be one of the strongest in the field, with three teams in the top 30 FIFA World Rankings. From a fantasy perspective, most of the premium-price players in this group are Swedes, led by left winger Fridolina Rolfӧ at $1,000,000. Look for Swedish players to return significant fantasy value in the group stage and beyond, but don’t overlook the other teams – there is plenty of talent in this group. Keep in mind that the runner-up in Group G will match up with the Group E winner in the Round of 16, which is likely to be the USA. This could be good news for fantasy managers, as we will likely see fewer starters rested in the group stage if teams prioritize winning the group and thus sidestepping that potential matchup. Sweden is the favorite in Group G, and the second match in the group between Italy and Argentina should go a long way to determining which team finishes as the runner-up.
If you’re looking for goalscoring in this group, there is very talented trio to consider at the $700k price point: Stina Blackstenius, Cristiana Girelli, and Sofia Jakobsson. Any of these three would be an ideal second FW to pair with one of the $1M options on your fantasy front line in the group stage, and have a decent probability of advancing to the knockouts. Of the three, I’d lean towards Blackstenius considering both her performance for Arsenal this season and during Sweden’s qualification campaign last year. If you’re looking for a discount option, Italy’s Valentina Giacinti has been primarily used as a substitute but has still netted six goals for Italy since World Cup classification began, and costs only $300k. Yamila Rodriguez has scored nine times for Argentina in the same period, and is at the $450k price point.
However, despite all this attacking talent, Group G could prove to be a defensive struggle. These four teams only conceded a total of 13 times in their respective qualifying campaigns – and four of those 13 goals occurred in a single match (Argentina’s group stage game against Brazil in Copa America Feminina). Except some low scores in Group G and some excellent fantasy scores from defenders and goalkeepers. Also, remember that all four of these teams featured in the 2019 World Cup in France, and that level of experience should lower the likelihood of lopsided scores and increase the likelihood of nervy, low-scoring games – even better for fantasy managers looking to build their back lines.
Players to Watch:
Speaking of defenders, Swedish left back Jonna Andersson is an ideal option for your back line. At only $450k, she’s relatively inexpensive and should benefit from Sweden’s consistently strong defense. She’s been a virtual lock in the Sweden XI in competitive matches over the past two years and should be one of the highest value defenders in the group.
Argentine midfielder Mariana Larroquette has experience in Norway’s Toppserien, the USA’s NWSL, and Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil, and has played right-back, winger, and center forward in her club career. For ShePlays Fantasy, she’s classified as a midfielder. She scored nine goals across all competitions for Club León this season and has netted 16 for Argentina in her career. She appeared in all three games at the 2019 World Cup and is a good bet to rack up the fantasy points in 2023.
Italy swept through UEFA qualifying with a record of 9-0-1, conceding only two goals while scoring 40. Goalkeeper Laura Giulani started nine of those matches and logged eight clean sheets. She also led Serie A with seven clean sheets for Milan this season. Look for her to provide great value at $400k through the group stage (and possibly beyond)!
Also known as the Randfontein Ronaldinho, South Africa midfielder Linda Motlhalo was the top scorer for Banyana Banyana in qualification for the 2022 African Women Cup of Nations. She comes into the World Cup on a high note, having assisted the goal that won the SWPL 1 title for Glasgow City on the final day of the season earlier this year. She’s scored 16 goals for South Africa since her first call-up at the age of 17 in 2016 – for only $250k, you can get tremendous upside (and potentially the tournament’s best nickname) on your squad!