The first combined men's and women's freestyle World Cup kicks off Saturday in Coralville, Iowa, and the two-day event will feature a big collection of global stars and a new wrinkle to the event. In addition to the top five teams from September's World Championships, the All-World Team will also be one of the main attractions this weekend in Iowa. On the women's side, the All-World squad consists of wrestlers from nine countries and features seven World medalists. 

Here's a look at the women's freestyle field and some of the top potential matchups for the United States: 

USA 

Roster 

50 kg — Alyssa LAMPE 

50 kg — Erin GOLSTON 

53 kg — Felicity TAYLOR 

53 kg — Ronna GROSS 

55 kg — Jacarra WINCHESTER 

55 kg — Jenna BURKERT 

57 kg — Alexandra HEDRICK 

57 kg — Amanda MARTINEZ 

59 kg — Lexie BASHAM 

59 kg — Michaela BECK 

62 kg — Kayla MIRACLE 

62 kg — Jennifer ROGERS 

65 kg — Mallory VELTE 

68 kg — Sienna RAMIREZ 

68 kg — Solin PIEARCY 

72 kg — Amit ELOR 

72 kg — Skylar GROTE 

76 kg — Dymond GUILFORD 

76 kg — Yelena MAKOYED 

Though some key names are missing from the American roster, Team USA will still be putting out a strong assortment of seasoned veterans and up-and-coming talents. Reigning World champions Dom Parrish and Tamyra Mensah-Stock as well as Helen Maroulis and Sarah Hildebrandt are all, unfortunately, missing from the entry list. In their absence, this team will be led by Amit Elor, who won U20, U23 and Senior Worlds this year, as well as two-time World medalist Kayla Miracle. Elor has been one of the most exciting women to watch in wrestling this year and will be a heavy favorite against everyone else in the field in Coralville. Miracle’s weight class is quite deep and she’s scheduled to have some competitive matches. 

The USA also features a pair of strong athletes at 55 kg in 2019 World champion Jacarra Winchester and 2021 World bronze medalist Jenna Burkert. While it’s unclear how these two will split matches, it’s encouraging to see that the USA has two solid options in one of the deepest weight classes in Coralville. And 76 kg also has two talented athletes with U23 World Finalist Dymond Guilford as well as Yelena Makoyed, who won three international tournaments this summer and notched victories over four past World medalists. University of Iowa standout Felicity Taylor will be competing in her home state at 53 kilos; she’ll share the weight with last year’s Olympic Trials finalist Ronna Gross. This lineup will feature some of the USA’s top stars while also giving some of the talented backups time to test themselves against international competition.

Ukraine 

Roster 

50 kg — Oksana LIVACH 

53 kg — Lilija MALANCHUK 

55 kg — Oleksandra KHOMENETS 

57 kg — Alina HRUSHYNAAKOBIIA 

59 kg — Yuliia TKACH OSTAPCHUK 

62 kg — Iryna KOLIADENKO 

65 kg — Tetiana SOVA RIZHKO 

68 kg — Alla BELINSKA 

72 kg — Anastasiya ALPYEYEVA 

76 kg — Anastasiia OSNIACH SHUSTOVA 

With half of its roster still being U23-eligible, Ukraine is bringing one of the youngest teams to Coralville. Despite their youth, the Ukrainians still have a formidable squad: their lineup includes five past World medalists and a host of age-level stars. 2014 World champion Yuliia Tkach Ostapchuk is their most experienced athlete, owning four World medals along with three European titles and a pair of Olympic appearances. She’ll be joined by Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Iryna Koliadenko, whose sole appearance since the Olympics was a Matteo Pellicone gold medal in June. Her return to competition will be highly anticipated in this deep weight class. 

Much of the excitement around this team lies in their up-and-coming youth. Nineteen-year-old superstar Oleksandra Khomenets picked up her second World medal this year, upgrading her 2021 bronze to a finals appearance. Alongside her is 2021 U23 World champion Alina Hrushyna, who made the Senior podium for the first time this year at 57 kg. Also keep an eye on 2018 World bronze medalist Oksana Livach; though she hasn’t quite been able to recapture the same magic of her previous medal run, she’s still very skilled. 

