At the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the traditional elite has been reduced to size. That has been the standout theme as a tournament that has already set attendance and goal-scoring records reached the quarterfinal stage, and it has created great drama.
“It’s been incredible and a great testament to some of the work that is happening around the world,” FIFA’s head of women’s football, Sarai Bareman, told The Associated Press. “To see the results of this World Cup in 2023 brings so much meaning to the work that we do.
“It’s really special, not only for the players and the teams but for those of us who are working on the game day in and day out.”
FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, is attempting to accelerate the growth of the women’s game, and it appears to be having an effect.
Over the last two weeks, established nations have fallen one by one, with the defending champion United States following No. 2-ranked Germany, Brazil, and Olympic gold medalist Canada in departing early.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 has been full of surprises
The United States team’s round-of-16 penalty shootout loss to Sweden terminated its campaign for an unprecedented three-peat of World Cup titles.
Lina Hurtig’s penalty kick passed the line by a whisker, sending the pre-tournament favorites packing and raising worries about the future of US soccer.
Germany opened with a 6-0 thrashing of Morocco but was defeated by Colombia and held to a draw by South Korea in the group stage. Brazil began with a 4-0 victory over Panama before falling to France and drawing with Jamaica. Germany and Brazil were eliminated before the knockout rounds.
Morocco, a tournament newcomer, advanced, as did South Africa, Jamaica, and Colombia. Colombians are the only team from the Americas still in contention, facing England in the quarterfinals after edging Jamaica 1-0 in the round of 16.
“This World Cup 2023 has been amazing. As you can see, the gap is closing (between) the smaller teams and the bigger countries,” Jamaica’s Manchester City forward Bunny Shaw said. “Women’s football is growing. We’ve got to keep moving forward and keep pushing.”
What needs to be seen is whether the upsets are a fluke of this year’s Southern Hemisphere competition or a more permanent trend.
Goalkeeping standards
So far, goalkeepers have delivered exceptional performances, with the Americans continually frustrated by Sweden’s Zecira Musovic in the round of 16. The Chelsea goalkeeper made several saves and was named player of the match as the United States dominated but couldn’t break through in the game that ended 0-0 after extra time.
Daphne van Domselaar, the Netherlands’ goalkeeper, was named player of the match as the Dutch defeated South Africa 2-0 to move to the quarterfinals.
While South Africa’s goalie, Kaylin Swart, made a blunder that allowed Lineth Beerensteyn to score in that game, she also pulled off a string of saves to keep the Netherlands at bay.
Chiamaka Nnadozie, captain of Nigeria, made a key stop to deny Canada’s Christine Sinclair a spot in history in a scoreless opening tie, earning her Player of the Match honors.
“Of course, everything is not perfect, but I think we are going in the right direction,” said former Germany keeper Nadine Angerer, who is part of FIFA’s technical study group at the World Cup.
“What we’ve seen so far in general is that there are way better goalkeeping performances.”
According to Angerer, the group stage save percentage has increased from 70% in 2019 to 77%.
The tactical development of less-experienced teams has been a highlight
The tactical development of less-experienced teams has been a highlight.
Teams with fewer outright stars have had to lose control, but they have nonetheless been effective.
Jamaica advanced from a group that contained France and Brazil without losing a goal because of their tactical approach.
“Sometimes the decision when you go into a game is, ‘Do I want the ball or do I want the opponent to have the ball?’ Jill Ellis, who coached the U.S. to two World Cup titles, “But if I want my opponent to have the ball, I want them to have it because I want them to open up because my strengths are in the transition.”
While Japan and Spain have dominated possession, Colombia’s counter-attacking threat has been effective as well.
“You’re seeing the personalities or the strengths of nations come to the forefront,” Ellis said. “It’s not trying to take this style for this team; it is: ‘What is my team good at and how can I exploit that?’ I see that a lot more in this World Cup.”
FIFA is still cracking down on time-wasting
It was a staple of last year’s men’s World Cup in Qatar, and FIFA is still cracking down on time-wasting.
Long amounts of stoppage time have been used, with games lasting far longer than 90 minutes during regulation time.
While major domestic leagues did not continue the endeavor following Qatar, the Premier League is ready to do so this season.
Arsenal equalized in the 11th minute of stoppage time against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday before winning on penalties.
The tournament has grown to 32 teams from 24
The Women’s World Cup 2023 has drawn a large number of spectators.
Australia has twice played in front of crowds topping 75,000 in Sydney, with just the stadium’s capacity limiting them.
So far, 1,533,545 spectators have attended the first two rounds, breaking the previous record of 1,353,506 set when the World Cup was held in Canada in 2015.
Over 500,000 individuals have visited fan zones in host cities to watch sports on massive displays.
While the tournament has grown to 32 teams from 24, the fact that 14 games in the first two rounds drew crowds of more than 40,000 people attests to the event’s appeal.
“This World Cup has shifted from being a team-supported tournament to a globally-followed event,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “This is why we are witnessing the greatest Women’s World Cup ever — and a record-breaking one.”