Betina Petit-Frere of Haiti controls the ball against Alessia Russo of England during the teams’ opening match at the Women’s World Cup in Brisbane, Australia on July 22, 2023. Haiti is one of eight newcomers to the tournament this year.
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Betina Petit-Frere of Haiti controls the ball against Alessia Russo of England during the teams’ opening match at the Women’s World Cup in Brisbane, Australia on July 22, 2023. Haiti is one of eight newcomers to the tournament this year.
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Not long after FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced Women’s World Cup 2023 would expand from 24 teams to 32, the murmurs began.
Would the addition of another eight countries lead to a lower quality of play?
The WWC is the premier women’s soccer tournament and is held every four years. It began in 1991 with 12 countries. Starting with the 1999 tournament, FIFA allowed 16 teams to participate – a number it kept in place for the next four tournaments. It increased that to 24 countries at the 2015 WWC and bumped it up to 32 at this year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
When Infantino announced this latest increase in 2019, he celebrated what it would mean for football globally. “From now on, dozens more member associations will organize their women’s soccer program knowing that they have a realistic chance to qualify,” Infantino said.
At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, eight countries will make their debuts: the Philippines, Ireland, Zambia, Haiti, Vietnam, Portugal, Panama and Morocco. Six have already played matches. But no one has won. In fact, the newcomers have not scored a single goal.
So were the naysayers right? Not exactly.
Louise Quinn (#4) of Ireland and Alanna Kennedy (#14) of Australia battle for the ball during the 2023 Women’s World Cup on July 20, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. It is Ireland’s first appearance at a WWC.
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Louise Quinn (#4) of Ireland and Alanna Kennedy (#14) of Australia battle for the ball during the 2023 Women’s World Cup on July 20, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. It is Ireland’s first appearance at a WWC.
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Saturday ranked Haiti number 53 in the world, took on England in fourth place, the reigning European champions. On paper, England should win and win easily. But it wasn’t that easy. Haiti frustrated the Lionesses throughout the game, stymieing their infamous attack – and creating many scoring chances of their own.
As the game progressed, Fox Sports commentator John Strong noted Haiti’s gritty play. “The charge is that you want to let teams into the World Cup that don’t belong here. Has Haiti shown that they belong [here]?” he asked his co-commentator Kyndra of St. Louis Aubin.
She replied that “100%” Haiti belongs in the tournament. “It’s about the ability, the skill level on the ball. You can see some of the composure with some of the touches, the cleanliness, the movement. I think you’ll see a whole lot of things from Haiti that they’re going to be incredibly proud of their performance here,” said de St. Aubin. England won 1-0.
Ramona Bachmann of Switzerland (white) challenges Hali Long of the Philippines (blue) for the ball during the Women’s World Cup match in Dunedin, New Zealand on July 21, 2023.
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Ramona Bachmann of Switzerland (white) challenges Hali Long of the Philippines (blue) for the ball during the Women’s World Cup match in Dunedin, New Zealand on July 21, 2023.
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Other newcomers have also had close contests at this Women’s World Cup so far. Ireland lost to Australia 1-0. The Netherlands beat Portugal 1-0. Switzerland defeated the Philippines 2-0 and Vietnam allowed just three goals to two-time defending champion and top-ranked USA. In its opener at the 2019 WWC, the USA throttled Thailand 13-0.
At the 2019 tournament, four countries made their debuts: Chile, Jamaica, South Africa and Scotland. None of them advanced from the group stage. But that experience likely helped two bounce back this year: South Africa and Jamaica. South Africa lost all three of their matches four years ago. But return as African champions.
In 2015, two countries debuted: Switzerland and Spain. And both of them are competing this year. Spain is now ranked sixth in the world ranking.
As the women’s game continues to grow, FIFA president Infantino says football’s governing body has a responsibility to introduce the sport to more audiences both globally and locally.
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the most powerful trigger for the professionalization of the women’s game, but it only comes once every four years and is only the tip of a much larger pyramid,” Infantino said.
Don’t be surprised if future competitions in the Women’s World Cup will have even more teams.
Vietnam midfielder Thi Tuyet Dung Nguyen (#7) battles for the ball with USA forward Trinity Rodman (#20) during the 2023 Women’s World Cup on July 22, 2023. The USA defeated newcomers Vietnam 3-0.
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Vietnam midfielder Thi Tuyet Dung Nguyen (#7) battles for the ball with USA forward Trinity Rodman (#20) during the 2023 Women’s World Cup on July 22, 2023. The USA defeated newcomers Vietnam 3-0.
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