With the remaining stretch of the eighth edition of the Women’s World Cup ahead of us, the final is within sight and it’s time to start thinking about which teams could be crowned the winners. The results so far suggest that the Netherlands have improved their chances of reaching the finals. But the top picks from fans and critics alike are the USA, France, Germany and England who have all performed brilliantly so far and are the top predictions for a 2019 World Cup win.

USA

With odds of 7/4 to win, the defending champions have been ruthless on the pitch against their competitors, achieving 18 goals in three straight wins with none conceded. Head coach Jill Ellis has been quoted as saying that there is humility among the team and that the players have gained enough experience to know that every win has to be earned, so they won’t be relaxing until the title is theirs. Since the competition started, the US team have been in the top list of potential winners so it will be interesting to see how the games play out and whether the US squad can live up to their reputation, other teams will need help with the defence if they want to overcome this US squad, to try outlast them in a low scoring game rather than matching the firepower..

USA, France, Germany and England who have all performed brilliantly so far and are the top predictions for a 2019 World Cup win.

France

A home win for France in Lyon would be a huge triumph, particularly as a large proportion of the team are from Lyon, and with two strong World Cup wins this decade, it’s not an unfeasible aim. Les Bleues reached fourth in 2011 and the quarterfinals in 2015, but could 2019 be their year? The team have odds of 7/2 to win and have overcome some challenges so far in the competition, including an own-goal against Norway, but they’ve also been on an eight-match winning streak that they’re hoping to maintain.

Germany

2018 was Germany’s down point, after their male counterparts finished bottom in a World Cup group for the first time in their history, but 2019 could be the year to turn it around if the women’s team can succeed. Germany will be expecting to win but with an incredibly strong competition this year, there are a number of rivals that are going to put up a fight against the squad. The bookies have Germany down as 13/2 to win and despite losing their first qualifying game to Iceland, they’ve been on a great winning streak, not conceding a single goal.

England

The Lionesses have completed a 100% record in Group D, so it should be a straightforward task, but captain Steph Houghton has warned that the team know they can play better, so they’ll be pulling out all the stops to prove that as the finals draw closer. England booked their spot in the last 16 stage when they won 2-1 against their Scottish rivals in their opening Group D fixture. Phil Neville’s team have emerged as a serious contender for the victory and are backed by odds of 7/1 for this tournament and are now set to face Cameroon in the last 16.