The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off on the 20th of July!

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

It is the skill, strategy, and teamwork that creates an exciting atmosphere, and the unpredictability of the game that keeps fans on the edge of their seats. The sport has the power to evoke strong emotions. Whether it’s the joy of scoring a goal, the disappointment of missing an opportunity, or the tension during a close match, soccer creates a range of intense feelings that fans find captivating.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and has a massive fan base. The sense of belonging to a larger community and the ability to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds is a significant source of enjoyment for soccer fans. Soccer has a rich history and tradition that spans decades, and many fans have grown up with the sport and feel a connection to the teams, players, and moments that have shaped its legacy.

Yes, soccer fans. It is about that time! The world is anticipating the FIFA World Cup kicks off on the 20^th of July!

32 nations will compete in the Women’s World Cup for the first time. Born as a 12-team tournament in 1991, it expanded to include 16 countries when the USA hosted it in 1999, and 24 when Canada hosted it in 2015. Following the group stage draw which took place in October 2022, the full fixture schedule for the tournament is now in place, with New Zealand v Norway as the opening game on July 20^th, 2023, and the final game taking place on August 20^th, 2023.

All 32 teams who will take part in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ have now been confirmed following the conclusion of the Play-off tournament. Portugal, Haiti and Panama will now join the likes of England, Spain and Germany in Australia and New Zealand, when the two co-hosts face-off against the Republic of Ireland and Norway, respectively. The USA travel to the tournament as record and reigning champions and are looking to become the first-ever nation to win three consecutive FIFA World Cup titles in either the women’s or men’s game.

Ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Action Network has collected all of the potential records that could be broken at this year’s World Cup.

Marta (Brazil) could extend her record for the most individual goals scored, Hege Riise (Norway) could become the first person to win as a coach in Women’s World Cup after winning player of the year, Casey Phair (South Korea) will most likely become the youngest player to ever play, while Vanina Correa (Argentina) will become the oldest goalkeeper.

There are a few individual records that were noted that we thought our readers would be interested in knowing about;

• Marta (Brazil) and Christine Sinclair (Canada) could extend their record as the players (male or female!) who scored in the most World Cup tournaments (both had scored in 5 tournaments)
• Christine Sinclair (Canada) will extend her record as the captain playing the most World Cup tournaments (5 including 2023)
• Onome Ebi (Nigeria) or Christine Sinclair (Canada) could extend their record as the player with the most matches lost in Women’s World Cup (10 matches lost) – they are currently tied for this record alongside Florence Omagbemi (Nigeria), who is not playing this year
• If any player scores 11 times, they would break the record currently held by Michelle Akers (USA) for the most goals during one tournament who scored 10 times during the 1991 Women’s World Cup
• If any player scores 6 times, they would break the record for the most goals scored during one match currently held by Michelle Akers (USA) and Alex Morgan (USA) who both scored 5 goals – Akers in 1991 against Taipei and Morgan against Thailand in 2019
• Any of the older players could break Formiga’s record for the oldest goal scorer (37)

Now, let’s take a look at some of the team records:

• USA team could extend their record (4 wins) as the country with the most wins at the World Cup (they won in 1991, 1999, 2015 & 2019)
• USA could join Germany as the only defending champion to not get past the quarterfinals
• USA could extend their record for most consecutive wins (12 wins since 2015 match against Nigeria) and most consecutive matches without a loss (17 wins/draws since 2011’s match against Brazil) in the World Cup
• After playing 8 times, Nigeria could make it to the top 4 for the first time
• Nigeria could extend their record for the total number of losses (19) as well as the most goals conceded (63)

If any of the following teams place second, it would mark the first time ever that a country places second in Women’s World Cup for a second time – USA, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Brazil, China, Netherlands. At the moment, USA and Germany are tied for being the top-scoring teams in the most World Cups (3 times each, USA – 1991, 2011, 2019 & Germany – 2003, 2007, 2015) – either of them could break the tie and become the sole holder of the record.

There are eight teams debuting at this year’s Women’s World Cup (Philippines, Vietnam, Morocco, Zambia, Panama, Haiti, Portugal, Republic of Ireland) – any of those could join the USA as the only team to win during their debuting year (bearing in mind that the first time that USA won was the inaugural year of the tournament). Any of the following countries (that had already debuted in the past) could win their first match ever: Argentina, Costa Rica, Jamaica, South Africa, New Zealand.

This year’s world cup could become the most attended women’s sporting event ever, judging from the ticket sales, which would surpass the record currently held by Women’s World Cup 2019: France attended by 1.131 million people.

Soccer fans get ready! Another World Cup is just around the corner!