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The United States men's national team journey in the 2022 FIFA World Cup run ended on Saturday. The team suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands at Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar. The team will look ahead to the 2026 World Cup as cohosts and shift support for a World Cup title with the nation's most accomplished soccer program -- the United States women's national team.

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is just eight months away. It will begin on July 20 and feature an expanded format with participation by 32 nations, eight more teams than in previous World Cup events. The women's World Cup began in 1991 as a 12-team tournament, expanded to 16 countries in 1999, and 24 teams in 2015.

The USWNT is the reigning champion and has won more world cup titles (4) than any other nation in the tournament. 

Here's a look at the teams that have already qualified for the 2023 World Cup. 

Qualified nations

  • Australia: Co-host
  • New Zealand: Co-host
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • China: 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup Champions
  • Philippines
  • Vietnam
  • Sweden
  • Spain
  • France
  • Denmark
  • United States: 2019 WWC Champions
  • Canada
  • Costa Rica
  • Jamaica
  • Zambia
  • Morocco
  • Nigeria
  • South Africa: 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations
  • Colombia
  • Brazil: 2022 Copa Femenina Champion
  • Argentina
  • Norway
  • Germany
  • England: 2022 Euro Champions
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Ireland
  • Switzerland

World Cup spots up for grabs

There are 29 total nations that have qualified for the 2023 World Cup and three spots remain for the upcoming tournament. An inter-confederation playoff will begin on February 18 to determine the final three spots. The official draw took place in November and the USWNT is in Group E with the Netherlands and Vietnam. The fourth team joining will be the Group A playoff winner between Portugal, Cameroon, and Thailand.

Take a look at all the teams still vying for a spot in the World Cup:

Group A: Portugal, Cameroon, Thailand 

Group B: Chile, Haiti, Senegal 

Group C: Chinese Taipei, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Panama 

What's next

The USWNT will kick off its 2023 with a January camp set to take place in New Zealand. The team will face the co-host in a two-game series to close out the month. The 2023 SheBelieves Cup is expected to follow the January camp window. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski has mentioned the team wants to target nine possible friendlies before the team heads off to the World Cup.