The Women’s World Cup 2023 is finally here, bringing glamour, spectacle, delight, and a can-do-it spirit to women globally
Unleashing the Powerhouse: How Women’s Football Will Dominate the World Cup 2023 with Explosive Energy and Unmatched Passion!
The rise of women’s football to the global stage has not been easy. This is due to the male heritage that sports, particularly football, carries. As a result, it was historically odd to see women show interest in football, let alone play it. However, women have long shown interest in the sport more than a century ago. Records show that the British Ladies Football Club existed as early as 1895 in North London.
However, the major shift and clamor for women’s football began during World War 1 when most men had signed up to fight in the war. The female workers at an ammunition factory in England spent lunchtime playing against their male counterparts and were so good at it that they formed the Dick Kerr Ladies F.C.
Unfortunately, the joy was short lived as the Football Association banned member clubs from permitting females to play soccer at their fields, citing reasons such as the sport being unsuitable for feminine health and body frame. This ban meant women could no longer access standard pitches, referees, and equipment. This ban was in place until 1971, when the Women’s Football Association was formed.
This came after women activists and brands organized a mock female-only world cup shortly after the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Mexico in 1970. The tournament featured eight teams and was received with aplomb. The pressure for recognition, gender equality, and rolling back of misogynistic rules against women’s football continued until FIFA launched the Women’s World Cup in 1991.
As the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup begins, we consider the exciting matchups, milestones, and constantly increasing popularity of women’s soccer teams and players worldwide.
Women’s Football World Cup 2023: Venue, Teams to Watch Out For, and Rivalries
The World Cup 2023 is set to hold from the 20th of July to August 20, 2023. The FIFA Women’s world cup 2023 groups feature 32 teams, an increase from 2019’s 24, and is hosted by Australia and New Zealand. This is the first inter-confederation tournament – meaning countries in different confederations will host the competition, as Australia plays in the Asian Confederation and New Zealand in Oceania. The fixture was announced on October 24, 2022, two days after the FIFA Women’s world cup 2023 draw date, and the arrangement will see New Zealand battle Norway in the opening game at Auckland, while the final will be played in Sydney, Australia.
Exciting games and stats to watch out for include:
- All eyes will be on the United States as they look to defend their crown, having won the last two tournaments in 2015 and 2019.
- Another team for fans to watch out for is England, who showed the world their doggedness in winning last year’s Euro Championship by defeating Germany.
- The Netherlands will also be in the mix to do better than their previous outing at the world cup finals, which saw them lose out to the USA in the France 2019 final.
- Japan will aim to improve its performance in this year’s tourney. The Asian giant last won the tournament in 2011 and lost 5-2 to the USA in the 2015 final. The rivalry between both teams will continue alongside the Brazilian and German teams. Brazil and Germany played each other in the 2007 final, with Germany lifting the trophy in a 2-0 victory.
- On the goalscoring front, all eyes will be on Tessa Wullaert to see if she can replicate the form that saw her score seventeen times in the qualifiers. This will be an exciting market for bettors, particularly sharp punters looking to benefit from Special offers from Mightytips PH for an enhanced world cup experience. With Tessa Wullaert’s impressive track record, betting on her to continue her scoring spree could be a tempting option.
Prize Pool And the Demand for Equal Pay in Women’s Football
The 2023 women football world cup is also remarkable, coming off the back of the over eighty thousand spectators’ attendance at the Euro Championships final match between England and Germany. The attention paid to women’s football has not gone unnoticed, with FIFA increasing this year’s prize pool to $110 million, an increase of $80 million from the 2019 tournament.
According to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, “The global salary of women’s professional footballers is approximately USD 14,000 annually, so the amounts allocated under this unprecedented new distribution model will have a real and meaningful impact on the lives and careers of these players. Beyond this, all member associations will also receive a record financial distribution based on their performance, which they can use to reinvest back into football in their countries, which we believe will help propel the women’s game even further.”
This prize pool increase is not unconnected with the demand for female soccer players to be paid and treated equally to their male counterparts. The equal pay protest had several high-profile players on the bandwagon, led by the USWNT star Megan Rapinoe. While female footballers still don’t receive the same salaries as male players, much progress has been made regarding the recognition and remuneration of female footballers worldwide.
Female soccer players can look back with pride on their achievements so far. Despite the regulatory and social prejudices against female participation in sports, the game has advanced dramatically in recent years. Now we have young girls aspiring to become footballers and a generation of women who can’t be called weird, odd, or shamed for having dreams of being a soccer star. Brands are also investing to ensure an inclusive sporting world for all.
These partnerships go beyond the soccer field, extending to games such as FIFA 23, which has a women’s world cup tournament, in addition to featuring Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, making her the first woman to feature on a video game cover. The shift from discrimination to reception is also making waves on the national team level, with the US becoming the first country to approve equal pay for its male and female national team players.