And just like that, the curtain has come down on the biggest ever FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted in Australia and New Zealand.
After a month-long focus of exciting football, Spain (La Roja as they are affectionately known in the football circle), were crowned 2023 World Champions on Sunday 20 August with a 1-0 win against England to hoist their first ever World Cup title.
La Roja went into the encounter as the underdogs against the European champions in front of 75 784 fans at Stadium Australia.
The victory by the Spanish women has been celebrated by their male counterparts, who took home the men’s trophy when the global showpiece was hosted in South Africa in 2010, (first soccer world cup on African soil).
As a result, Spain is the fifth team to lift the World Cup since the tournament began in 1991, joining outgoing champions the United States, Germany, Norway, and Japan.
Head of FIFA Gianni Infantino has hailed the tournament as ‘transformational’.
This FIFA Women’s World Cup has been truly transformational, not only in Australia and New Zealand but all over the world,” said Infantino.
“In the host countries, we had almost two million spectators in the stadiums, full houses everywhere and two billion watching all over the world and not just watching their own country but watching the World Cup, because it’s an event [where] I don’t just watch my team. It’s a great sport, it’s entertaining and people love it.
As all eyes were on the quality on the field of play, another talking point was the coaches of the teams.
Heading into this year’s World Cup, England coach Sarina Wiegman was among just 12 women managers out of 32 coaches and by the time the tournament reached the quarterfinals, she was the only female manager still in contention.
Wiegman was on the verge of becoming the first England manager – men or women – to lift multiple major trophies. In 2017, she led her native Netherlands to Women’s Euros glory before guiding them to the World Cup final in 2019, where they lost to the United States.
Meanwhile
Africa’s run at the Women’s World Cup was also nothing short of extraordinary, at the end of the group stage South Africa, Nigeria and debutants Morocco reached the last 16.
Banyana Banyana made history after their 3-2 win over Italy in their final World Cup group stage game, where Thembi Kgatlana scored two minutes into stoppage, instilling hope in many South Africans.
It was the first time a team from South Africa made it beyond the group stage of a World Cup for both men and women’s teams.
In total there were 164 goals scored, the highest at any edition. (Although there were 12 more matches played than the previous one, as the tournament was expanded to 32 teams from 16).
And that’s a wrap of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
We now await the announcement on who will host the 2027 tournament.
South Africa is amongst the bidding contenders alongside Brazil and two multi-nation bids — by Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands and the United States with Mexico.
A decision is expected to be made next year by FIFA.
