The eighth edition of the Women’s World Cup kicks off on Friday and it’s set to be one of the closest fought in its history: at least four teams are in with a chance of taking the glory in France.

The USWNT will be aiming for their fourth title, but will the nation that has dominated the women’s game be able to overcome the threat from the hosts (who are aiming to help their nation become world champions for men and women simultaneously), a resilient German side or England’s Lionesses?

The 2019 edition of the Women’s World Cup is set to be the most competitive ever staged. There are 24 teams in total (12 fewer than the men’s edition.) The tournament is divided into six groups of four. The top two from each and the four best third-place sides advance to the knockout rounds.

It’s being held across nine venues in France, with the opening match on Friday between hosts France and South Korea, taking place at Paris St Germain’s Parc Dec Princes stadium.

The Final, on July 7th, is in Lyon, where Women’s Champions League holders Olympique Lyonnais play their bigger matches.

Unlike in 2015, all 52 matches will take place on real grass, and VAR will be in use too.

The bookmakers favorites are the defending champions the United States, who are seeking their fourth World Cup title.

They come into this tournament on a hot streak, with a 17-0 aggregate score from their last four warm-up matches. And they’ll be looking to put a disappointing outing at the 2016 Olympics behind them.

The USWNT are in Group F, where their biggest threat is Sweden, who eliminated them from the 2016 Olympics. Chile, meanwhile haven’t won a game in 2019 and Thailand are thought to be the weakest team in the competition.

The biggest threat to US World Cup glory is hosts France, the only team to beat the US in 2019 so far. The French don’t have a great tournament record, but they have home advantage, excellent form, and a team whose core is made up of the aforementioned Champions League-winning Lyon side.

Two-Time champions Germany are also among the contenders—and you can never ever rule out the Germans—and some feel that Phil Neville’s England can go deep too, with a talented roster and victory in the 2019 She Believes Cup.

If you’re looking for a dark horse to take the glory, think of Japan, or maybe the Netherlands.

As for players to watch: Alex Morgan is the favorite to be top scorer, and is in her third World Cup at the age of only 29. French vice captain Eugenie Le Sommer scored three times at the last World Cup… but she may be outscored by 22-year-old teammate Valerie Gauvin, who has scored four times in France’s last five matches.

Also look out for legendary Brazilian Marta, who is the all-time World Cup top scorer and likely in her last tournament. And Jamaica’s Khadija Shaw was top scorer in qualifying with 19 goals, although the Reggae Girlz aren’t expected to go deep in the tournament.

You can watch all the action in the US on Fox—22 matches will be on the main broadcast Fox channel, with the rest split across FS1 and FS2.

The US play Thailand on June 11th, Chile on June 16th, and Sweden on June 20th.

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