Best Potential Ukraine vs. USA Matches 

50 kg: Oksana Livach vs Erin Golston/Alyssa Lampe 

55 kg: Oleksandra Khomenets vs Jenna Burkert/Jacarra Winchester 

62 kg: Iryna Koliadenko vs Kayla Miracle 

Mongolia 

Roster 

50 kg — Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV 

50 kg — Namuuntsetseg TSOGT OCHIR 

53 kg — Bolortuya BAT OCHIR 

53 kg — Khulan BATKHUYAG 

55 kg — Otgonjargal GANBAATAR 

55 kg — Sumiya ERDENCHIMEG 

57 kg — Davaachimeg ERKHEMBAYAR 

57 kg — Erdenesuvd BAT ERDENE 

59 kg — Khongorzul BOLDSAIKHAN 

59 kg — Bolortuya KHURELKHUU 

62 kg — Tserenchimed SUKHEE 

62 kg — Bolortungalag ZORIGT 

65 kg — Purevsuren ULIZIISAIKHAN 

65 kg — Shoovdor BAATARJAV 

68 kg — Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN 

68 kg — Urtnasan GAN OCHIR 

72 kg — Davaanasan ENK AMAR

72 kg — Sarnai BAYARBAATAR 

76 kg — Ariunjargal GANBAT 

76 kg — Zagardulam NAIGALSUREN 

Though it may not have the same high-profile stars as some of the other nations in Coralville, Mongolia did not play around with its World Cup team. While many countries were missing a couple key players from their lineup, Mongolia didn’t leave a single star at home, bringing two women for each weight class. And the Mongolians have depth: at 53 kilos, they sport both Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Bolortuya Bat-Ochir alongside this year’s World Finalist Khulan Batkhuyag. They have a pair of Olympians at 59 kilos in Khongorzul Boldsaikhan and Bolortuya Khurelkhuu, as well as two-time World medalist Otgonjargal Dolgarjav and 2020 Olympian Namuuntsetseg Tsogt-Ochir at 50 kilos. All in all, this lineup includes seven World medalists across six weight classes, including 2014 World Champion Tserenchimed Sukhee at 62 kg. 

A couple points of interest will be seeing how three-time World medalist Shoovdor Baatarjav performs up two weight classes, going from her usual 59 kg to 65 kg. As well, wrestling fans should keep an eye on Otgonjargal Dolgarjav, who had a win over Sarah Hildebrandt in the World semis this year; though Sarah won’t be present in Coralville, there are lots of other talented 50-kg athletes that should be able to provide Dolgarjav with some challenging matches. Other talented athletes to watch are Tserenchimed Sukhee, who had a solid 2022 season despite a disappointing World Championship, and Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan, who picked up a win over Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Blessing Oborodudu in a deep 68-kg bracket at Worlds. 

Best Potential Mongolia vs. USA Matches 

50 kg: Otgonjargal Dolgarjav vs Alyssa Lampe/Erin Golston 

55 kg: Sumiya Erdenechimeg vs Jenna Burkert/Jacarra Winchester 

62 kg: Tserenchimed Sukhee vs Kayla Miracle/Jennifer Rogers Page 

65 kg: Shoovdor Baatarjav vs Mallory Velte 

68 kg: Delgermaa Enkhsaikhan vs Solin Piearcy/Sienna Ramirez 

China 

Roster 

50 kg — Meng FAN 

50 kg - Jiang ZHU 

53 kg — Li DENG 

55 kg — Qianyu PANG 

57 kg — Yongxin FENG 

59 kg — Zhang QI 

62 kg — Xinyuan SUN 

62 kg — Xiaojuan LUO 

65 kg — Jia LONG 

68 kg — Feng ZHOU 

68 kg — Yue Han 

72 kg — Qiandegenchagan 

76 kg — Juan Wang 

COVID has left China absent from the international stage for much of the past three years, but it was back in a big way in Belgrade, placing a respectable third with three medal-winners. This lineup here has some new names, but still contains five past World medalists. Most notably, Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Qianyu Pang will be making her return for the first time since the Olympics, though she’ll be up a weight at 55 kilos. She’ll be joined by returning World medalists Xiaojuan Luo, who placed third at 62 kg, and Jia Long, who took silver at 65 kg. These three women will all face Americans in must-watch matches in the first dual of the event. 

Other World medalists present in this event are two-time bronze Feng Zhou at 68 kilos, who defeated Tamyra at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone, and 2017 World bronze medalist Yue Han. China’s upperweight women are always formidable; though relatively uncredentialed, Qiadegenchagan at 72 kg and Juan Wang at 76 kg have both amassed some impressive wins over their careers and could earn some big wins for their team in this dual meet format.

