- Obstacles and challenges faced by teams and players
- Wide-open competition with multiple teams having a legitimate chance to win
- Expectation of participants questioning the status quo and advocating for change
This will be the largest and most successful Women’s World Cup ever. There is no need to attribute the quotation because it has been uttered by nearly every Fifa official, coach, player, and analyst as the tournament clock has wound down and tournament fever has risen. Moreover, it is true.
This will be the largest Women’s World Cup in history, with the number of nations expanding from 24 to 32. Eight of the participating nations in Australia and New Zealand will make their World Cup debut. And, with Fifa targeting a global audience of two billion and one-half million attendees, it is also likely to be the largest in this regard. It is also somewhat inevitable that it will be the greatest, as a result of a rapidly evolving game in which each improvement leads to a superior product on the pitch.
However, accelerated growth is accompanied by uneven development. Scratch the surface of the hype surrounding the tournament, which begins on Thursday when co-hosts New Zealand and Australia face off against Norway and the Republic of Ireland, and there is still a significant amount of work to be done to ensure that players and teams can reach their full potential and put on the best show possible.
Leading Jamaican players, including superstar forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, sent an open letter to the Jamaican Football Federation conveying their dissatisfaction with the level of support for the team heading into its second World Cup.
Inadequate “planning, transportation, accommodations, training conditions, compensation, communication, nutrition, and access to appropriate resources” have been cited, and players have also reported missing friendly matches due to “extreme disorganization.”
In February, Canada’s players threatened a strike over pay equity issues and budget cuts, while Canada Soccer’s interim general secretary, Jason de Vos, stated last month that the federation was in a “real struggle” and contemplating bankruptcy protection.
In addition, twelve of the fifteen players who proclaimed themselves ineligible for selection for Spain last year due to the impact of the team environment on their health and emotional state continue to be excluded from the squad. Mapi León, Patri Guijarro, and Sandra Paos, Champions League champions for Barcelona, are not traveling to the World Cup.
Then there is the long list of injured players, many with anterior cruciate ligament injuries. There are no Golden Boot-winning forward Beth Mead, captain Leah Williamson, or Fran Kirby on England’s roster for Euro 2022. The reigning champions, the United States, are missing their captain, Becky Sauerbrunn, as well as their influential midfielder, Sam Mewis, and their forwards, Mallory Swanson, Christen Press, and Catarina Macario. Janine Beckie, a crucial forward for Canada, is absent. France are lacking Delphine Cascarino and Marie-Antoinette Katoto. Katie Rood will miss her native tournament in New Zealand.
ACL injuries are unavoidable, but more study is needed to understand their complex causes and reduce their risk.
In the lead-up to this year’s World Cup, issues regarding the release of players for national team duty highlighted deficiencies in Fifa’s match calendar and left players in ambiguity during tense negotiations. The Fifa-broadcaster disagreement over tournament rights also cast a shadow.
The list of obstacles facing teams and players is extensive and varied, and until these obstacles are removed, the World Cup will not be the thrilling sprint it is meant to be. Hopefully, this will occur in future competitions.
These hurdles make this conviction that this will be the greatest World Cup unique. Players continue to develop and capitalize on the advantages of growing professionalism. Fifa will pay participation fees directly to the athletes for the first time, rewarding them individually for their efforts. The winning team receives $270,000 (£217,000), while the group stage participants receive $30,000 (£24,000).
When the first ball is played in Auckland, neither the positive nor the negative build-up will be forgotten. Instead, the football will reflect the achieved progress and remaining obstacles. It ought to be intriguing.
Europe caught up to the United States, which had dominated the world stage, at the 2019 competition. Europeans comprised seven of the eight quarterfinalists, but there could only be one victor. This time, the trophy’s destination is less apparent. Many teams can deny the United States, a strong but transitioning team, a third consecutive championship.
England may lack superstars, but they have Sarina Wiegman, a world-class manager, and a strong bench.
Germany, the runners-up at Euro 2022, has the majority of their players healthy and a solid year behind them. Spain has performed admirably despite the absence of some of their most prominent players.
France finally has some stability with Hervé Renard as their new manager, while Sweden reached the semi-finals in 2019 and finished second at the Tokyo Olympics.
Australia is the underdog. The prospect of Sam Kerr performing on the international stage at home is spine-tingling. She is a star performer, but she also has an abundance of talent surrounding her. Australia might have a World Cup 1999 or Euro 2022 moment with the home crowd with Kerr leading the attack.
Expect participants to question the status quo as well. In 2019, Megan Rapinoe engaged in a duel with the then-president of the United States, Donald Trump, over LGBTQ+ rights, and the United States team led the charge for equal pay.
The previous year, players protested human rights violations and the dearth of women’s rights in the country, as well as the decision that prevented male players from wearing the “one love” armband in Qatar. At the European Championships, England’s athletes demanded that the government guarantee equal access to football in schools. Participants will use their global platform to push for change, not dodge critical concerns.
On and off the pitch, this World Cup should be memorable. Set your alarms. It will be impossible to overlook.
