17 SEC women’s soccer stars shine in 2023 World Cup

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A total of 17 current and former Southeastern Conference women’s soccer student-athletes are currently representing their respective countries on the 2023 World Cup stage in Australia and New Zealand. With more than 130 NCAA athletes competing in the event, the SEC is home to the third-most of any conference.

Half of the league’s membership has at least one athlete in the field, with seven different schools boasting World Cup competitors including Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Gators lead the way with five athletes competing on national teams, tied for the 4th-most amongst all NCAA schools.

Former Tennessee forward Hannah Wilkinson (2012-2016) holds the distinction of scoring the first goal of the 2023 World Cup on the opening day of the tournament, leading New Zealand to a 1-0 upset of Norway and securing the host nation’s first-ever win in the event.

NEW ZEALAND’S HANNAH WILKINSON SCORES THE FIRST GOAL OF THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ���� pic.twitter.com/oyN68u0Vhb

– FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 20, 2023

Southeastern Conference athletes don 10 different national flags out of the 32 teams that qualified for the tournament, which runs July 20 – August 20. Four SEC athletes are teammates on Canada’s national team, and three more represent Jamaica together.

Group play will wrap up on August 3, with 16 countries advancing to the Knockout stage starting on August 5. Quarterfinals commence on August 10, with the semifinals following August 15-16, and culminating with the championship on August 20.