The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off today, and is set to be a blockbuster tournament, with 4-time champions and defending champions, the USA, the favourites to take the title yet again. But the 8th edition of this tournament has a lot of strong contenders, which is sure to result in many close contests and epic matches, and entertaining football from the best female players on the planet.
In celebration of this year's tournament, we’ve put together an explainer about its history and how it works. Read below to find out:
History of the FIFA Women’s World Cup
While the men’s World Cup has been staged since 1930, the genesis of the women’s tournament dates back to July 1970, when the first tournament of that name was staged in Italy, with Denmark winning the title after defeating Mexico 3–0 in the final at the Azteca Stadium. From 1984, The “Mundialito” (Spanish for “little World Cup), which was a global invitational tournament for national teams in women’s association football, was held on four occasions in the northern region of Italy.
After numerous countries lifted bans on women's football in the 1970s, the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament in China was held with 12 teams, as a test to see if a global women's World Cup was feasible. The tournament was viewed as a success, with crowds averaging 20,000.
This resulted in FIFA approving the establishment in 1991 of the first official Women’s World Cup, which took place in China. With 12 teams taking part again, the USA won the initial tournament, defeating Norway in the final, 2–1, with Michelle Akers scoring two goals.
Subsequently, the profile of the tournament has grown in leaps and bounds, with its general profile and interest around the world increasing exponentially. American defender Brandi Chastain's victory celebration after scoring the Cup-winning penalty kick against China in 1999, in which she mimicked celebrations in the men’s game taking off her jersey and waving it over her head, is one of the most iconic moments in sport.
Current Tournament Format
The current format matches that of the men’s tournament, with 32 teams split into 8 groups in the round-robin phase, and 2 teams from each group progressing to the Round of 16. It’s a simple knockout format from there, with quarterfinals, semifinals, a 3rd pace play-off and a final.
2023 Tournament
The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is being held in two countries for the first time: Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August. This is the first year with 32 teams, increasing from 24 teams that participated at the last tournament, while this is the first tournament being held in the southern hemisphere. As four-time winners and winners of the last two tournaments, the USA will once again be the team to beat. However, there are several other strong contenders for the trophy that could take the crown of the US, including France, Germany, Brazil, Sweden and England.
Get Your Game On
With so many exciting matches to watch and bet on, you should be very busy for the next month. Go to www.gbets.coza and Get your game On!