FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Updates: France vs Jamaica

Live updates from the 2023 Women’s World Cup match between France and Jamaica in Sydney.

Four years after failing to host the Women’s World Cup, France is returning to the world stage with a new coach determined to oust the United States.

France hoped to compete for the 2019 tournament title, but were eliminated by the Americans in the quarter-finals in Paris. The plan for a better result this year was about to be derailed in February when captain Wendy Rennard quit the team to “protect my sanity” and two other players followed suit.

The French Federation vowed to examine the situation and sacked coach Corinne Deacon in March, one year into her contract. The team replaced her with Hervé Renard, who left his role as coach of the Saudi men’s team to take charge.

Hervé Renard led Saudi Arabia to surprise winners Argentina in the men’s World Cup final in November, and when he leads France against Jamaica in their Group F match in Sydney on Sunday, he will be the second coach to lead them in both the men’s and women’s World Cup finals.

Hervé Renard previously coached the Moroccan men’s team.

His appointment prompted Wendy Renard to return to the squad and she would be on the field for the first-ever meeting between France and Jamaica in the Women’s International. This is France’s fifth appearance in the tournament and Jamaica’s second.

Jamaica lost all three matches in their 2019 debut, scoring just once and conceding 12 goals. Her game at this World Cup will depend on the performance of Khadija Shaw, the Manchester City striker who was one of only two players to score at least 20 goals in the 2022-23 Women’s Premier League.

Jamaica is one of several teams whose federation is struggling to get financing, and its players have set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for their preparations.