Best Potential China vs. USA Matches 

55 kg: Qianyu Pang vs Jenna Burkert/Jacarra Winchester 

62 kg: Xiaojuan Luo vs Kayla Miracle 

65 kg: Jia Long vs Mallory Velte 

68 kg: Feng Zhou vs Sienna Ramirez/Solin Piearcy 

76 kg: Juan Wang vs Dymond Guilford/Yelena Makoyed 

Japan 

Roster 

50 kg — Hanano SAKRAI 

53 kg — Rino KATAOKA 

55 kg — Moe KIYOOKA 

57 kg — Ruka NATAMI 

59 kg — Himeka TOKUHARA 

62 kg — Yui SAKANO 

65 kg — Miyu IMAI 

68 kg — Kumi KOBAYASHI 

68 kg — Yuka FUJIKURA 

76 kg — Nodoka YAMAMOTO 

Reigning World champion Japan had five World champs and nine medalists in Belgrade, yet not one of them will be in attendance at this event. Japan’s prestigious Emperor’s Cup tournament will be taking place next weekend, and as the tournament has significant implications for their 2024 Olympic team selections, all of the big stars opted to skip the event in favor of their domestic pursuits. 

Nevertheless, some highly-credentialed age-level athletes make up the Japanese squad. At 55 kilos, Moe Kiyooka won both the U20 and U23 Worlds this year; expect her to be fully ready to compete with the best at this weight. Other World champions in this lineup include Hanano Sakurai (2017 & 2019 U17), Ruka Natami (2019 U17 & 2022 U20), Himeka Tokuhara (2022 U23), Yui Sakano (2017 U23), and Miyu Imai (2018 U20). Even without their big stars, this Japanese lineup will be more than competitive with the other teams in their pool, and some of their backups will have big opportunities to make a name for themselves in Coralville. 

Best Potential Japan vs. USA Matches 

55 kg: Moe Kiyooka vs Jenna Burkert/Jacarra Winchester 

57 kg: Ruka Natami vs Alexandra Hedrick/Amanda Martinez 

62 kg: Yui Sakano vs Kayla Miracle/Jennifer Rogers Page 

76 kg: Nodoka Yamamoto vs Dymond Guilford/Yelena Makoyed 

All-World 

Roster 

50 kg — Anna LUKASIAK (POL) 

53 kg — Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) 

55 kg — Karla GODINEZ (CAN) 

57 kg — Anhelina LYSAK (POL) 

59 kg — Anastasia NICHITA (MDA) 

62 kg — Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) 

65 kg — Koumba LARROQUE (FRA) 

68 kg — Irina RINGACI (MDA) 

72 kg — Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) 

76 kg — Yasemin ADAR (TUR)

This is the inaugural year of an All-World team competing at the World Cup and the squad showing up to Coralville is very formidable. They’ll be led by reigning World  champions Anastasia Nichita of Moldova and Yasemin Adar of Turkey, both of whom will be comfortable favorites in all their matches. Other previous World champions in this lineup are 2021 65-kg World champion Irina Ringaci, who earned bronze at 68 kilos this year, and two-time champ Aisuluu Tynybekova. Tynybekova is coming off of a somewhat disappointing season this year which saw her take multiple losses and fail to medal at the World Championships. She’ll likely face Kayla Miracle in the All-World vs USA dual on Saturday. 

Another prime matchup wrestling fans should look forward to is Canada’s Karla Godinez vs Jacarra Winchester. Godinez beat Winchester at Pan-Ams this year in an exciting match before winning her first World medal in Belgrade. Other stars on this team are U23 World Champions Anhelina Lysak and Koumba Larroque, who is also a three-time World medalist, as well as multiple-time World medalists Maria Prevolaraki and Zhamila Bakbergenova. All in all, this All-World team is not short of talent and will likely be favoured in most of the duals they’re entered in. 

Best Potential All-World vs. USA Matches 

55 kg: Karla Godinez vs Jacarra Winchester/Jenna Burkert 

62 kg: Aisuluu Tynybekova vs Kayla Miracle 

65 kg: Koumba Larroque vs Mallory Velte 

72 kg: Zhamila Bakbergenova vs Amit Elor 

76 kg: Yasemin Adar vs Yelena Makoyed