“This is going to be the biggest and best ever Women’s World Cup.” There is no need to attribute the quote because it has come out of the mouth of almost every Fifa official, coach, player and pundit as the clock has ticked down and tournament fever has ramped up. What’s more: it is true.
This will very literally be the biggest Women’s World Cup in history with the competition expanded from 24 to 32 teams. Eight of the countries in Australia and New Zealand will be making their World Cup debuts. And, with Fifa targeting a global audience of two billion and one and a half million through the gates, it is likely to be the biggest in that respect too. That it will be the best is somewhat inevitable as well, the consequence of a rapidly developing game where each improvement naturally leads to a better product on the pitch.
However, with rapid growth comes uneven development. Scratch the surface of the hyperbole around the tournament, which kicks off on Thursday when co-hosts New Zealand and Australia take on Norway and the Republic of Ireland respectively, and there is still a long way to go to ensure that players and teams can reach their full potential and put on the best show possible.
The open letter sent by leading Jamaica players, including the superstar forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, to the Jamaican Football Federation expressing their disappointment at the level of support for the team going into its second World Cup is damning. Subpar “planning, transportation, accommodations, training conditions, compensation, communication, nutrition, and accessibility to proper resources” have all been highlighted, while the players also said that they had missed friendly matches because of “extreme disorganisation”.
Canada’s players threatened strike action in February over pay equity issues and budget cuts with the Canada Soccer interim general secretary, Jason de Vos, saying last month that the federation was in a “real struggle” and having to consider bankruptcy protection.
In addition, 12 of the 15 players who declared themselves unavailable for selection for Spain last year because of the impact of the team environment on their health and emotional state remain exiled from the squad. Barcelona’s Champions League winners Mapi León, Patri Guijarro and Sandra Paños are not travelling to the World Cup.
Then there is the long list of players unavailable for the tournament because of injury, with many having suffered anterior cruciate ligament injuries. For England, there is no Euro 2022 Golden Boot-winning forward Beth Mead, captain Leah Williamson or Fran Kirby. The reigning champions, the United States, are without their captain, Becky Sauerbrunn, influential midfielder Sam Mewis and forwards Mallory Swanson, Christen Press and Catarina Macario. Canada are without key forward Janine Beckie. France are missing Delphine Cascarino and Marie-Antoinette Katoto. New Zealand’s Katie Rood will miss her home tournament.
The list of names goes on and on and while ACL injuries are not preventable, there is consensus that more needs to be done to improve research around the multifaceted causes of the injury and find ways to reduce the risks associated with them.
In the run up to this World Cup issues over the release of players for national team duty highlighted inadequacies in Fifa’s match calendar and left players in limbo while fraught negotiations took place. The dispute between Fifa and broadcasters in Europe’s five biggest footballing markets over the value of rights for the tournament also cast a shadow.
The list of the hurdles in front of teams and players is lengthy and varied and until those hurdles are removed from the track, we won’t see the exciting sprint that the World Cup is supposed to be. Hopefully that will come in future tournaments.
That backdrop of struggles makes the sense this will be the best World Cup ever all the more extraordinary. Players continue to improve and make the most of the positive aspects of increasing professionalism. This time they will be rewarded individually for their efforts too, with Fifa paying participation fees directly to players for the first time. Those in the group stage will receive $30,000 (£24,000) and players on the winning team will walk away with $270,000 (£217,000) each.
When the first ball is kicked in Auckland none of the buildup, whether positive or negative, will be forgotten. Instead, the football will reflect the progress made and the obstacles remaining. It should be fascinating.
At the 2019 tournament, Europe began to close the gap on a US team that has dominated the international stage. Seven of the eight quarter-finalists were European but there was only ever going to be one winner. This time, the destination of the trophy is less obvious. A whole host of teams have a serious chance to deny the US, a team that are always potent but who are in transition, a third successive crown.
England may be without a number of stars, but they have one of the best managers in the world in Sarina Wiegman and capable backup players. The Euro 2022 runners-up, Germany, have most of their players fit and a strong year behind them. Spain have performed exceptionally, even without some of their biggest names in the mix.
France finally have some stability with their new manager, Hervé Renard, in post. Sweden reached the semi-finals in 2019 and were runners-up at the Olympics in Tokyo.
Australia are the dark horses. The prospect of watching Sam Kerr on the world stage on home soil is spine-tingling. She is a big-game player but she also has a host of talent around her. With a home crowd behind them and the never-say-die Kerr spearheading the attack, Australia could have their own World Cup 1999 or Euro 2022 moment.
Expect players to challenge the status quo too. In 2019 it was Megan Rapinoe duelling with then president of the United States, Donald Trump, championing LGBTQ+ rights and the US team leading the call for equal pay.
Last year, players challenged the decision that left their male counterparts unable to wear the “one love” armband in Qatar and spoke out against human rights abuses and lack of rights for women in the country. At the Euros, England players challenged the government to commit to equal access to football in schools. There will be no shying away from the big issues – players will maximise their opportunity to fight for change while in the global spotlight.
On and off the pitch, this should be a World Cup to remember. Set your alarms. It will be simply unmissable.
