World Cup 2023 showcases progress but also challenges for women’s football

There had been fears that the biggest-ever Women’s World Cup -- 32 teams, up from 24 four years ago -- would dilute the spectacle in Australia and New Zealand.

Published : Aug 19, 2023 12:46 IST , Sydney - 5 MINS READ

Australian players celebrate as Eve Perisset of France misses her team’s fifth penalty in the penalty.
Australian players celebrate as Eve Perisset of France misses her team’s fifth penalty in the penalty. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
infoIcon

Australian players celebrate as Eve Perisset of France misses her team’s fifth penalty in the penalty. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Sunday’s World Cup final between England and Spain is the final act of a month of drama that highlighted how far women’s football has come -- and the challenges that lie ahead.

There had been fears that the biggest-ever Women’s World Cup -- 32 teams, up from 24 four years ago -- would dilute the spectacle in Australia and New Zealand.

Lopsided scorelines were a feature of the previous eight World Cups and critics said debutants such as Haiti, the Philippines and Morocco would be on a hiding to nothing.

But the opposite proved to be true and the tournament will be best remembered for the large number of shocks and the end of the United States’ long reign as world champions.

ALSO READ | Australia pledges $128 mln for women’s sport to cement World Cup legacy

Among the surprises, Germany was beaten 2-1 by Colombia on the way to a group-stage exit. Italy, Brazil and Olympic champions Canada also went out at the first hurdle.

The Philippines, New Zealand, Zambia, Portugal, Jamaica, South Africa and Morocco all won a World Cup game for the first time.

The United States was chasing an unprecedented third title in a row but it very quickly became apparent that it was not the force of old and that the rest had caught up.

Kelley O’Hara, Alyssa Thompson, Megan Rapinoe, and Alyssa Naeher of the USA are dejected after their team was eliminated in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Kelley O’Hara, Alyssa Thompson, Megan Rapinoe, and Alyssa Naeher of the USA are dejected after their team was eliminated in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
lightbox-info

Kelley O’Hara, Alyssa Thompson, Megan Rapinoe, and Alyssa Naeher of the USA are dejected after their team was eliminated in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Its exit in the last 16 on penalties to Sweden was its worst World Cup ever and coach Vlatko Andonovski quit this week.

There was no fairytale ending for Megan Rapinoe, who retires from football at the end of the season.

“It has been an amazing World Cup with 32 teams and lots of teams who have improved,” Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson said following his team’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in the semifinals.

ALSO READ | FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: England’s road to WWC final

“Everywhere around the world there will be a lot more interest in women’s football.”

Gerhardsson said that Sweden’s last-gasp 2-1 victory over South Africa in the group stage had been a taste of things to come.

England players celebrate during the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
England players celebrate during the FIFA Women’s World Cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
lightbox-info

England players celebrate during the FIFA Women’s World Cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

“Physically, many (teams) have caught up. With better training, they can last 90 minutes and then there is the technical ability and the speed,” he said.

‘Real legacy’ 

Co-hosts New Zealand and Australia will regard the World Cup as a success on and off the pitch.

Even before the last-16 stage concluded, nearly 1.4 million people had been through the turnstiles, making it the best-attended Women’s World Cup.

New Zealand won its first World Cup match ever -- at the 16th attempt -- with a 1-0 victory over former champions Norway in front of more than 42,000 at Eden Park in Auckland.

That was a record crowd for a football match, men’s or women’s, in the country.

Not all of the matches in New Zealand were nearly so well attended.

Just under 7,000 watched Japan beat Costa Rica 2-0 in Dunedin on a chilly Wednesday early evening and it remains to be seen if interest holds in rugby-mad New Zealand.

ALSO RAD | FIFA Women’s World Cup may be ‘coming home’ to Lionesses, but don’t count out the adamant Spanish

In Australia, matches regularly drew bumper crowds and the country fell in love with the Matildas, the team’s exploits making front-and back-page news.

The best World Cup run in its history met an end in the semifinals with a 3-1 defeat to England in front of over 75,000 in Sydney.

The match smashed all television records in Australia -- 11.5 million people tuned in at some point out of a population of 25 million.

“Legacy is often a word that is bandied around, it can be a platitude when major events are involved,” Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said.

“But we think we have demonstrated concretely that there is a real legacy around this tournament, of course in Australia and New Zealand, but also around the world.”

Financial disparity

While standards have improved on the pitch and interest is at an all-time high, there remains a huge financial disparity between men’s and women’s football.

Prize money for this Women’s World Cup was a record $110 million, but still far short of the $440 million on offer to teams at last year’s men’s finals in Qatar.

Fireworks explode during the opening ceremony prior to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Fireworks explode during the opening ceremony prior to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
lightbox-info

Fireworks explode during the opening ceremony prior to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

In the build-up to the tournament, FIFA president Gianni Infantino threatened a television blackout in five major European nations which was only resolved at the 11th hour.

Infantino accused broadcasters of only offering between $1 million and $10 million to show the World Cup, compared to the $100-200 million they pay for the men’s version.

ALSO READ | FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: Spain’s road to WWC Final

Several nations were in open dispute before and during the World Cup with their federations over pay and conditions, including England, who put aside a row over bonuses to reach the final.

FIFA says it is committed to equality, but Infantino came under fire on Friday when he said that women should “pick the right fights” to “convince us men what we have to do”.

Norway’s striker Ada Hegerberg responded on X, formerly known as Twitter, by writing: “Working on a little presentation to convince men. Who’s in?”

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment