West Ham United Women will have six players at this summer’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup! The tournament, which is being held across Australia and New Zealand, is now just two days away from beginning.
Ahead of the action getting underway, we will spotlight every Hammer who will be in action throughout the competition. Next up is Risa Shimizu...
Shimizu has been a mainstay for Japan since earning her first senior cap for the national team in 2017. She heads to the World Cup with 63 caps to her name.
The 27-year-old defender is set to play in her second World Cup, having featured for Nadeshiko in 2019, where Japan reach the Round of 16.
At international level, Shimizu has helped her country to two EAFF Women's Football Championship titles in 2019 and 2022, as well as AFC Women's Asian Cup and the Asian Games, both in 2018.
Recently, Shimizu played the full 90 minutes for her country in their warm-up friendly against Panama on Thursday 14 July, where she lined up at right wing-back and scored the games opening goal!
Shimizu arrived in east London in late August of 2022 from Tokyo Verdy Beleza - her hometown Club and where she had spent the previous nine seasons.
Despite 2022/23 being her first season in Europe, Shimizu settled to life in England and indeed the pace and skill of the Barclays Women's Super League. She helped the Hammers to make a strong start to the campaign.
Across the season, the industrious defender featured in 28 of the 29 competitive matches and helped to keep nine clean sheets across all competitions.
Indeed, Shimizu played in all 22 WSL matches last season, and played a total of 1898 minutes in total, putting her just behind Viviane Asseyi in total minutes for West Ham United.
Japan have been drawn in Group C and will play all of their group stage fixtures in New Zealand. First, they will face off against Zambia at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton in their opening fixture of the tournament on Saturday 22 July.
They will then face Costa Rica at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Wednesday 26 July, before rounding off the group stage action with a tough clash with Spain at Wellington Regional Stadium on Monday 31 July.
Matches will be available to watch in the UK across the BBC and ITV.
For all the latest news on Hammers in action at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, stay up to date with whufc.com!
