Alabama's Merel van Dongen, Riley Tanner Prepare for World Cup

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will have two former players competing on the international stage this week as Merel van Dongen and Riley Tanner ready for the 2023 FIFA World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.

Both van Dongen and the Netherlands will make their third World Cup appearance as the former Alabama midfielder competed for her home country in both the 2015 and 2019 tournaments. Tanner will represent Panama in the country's World Cup debut when the team kicks off this week.

Group Stage Schedule (All Times Central)

Sunday, July 23 | Netherlands vs. Portugal – 2:30 a.m.
Monday, July 24 | Brazil vs. Panama – 6 a.m.
Wednesday, July 26 | United States vs. Netherlands – 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 29 | Panama vs. Jamacia – 7:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 1 | Vietnam vs. Netherlands – 2 a.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 2 | Panama vs. France – 5 a.m.

About Alabama and the World Cup

Van Dongen will make her third World Cup appearance, which includes helping the Netherlands reach the championship match in 2019
Tanner will help Panama make its international debut after the team advanced out of FIFA's inaugural Play-Off Tournament
Van Dongen and the Netherlands will compete in Group E against Portugal, Vietnam and the United States
Tanner and Panama will play in Group F alongside Brazil, France and Jamaica
Competition will begin on July 20 and will run through Aug 20
Van Dongen competed for Alabama as a midfielder from 2012-14
Tanner is a recent graduate and midfielder, who wore crimson and white for the 2021 and 2022 seasons

Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaSoccer on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaSoccer on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.

University of Alabama Athletics