When the Women's World Cup begins on June 6, a whole bunch of players are going to become household names in their countries.
We went through all 24 World Cup teams and picked out one player from each team who's going to be incredibly important to her country's chances.
CANADA: Christine Sinclair (Group A)
Age: 31
Position: Forward
Thing to know: As the undisputed star for the host nation, Sinclair will hope to lead Canada to its first-ever Women's World Cup title. She's Canada's all-time goal scorer with 153 goals.
CHINA: Ma Jun (Group A)
Age: 26
Position: Midfielder
Thing to know: After missing the World Cup for the first time in their nation's history four years ago, China is hoping for a strong showing this summer. With forward Yang Li injured, China will now rely on Ma Jun, who leads the remaining group heading to Canada in goals scored with 15, and is one of its most experienced players.
NEW ZEALAND: Abby Erceg (Group A)
Age: 25
Position: Defender
Thing to know: New Zealand has failed to advance past group play in all three of its prior World Cup appearances, but will look to captain and star defender Abbey Erceg to help anchor their defense and break the trend this time around. Erceg certainly possesses the experience to do so, recently becoming the first New Zealand soccer player — male or female — to reach 100 caps.
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