Germany's U-17 Women's Team Prepares for World Championship
Following their triumphant victory at the European Championship, the German U-17 women's team is set to face their next significant challenge at the World Cup in Morocco, scheduled from October 17 to November 7. Head coach Sabine Loderer has officially announced her squad of 21 players for this prestigious tournament.
The roster features three winners of this year's Fritz Walter Medals: Mirja Kropp and Marie Kleemann from RB Leipzig, alongside Johanna Hebben from SC Freiburg. Notably, SC Freiburg contributes the largest contingent to the squad with five players, while Borussia Mönchengladbach follows closely behind with three representatives.
Among the new faces in the lineup compared to the European Championship are Mariann Noack from 1. FC Union Berlin and Miriam Arici from Borussia Mönchengladbach. Both players missed the EM tournament in May due to injuries but are now making a welcome return to the team.
Expressing her excitement, Sabine Loderer said, "We have been looking forward to the World Cup since the moment we secured our qualification, and we are counting down the days until we can finally get started. We will approach this absolutely unique tournament step by step, focusing on one game at a time while staying true to ourselves. Playing against intercontinental opponents presents a new challenge compared to the EM, and we face it with the awareness that we have grown tremendously over the past year and have become even closer as a team. We bring with us the experiences from our knockout matches, where we demonstrated high intensity, sharpness, courage, and conviction, overcoming the pressures of such games. The anticipation to write the next chapters of our story with this remarkable group is incredibly high."
The DFB team's World Cup journey will commence on October 17 at 5 PM CEST with a match against Argentina. In Group A, the DFB team will subsequently face host nation Morocco on October 20 at 8 PM CEST, followed by a match against New Zealand on October 23, also at 8 PM CEST. The top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 16. The initial knockout round matches are scheduled for October 28, with the quarterfinals set for November 1. The semifinal matches will take place on November 4, leading up to the third-place match and the final on November 7.
To prepare for the tournament, the German team will gather in Westerburg starting Wednesday, October 7. Under the guidance of head coach Sabine Loderer and assistant coaches Lena Lotzen and Lukas Völker, the team will hone their skills ahead of the World Cup. Their final test before the tournament will be against Mexico on October 11 at 2 PM in Haiger, Hesse.
The U-17 Women's World Cup has been held annually in Morocco since last year, featuring a total of 24 teams competing for glory. The German squad qualified for the World Cup by reaching the semifinals of the European Championship. Fans can catch all matches of the U-17 Women's World Cup live on FIFA+.
As reported by dfb.de.
