The draw for the 2015 Women’s World Cup has been completed, with a certain Group of Death in Group D, featuring three of the ten highest ranked teams in the world: the United States at number one, Sweden at fifth, and Australia at tenth.

The draw, held in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, ON, raised some intriguing possibilities. Three newcomers – Cameroon, Ecuador, and Switzerland – have been joined together in Group C, meaning that at least one is sure to reach the elimination phase. Group F, meanwhile, throws together longtime rivals France and England.

One moment of levity occurred when the FIFA dignitaries overseeing the proceedings, general secretary Jérôme VALCKE and women’s football head Tatjana HAENNI, attempted to place Colombia into Group E alongside fellow CONMEBOL members Brazil. The rules of the draw, which Valcke had explained moments earlier, prohibited such an alignment. The error was soon spotted, and Colombia were shifted over to Group F.

But two groups in particular stand out. Group A is comprised entirely of teams in the top fifteen of the FIFA rankings, whilst the still more challenging Group D is also notable for its repeat encounters. This is the fourth consecutive Women’s World Cup to feature the US and Sweden in the same group, and it is the third time overall that those two teams and Nigeria have all been groupmates.

The tournament opens on SAT 06 JUN 2015 with two Group A matches in Edmonton, AB: Canada-China PR and New Zealand-Netherlands.

• Group A: Canada, China PR, New Zealand, Netherlands
• Group B: Germany, Côte d’Ivoire, Norway, Thailand
• Group C: Japan, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador
• Group D: United States, Australia, Sweden, Nigeria
• Group E: Brazil, Korea Rep, Spain, Costa Rica
• Group F: France, England, Colombia, Mexico