Continental queens aim to shine

   

Maintaining standards set during qualifying will be a key challenge for many of the sides in action on the second day of Canada 2014, as several continental heavyweights do battle. The matches will showcase four regional champions - France, Korea Republic, New Zealand and Nigeria - and with three runners-up also in the mix, high-quality football should be guaranteed. FIFA.com previews the action. 

Match of the day 

England-Korea Republic, Moncton, 6 August 2014, 17.00 (local time) 

Arguably the most difficult to predict of the day's four encounters, this game could go a long way towards determining the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup prospects of these European and Asian hopefuls. England are on a poor run at this tournament, having failed to win any of their last six matches, but arrive in Canada boosted by an impressive qualifying campaign that took them to the final of the UEFA European U-19 Women's Championship. Yet although Mo Marley's team have been expressing quiet confidence in their chances, they are guaranteed of a stern opening examination against a Korea Republic team that beat Australia, Japan and Korea DPR en route to becoming Asian champions.

The other matches 

Mexico face a difficult opener against a Nigeria side who dazzled during the preliminaries, scoring 31 times without reply to cement their traditional dominance of African women's football. The Falconets have plenty of experience at this tournament, having qualified for all seven editions and gone all the way to the final in 2010. But they will not be underestimating a side against whom they struggled badly in each of the last two U-20 Women's World Cups, with Mexico out to reach the quarter-finals for a third consecutive edition.

Montreal, meanwhile, will welcome a France side widely expected to mount a strong challenge for the trophy. Senior Bleues coach Philippe Bergeroo has spoken openly of this being an "outstanding generation" of players, and victories at the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and last year's European finals bear that out. Gilles Eyquem's side boast plenty of survivors from the U-17 team which conquered the world in Azerbaijan, and they will be confident of getting off to a winning start in against Costa Rica in French-speaking Quebec.

The same venue will later see Paraguay make their U-20 Women's World Cup debut. Newcomers they might be, but Las Albirrojas - finalists in South America - have made no secret of their ambitions, boldly targeting a place in the last four. Opponents New Zealand, meanwhile, are also out to make history. The Kiwis have crashed out at the group phase in every one of their four previous appearances at this tournament, but coach Aaron McFarland believes that a possession-based game-plan could be the key to ending that miserable run. 

Player to watch 

Even at the age of 19, Griedge M'Bock Bathy is a serial award-winner firmly established as one of the rising stars of women's football. In a game in which attacking players tend to hog the individual prizes, this classy centre-half not only earned the adidas Golden Ball at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, but has since gone on to be voted the French league's best young player two years in a row. It's little wonder coach Gilles Eyquem has spoken of his captain having "all the qualities required to have a great career".

The stat 

49 - Mexico have conceded more goals (49) and lost more matches (11) than any other team in the history of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

The words 

“I want to really take it to our opponents and show everyone on the world stage that New Zealand isn’t the New Zealand it once was, where we’d maybe scrape through with a draw or lose 5-0. We’re not that nation anymore.” 

Katie Bowen, New Zealand captain

Match schedule 

England-Korea Republic (Moncton Stadium, 17.00) 

France-Costa Rica (Montreal, Olympic Stadium, 17.00) 

New Zealand-Paraguay (Montreal, Olympic Stadium, 20.00) 

Mexico-Nigeria (Moncton Stadium, 20.00)