Women's World Cup 2015: Groups, Fixtures and Players to Watch in Canada

Canada is set to host the 2015 Women's World Cup, and Japan will be aiming to defend its title after defeating the United States in a penalty shootout to claim the tile of world champions in 2011. While that victory was exhilarating for the underdog Japanese, it left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Americans.

Missed opportunities, mental errors and some downright bad luck plagued the United States during the 2011 final, and Jill Ellis' squad will be looking for redemption. However, it won't be easy for the Americans (currently the world's No. 2-ranked squad), as they'll have to contend with powerhouse countries like Germany, France and an improved Canadian squad that will be enjoying home-field advantage.

This will be the first year the tournament increases its number of competitors to 24 countries—only 16 participated in the previous four Women's World Cups—and England forward Eniola Aluko told Alistair Magowan of BBC the quality of the Women's World Cup will be "on par with the men's tournament."

So, as we anxiously await the first stage of action to commence, let's take a look at the tournament's groups, fixtures and a handful of players to watch.

Groups and Fixtures

Group	Team 1	Team 2	Team 3	Team 4
A	Canada	China	New Zealand	Netherlands
B	Germany	Ivory Coast	Norway	Thailand
C	Japan	Switzerland	Cameroon	Equador
D	United States	Australia	Sweden	Nigeria
E	Brazil	Korea	Spain	Costa Rica
F	France	England	Colombia	Mexico

The full list of fixtures for the Women's World Cup can be viewed at FIFA.com.

Players to Watch

Marta, Brazil

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Arguably the best player to ever take the pitch for women's world football, Marta is an exciting Brazilian striker who has brilliant footwork and a goal-scorer's mentality—she could be considered the women's equivalent to Lionel Messi.

Marta will be extra motivated in this year's World Cup, as the 29-year-old aims to hoist the winner's trophy for the first time in her illustrious career. This will be her third World Cup with Brazil, and the closest she came to the title was a 2-0 defeat in the final at the hands (or feet) of Germany in 2007.

So, just how dangerous is Marta? Take a look at how she picked apart the United States for a hat trick to win 3-2 in the 2014 International Tournament of Brasilia:

Expect to see similar fireworks from the striker in Canada.

Vivianne Miedema, Netherlands

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At just 18 years of age, Vivianne Miedema may be the most explosive player in the 2015 Women's World Cup. The Dutch striker led all of Europe in qualifying with a total of 16 goals. She has been dubbed the female Arjen Robben, but she insists her playing style is far different.

During an interview with FIFA.com, she explained, "But Arjen plays very differently to me. It's really cool to be compared to him but, as a woman, it's a bit strange to always be compared to a man. I'm Vivianne Miedema and I don't play like men do."

Here's a look at what Miedema brings to the table via some highlights of Bundesliga action with her club Bayern Munich:

This goal-scoring machine will be a sight to see in the Women's World Cup.

Christine Sinclair, Canada

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Christine Sinclair will be looking to propel the host country to its first World Cup final. The closest the Canadians have ever come to the title was a fourth-place finish back in 2003. This year, Canada has the talent necessary to make a deep run.

No stranger to world football's biggest stage, this experienced 31-year-old striker will be participating in her fourth World Cup this year. In her three previous appearances, she played in a total of 12 matches, scoring seven goals in the process. She has also competed in two Olympic Games, playing an additional 10 matches and scoring another eight goals.

Take a look back at Sinclair's heroic efforts during a memorable contest against the United States in 2012:

She'll be looking for a shot at redemption in this year's tournament.

Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria

Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

Liverpool forward Asisat Oshoala became the first African player to participate in the Women's Super League and wasted no time making her presence felt, earning the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year award in 2015. According to an interview with Stuart Goodwin of the Guardian, she's using the honor as motivation for the World Cup:

"

I feel very happy and appreciated. It’s a very good thing for me and also motivation for the World Cup. It's a really good thing for us as a team because we know we have something great and now we want to go at the trophy.

I think there is going to be a lot of motivation for women's football in Nigeria now because of the award and because there are a lot of fans out there. Support for women’s football in Nigeria is now growing very high.

"

Here's a look at what the 20-year-old forward is capable of:

She'll need that kind of heroism to propel Nigeria through what is likely to be a very difficult group stage.

Alex Morgan, United States

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

How could we possibly leave Alex Morgan off this list? The 25-year-old forward brings an enormous level of firepower to the United States team. A prolific goal-scorer, she netted the first goal in the 2011 World Cup final against Japan and carried that momentum into 2012 when she scored a total of 28 goals and 21 assists through all competitions.

Morgan has been phenomenal for the United States national team, scoring 51 goals in 84 appearances; however, a knee injury has kept her out of action recently. Luckily for the Americans, she relayed some good news during an interview with Thomas Floyd of Sporting News:

"I've been doing a lot better, and I'm still day to day. Once June 8 comes, there's no question in my mind my knee won't be bothering me. I'm going to be 100 percent, and I'm looking forward to the World Cup and knowing that's not going to set me back at all."

The United States will need her services if it is to claim its third World Cup title. Here's a look at what she can do when healthy:

Once healthy, the duo of Morgan and veteran Abby Wambach will give the United States the kind of scoring ability that will propel the team deep into the tournament.