The 2023 Women’s World Cup, which ran from July 20th to August 20th, was one for the history books. As early as the countries qualifying for the tournament all the way to the thrilling final, every match played felt like history in the making. Here at Graded, students and faculty showed more excitement and interest in the Women’s World Cup than on previous occasions.
Eight teams qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever. Haiti’s Women’s National Team qualified for the first time, 49 years after the Men’s National Team’s single appearance. Not only did Morocco’s Women’s National Team qualify for the first time, but they did so alongside the Men’s National team! Panama finally qualified for the World Cup after their narrow miss back in 2019. The Philippines Women’s National Team was the first team in their country to qualify for a FIFA tournament. Portugal deservingly qualified after a long hard-working journey since their new coach was appointed back in 2014. After falling short of qualifying three consecutive times, the Republic of Ireland finally made it! Finally, both Vietnam and Zambia secured their World Cup debut.
The shocking events didn’t end there! The group stages showcased both remarkable and unbelievable experiences. New Zealand, the co-host for the tournament, won their first-ever World Cup game against Norway, a strong contender. Other countries, like Germany, Canada, and Brazil, which many thought were going far, crashed out early from the competition. The shock and disbelief of Brazil going home so early was felt throughout Graded. But despite the unfortunate disqualification, many still felt proud of the team. Nicole Jensen, a senior here at Graded and captain of the Girl’s Varsity Team, said, “I was a little surprised with the early elimination, but very proud of the team,” and although she, “expected them to make it to at least the quarter-finals,” she is still “so proud of this team for the talent they showed” and “for inspiring so many young girls”.
One of the biggest upsets of all came when Sweden, who showed to be a dark horse in the competition, knocked out the US during the round of 16 giving them their worst-ever finish in a World Cup. Sweden later went on to give yet another shocker of the competition when knocking out Japan (previous World Cup winners and finalists) during the quarter-finals. Alongside Sweden, Australia, the co-host, reached their first-ever semi-finals in a World Cup. Mrs. Cope, our Associate Principal from Australia, shared how she felt about The Matildas (nickname for the Australian Team), despite them getting knocked out in the semi-finals, saying, “I feel extremely proud… I think it’s terrific the way they played,”. During her interview Mrs. Coep shared how she “loved” watching them play and “the skill they showed ”.
History continued to unfold as the two first-time ever finalists, Spain and England, fought to be crowned World Cup champions on a clear Sunday night, on August 20th, 2023, in Stadium Australia. After being knocked out of the group stage in 2015 and getting knocked out of the round of 16 in 2019, Spain ultimately made their way to the final. Just like Spain, 2023 was the year England finally managed to advance, after their previous failed attempts. Our very own English biology teacher, Mrs. Hughes, expressed her feelings about the English team, “I feel very proud that England made it to the World Cup final. This World Cup has been the best World Cup for me, personally,” and she feels, “they are leading by example of what can be achieved and that anything is possible”. In the end, England fell short as Spain came out winning with a 1-0 score in a thrilling match, winning their first-ever Women’s World Cup.
Perhaps one of the most important factors in this unforgettable World Cup is the loud and clear message that Women’s Soccer is growing and is just as important as Men’s soccer. According to reuters.com, statistics show World Cup TV viewers skyrocketed to almost “2 billion views”, surpassing the “1.12 billion” views previously set in 2019. Just as impressive, according to sportingnews.com, the “1.97 million” attendees smashed the previous 2015 record of “1.35 million”.
All over the world, and even here at Graded, the Women’s World Cup influence was felt. Mrs. Hughes expressed that “Other people seem to have taken a greater interest, too, as I have found that there have been more people to discuss the women’s World Cup with than has been the case in previous years, ” and she feels, “times are changing in women’s football. This World Cup has given [her] so much hope for the future.” Nicole Jensen also feels “more people are starting to watch and there are more investments in the game.” He then shared an experience where she “heard two little boys talking about [the final]” a couple of days before it, “it showed that things are getting better.” Senior Sydney Choy expressed that, “On my PGC retreat we all watched the final … which I think brought us together as we were able to convince people who would not usually watch women’s soccer to participate in watching”.
From incredible individual countries making their nations proud to the exceptional growth shown in Women’s soccer and thrilling matches in between, this year’s World Cup is unforgettable. To say the least, the 2023 Women’s World Cup is one for the history books. If you are feeling inspired after reading how much the World Cup changed the game for Women’s soccer, you can support our Varsity Girls’ Soccer team who are currently playing the Sao Paulo High School League, by supporting and watching them play. Their next home game is October 18 against EAC.
Sources:
https://www.si.com/soccer/2023/08/06/uswnt-sweden-results-loss-reaction-penalty-kicks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_at_the_FIFA_Women%27s_World_Cup
