For the last two weeks, 32 women’s soccer (football) teams have been playing in stadiums across Australia and New Zealand as part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Along the way, there have been some amazing matches, along with several surprises. Now there are only eight teams left.
This is the ninth Women’s World Cup. The contest began in 1991 and is held every four years. For the first time ever, the contest is being hosted by more than one country. The matches are being held in five cities in Australia and four in New Zealand.
It’s also the first time that the World Cup has been held in the southern half of the world. The first match was held in New Zealand, with the home team beating Norway 1-0. The final match will be held at Stadium Australia in Melbourne on August 20.
(Source: United States Embassy Australia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)
In another change, this year, for the first time ever, 32 teams were invited to compete. In the past, the contest was limited to 24 teams. For eight countries, this was the first time they’d ever made it into the World Cup.*
Some people criticized the move, saying the new teams were too weak. But several teams that were included for the first time performed very well – even beating teams that were expected to do much better. The Philippines surprised New Zealand with a 1-0 defeat. Morocco beat both South Korea and Colombia. Morocco is the only one of the new teams to make it into the final 16 teams in the contest. Some experts say the results show that the quality of women’s soccer is going up around the world.
Several teams that have often done well in the World Cup didn’t make it that far. Brazil was knocked out after losing to France and tying with Jamaica. The loss marked the end of the career of Brazilian star Marta Vieira da Silva. It was the sixth time Marta had appeared at the World Cup. The 17 goals she scored during World Cup matches is still a record – for both women and men.
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Brazil was knocked out after losing to France and tying with Jamaica. The loss marked the end of the career of Brazilian star Marta Vieira da Silva. It was the sixth time Marta had appeared at the World Cup. Marta, in blue, is seen above during Brazil’s game with Jamaica.
Another big surprise was Germany’s quick exit from the contest. Germany has won the World Cup twice, and was ranked third in the world. It won its first match against Morocco easily. But then it lost to Colombia and tied with South Korea, which meant it never made it out of the contest’s early stage.
Over the last few days there have been even more surprises.
The United States team, which won the last two World Cups, struggled in its early matches. On Sunday, the team was defeated by Sweden 5-4 on penalty kicks, after tying 0-0.
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The United States team, which won the last two World Cups, struggled in its early matches. On Sunday, the team was defeated by Sweden 5-4 on penalty kicks, after tying 0-0. Above, US player Lindsay Horan has the ball, but is challenged by Sweden’s Fridolina Rolfo.
There are now only eight teams left: Australia, Colombia, England, France, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden
The four quarter-final matches will be held on August 11 and 12. The two semi-final matches will be held on August 15 and 16, and the final match of the Women’s World Cup will be held on August 20.
* The teams playing in the World Cup for the first time were: Haiti, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Vietnam, and Zambia.
Did You Know…?
The rewards for women’s soccer have improved. This year’s Women’s World Cup offered $110 million in prizes compared to the $30 million offered in the 2019 Women’s World Cup. But the pay is still tiny compared to what men are paid. Last year’s Men’s World Cup offered $440 million in prizes. The men’s winning team earned 10 times as much as the winners of the Women’s World Cup will earn. And even the very worst men’s team earned twice as much.
Update: Spain defeated England 1-0 in the final match to become the winner of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.