Who will win the Women's World Cup? Some of Ireland's top players give their answers

We asked three players who have played for Ireland who will win the Women's World Cup...

Megan Campbell (Ireland and Manchester City left-back)

“I’m going to sit on the fence in terms of who I think is going to win the tournament because I’ve got a lot of teammates and friends playing, but I think England will perform well on the big stage. They’ve done well in the past year, and their profile will be increased because of Phil Neville as manager.

“I think USA and France will be other huge threats also. Another team to watch are Scotland. I think they’re quite similar to us (the Republic) in terms of their desire and their strength while Jamaica may upset a few teams as well.”

Stephanie Roche (Ireland striker and RTÉ pundit)

Stephanie Roche with Sinead McSweeney MD Twitter Ireland (left). Photo: Julien Behal Photography

“I think England could win it. They’ve got a good mix of youth and experience and they have the right set-up behind them. They came third in the last tournament and they’ve won the She Believes Cup, so maybe that’s given them a little taste of victory.

“Fran Kirby had a great World Cup the last time around. She was being called ‘the female Messi’ so it will be interesting to see if she can keep that up.

“I also think that Australia has a great squad. Sam Kerr is one of the best players in the world and the squad are quite strong all-around. It’s funny, I’ve probably seen more about Kerr on Instagram and social media than I have on TV so I’m really looking forward to seeing her playing live.

“I think the likes of Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan [for the USA] are players that will be very influential.”

Méabh De Búrca (Former Ireland and current Galway defender)

Laura Cusack and Méabh De Búrca. Photo: Donall Farmer

“Ireland aren’t in the World Cup but it’s a great opportunity for the women's game and, hopefully, by the end of the tournament, those world-class players will be household names.

“I played with and against – mainly against – a lot of the players. France are the team to beat. I played against their captain Amandine Henry and Eugénie Le Sommer and they’re brilliant players. They were in some of the toughest sides I played against.

“The USA as well are worth looking out for, Alex Morgan is just one of their stars and they’re stacked for talent. I’m going to say France for the tournament and Le Sommer as player of the tournament. My second choice would be the USA and Alex Morgan.”