The ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup begins this week as several Everton players prepare to represent their nations on the global stage.

Australia and New Zealand will co-host the tournament over the next month and you can find a detailed breakdown below of when and where each Blue will be in action.

All kick-off times are BST. Regular updates on how the Everton players fare in their respective fixtures will be provided on evertonfc.com and our social media channels.

Clare Wheeler – Australia

A prominent figure in midfield for Everton in her debut season last term, Clare Wheeler is set to experience her first-ever major tournament and for it to be on home soil.

Following her switch from the A-League to European football, Wheeler has broken into the Australia senior ranks and is a regular member of the Matildas squad.

With her first cap coming against the Republic of Ireland, it is fitting the tournament will begin against the very same opponents.

Group B is incredibly close to call, with Canada and Nigeria providing fierce competition for a spot in the last 16.

However, most will back Wheeler’s Matildas to reach the knockout phase, and perhaps even go all the way.

Thursday 20 July: Australia v Republic of Ireland, 11am, Stadium Australia

Thursday 27 July: Australia v Nigeria, 11am, Brisbane Stadium

Monday 31 July: Canada v Australia, 11am, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium

Courtney Brosnan – Republic of Ireland

Courtney Brosnan has played a pivotal role in Republic of Ireland’s quest to reach this tournament.

Her heroics in a play-off triumph over Scotland in October 2022 cemented herself and her Irish teammates in history as the first women’s side from Ireland to reach the World Cup finals.

Named as Ireland’s Senior International Women’s Player of the Year earlier this summer, Brosnan is expected to play a key role in the Irish’s campaign.

Paired with co-hosts Australia and Olympic champions Canada, Ireland will arguably be viewed as underdogs. However, they could pose an upset alongside Nigeria in what is expected to be a tightly-contested group.

Thursday 20 July: Australia v Republic of Ireland, 11am, Stadium Australia

Wednesday 26 July: Canada v Republic of Ireland, 1pm, Perth Rectangular Stadium

Monday 31 July: Republic of Ireland v Nigeria, 11am, Brisbane Stadium

Katrine Veje, Karen Holmgaard – Denmark

It’s the first time the Danes have returned to the Women’s World Cup since 2007, and a dominant campaign in qualifying ensured they wouldn’t miss out this summer.

Eight wins out of eight, 40 goals scored and only two conceded, Denmark are on a quest to make their stamp on this elite competition.

Each member of the squad has a unique path of reaching this moment.

For Katrine Veje, a veteran of the Denmark squad with more than 140 appearances for her country, it was a battle against injuries in her debut season with Everton. Yet against any odds, she returned to the squad to fulfil a lifelong dream of representing her nation at the World Cup.

Karen Holmgaard, a fierce warrior both in the Royal Blue of Everton and the red of Denmark, will be without her twin Sara this summer due to her ongoing injury. While the pair are inseparable at the best of times, Karen will hope to do her sister proud while Sara supports on from the other side of the globe.

In group D the Danes will face up against the European champions England, alongside China and Haiti.

They will hope to reach the knockout phase for the first time since 1995.

Saturday 22 July: Denmark v China, 1pm, Perth Rectangular Stadium

Friday 28 July: England v Denmark, 9.30am, Sydney Football Stadium

Tuesday 1 August: Haiti v Denmark, 12pm, Perth Rectangular Stadium

Katja Snoeijs – Netherlands

Everton’s top goalscorer for 2022/23 is set for her first-ever Women's World Cup.

While it took time for Katja Snoeijs to find her feet within the Women’s Super League, her incredible form in the closing months of the domestic season merited a spot within the Netherlands camp.

The Dutch will be without prolific goalscorer Vivianne Miedema, but this presents an opportunity for players such as Snoeijs to step up to the challenge.

With six goals in her past seven games for Club and country, the 26-year-old will be keen to add more to her tally in the coming weeks.

The Netherlands will face reigning champions United States alongside Portugal and Vietnam. Whether they can top the group remains to be seen but the Dutch will certainly back themselves to reach the final stages of this competition.

Sunday 23 July: Netherlands v Portugal, 8.30am, Forsyth Barr Stadium

Thursday 27 July: United States v Netherlands, 2am, Wellington Regional Stadium

Tuesday 1 August: Vietnam v Netherlands, 8am, Forsyth Barr Stadium

Nathalie Bjorn, Hanna Bennison – Sweden

One of the favourites for the World Cup, Sweden are expected to be a force to be reckoned with.

The past few years has been filled of stories of near misses for the Swedes, with silver at the Olympic Games and defeat to eventual winners England in the European Championship semi-finals last summer.

Sweden will believe their time is now and the Everton contingent within their camp will feel a quiet confidence.

Nathalie Bjorn – a bronze World Cup medallist already with Sweden – heads into her third consecutive summer tournament after being named as Everton Players’ Player of the Season last term.

For Hanna Bennison, her match-winning strike against Switzerland last summer is evidence of what the midfielder can contribute in crucial moments.

Ranked as the third best nation in the FIFA rankings, they will hope to go all the way this summer.

Up first in the group, however, are South Africa, Italy and Argentina. Tough opponents but many pundits regard Sweden as the nation most likely to qualify from group G.

Sunday 23 July: Sweden v South Africa, 6am, Wellington Regional Stadium

Saturday 29 July: Sweden v Italy, 8.30am, Wellington Regional Stadium

Wednesday 2 August: Argentina v Sweden, 8am, Waikato Stadium