It's hard to believe it, but the 2023 Women's World Cup group stage is over. Action now shifts to win-or-go-home scenarios with the round of 16 kicking off on Saturday with the United States women's national team facing Sweden on Sunday. It's been a tournament of upsets, shockers, wild moments and more and it's safe to say that much more is expected in the most competitive Women's World Cup that we've seen.
Ahead of the action, here are our picks:
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Picks
 |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | England | England | USWNT | England | England |
| Runners-up | USWNT | Netherlands | France | Spain | Japan |
| Golden Boot | Lauren James | Lauren James | Lauren James | Hinata Miyazawa | Hinata Miyazawa |
| Top assister | Lauren James | Lauren James | Lauren James | Lauren James | Lauren James |
| Golden Ball | Lauren James | Lauren James | Sophia Smith | Aitana Bonmati | Lauren James |
Champions
Herrera: The knockout rounds are a reset button and experienced teams might have the upper edge moving forward. Health and availability might be the x-factor for tight and tense games. Australia will have the entire country on their side as co-hosts but limited availability for Sam Kerr will still be a concern for the team. Look for the winner of USA and Sweden to be a tough opponent out of the round of 16, but England and Japan enter the knockouts as the most in-form teams. They carry two early candidates for Golden Boot and Golden Ball in Lauren James and Hinata Miyazawa.
Cattry: Expects few blowouts at this point in the tournament, when the teams that showed glimpses of title-winning quality will ride the highs of the group stage into the knockouts. Sides like the Netherlands, Japan, and England will be able to pair that with experience, while France may finally have what it takes to qualify for their first semifinal since 2011. England, out of all of the teams left, have the best shot at meeting the moment and at this point are the team to beat for the World Cup title.
Booth: In what has been an unpredictable World Cup so far seeing major nations like Brazil, Germany, and Canada crash out during the group stage, the madness will continue in the knockouts as well with South Africa securing another upset. But as things go on, the cream will rise to the top as Lauren James pushes England forward and the United States leans on their strong defense until running into a relentless Japan side. With Japan and England meeting in the final, two Golden Boot contenders will clash as these high powered sides play a final fit for the ages.
Golden Ball
Herrera: Lauren James - England leaned on peak player performances during the Euros with Beth Mead scoring the goals and play running through Kiera Walsh. Mead missed the World Cup with an ACL injury and now Walsh is unavailable for unforeseen amount of time after sustaining a knee injury in the group stage. A new hero has emerged for the Lionesses at just the right time for the biggest tournament in their program's history in James, with three goals and three assists so far. If she can keep producing there's no stopping England.
Cattry: Lauren James. If England go all the way, James will no doubt be crucial to their success. The team struggled to score early on at the World Cup, but James' abilities provided a breath of fresh air and allowed England to demonstrate their title credentials. She's already a contender for the golden boot with three goals to her name, and she should be a consistent contributor if England make a deep run.
Booth: Lauren James coming into the starting lineup for England could've saved their World Cup with three goals and three assists in only two games started. After powering the Lionesses to winning the World Cup title, James will continue to shine as the best player at the World Cup doing it all in the center of the park.
Bracket picks
Herrera
Round of 16
Spain 2, Switzerland 1
Japan 2, Norway 1
Netherlands 3, South Africa 1
USWNT 2, Sweden 1
England 3, Nigeria 1
Australia 1, Denmark 0
Colombia 0, Jamaica 1 (AET)
Morocco 0, France 2
Quarterfinals
Spain 1, Netherlands 2
USWNT 2, Japan 1
France 1, Australia 0
England 2, Jamaica 0
Semifinals
USWNT 0, Netherlands 0 (USWNT win in PKs, 4-3)
France 1, England 2
Third-place game
France 2, Netherlands 1
Final
England 1, USWNT 0
Cattry
Round of 16
Switzerland 0, Spain 2
Netherlands 3, South Africa 0
Japan 2, Norway 0
Sweden 1, USWNT 1 (USWNT advance on penalties)
Australia 1, Denmark 0 (AET)
France 3, Morocco 0
England 2, Nigeria 1 (AET)
Colombia 1, Jamaica 0
Quarterfinals
Spain 0, Netherlands 1 (AET)
Japan 1, USWNT 0
Australia 1, France 2
England 2, Colombia 0
Semifinals
Netherlands 2, Japan 1
France 1, England 2 (AET)
Third place
France 2, Japan 0
Final
England 2, Netherlands 0
Gonzalez
Round of 16
Spain 2, Switzerland 1
Japan 2, Norway 1
Netherlands 4, South Africa 1
USWNT 2, Sweden 1 (AET)
England 3, Nigeria 0
Australia 1, Denmark 0
Colombia 2, Jamaica 1
France 4, Morocco 0
Quarterfinals
Spain 1, Netherlands 0
Japan 1, USWNT 0
France 2, Australia 1
England 2, Colombia 0 (AET)
Semifinals
Spain 1, Japan 0
England 2, France 0
Third-place game
France 1, Japan 0
Final
England 1, Spain 0
Goodman
Round of 16
Spain 2, Switzerland 0Japan 1, Norway 0
Netherlands 3, South Africa 2
USWNT 2, Sweden 0
England 3, Nigeria 0
Australia 2, Denmark 0
Colombia 0, Jamaica 0 (Jamaica 5-4 on penalties)
France 4, Morocco 0
Quarterfinals
Spain 0, Netherlands 1
Japan 1, USWNT 2
France 2, Australia 0
England 1, Jamaica 0 (AET)
Semifinals
Netherlands 0, USWNT 1
England 1, France 1 (France 5-3 on penalties)
Third-place game
Netherlands 0, England 1
Final
France 1, USWNT 3
Booth
Round of 16
Spain 2, Switzerland 1
Japan 3, Norway 0
Netherlands 1, South Africa 2
USWNT 1, Sweden 1 (USWNT on Pens 5-4)
England 2, Nigeria 0
Australia 1, Denmark 0
Colombia 2, Jamaica 1
France 3, Morocco 1
Quarterfinals
Spain 3, South Africa 1
USWNT 1, Japan 2
France 2, Australia 1
England 3, Colombia 1
Semifinals
Japan 2, Spain 1
France 0, England 1
Third-place game
France 2, Spain 1
Final
Japan 1, England 2
