Australia and New Zealand, the biggest Women’s World Cup in history

Australia and New Zealand will be in the emerging capitals of women’s soccer from July 20, when the biggest Women’s World Cup in history opens in both Oceanian nations, with the USA favorites to defend the title.

A total of 32 teams will meet in 10 venues across the two countries till August 20 in search of the World Championship, which also includes England, Germany, Spain and Colombia.

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This will be the first time that the top women’s soccer tournament will be held between the two countries, and all participating players will be awarded $30,000 in prizes. The premium rises to 270,000 for members of the winning combination.

The increase in prizes awarded by FIFA points to an effort to level the playing field in men’s and women’s soccer, one of the biggest struggles of women in the sport.

The tournament kicks off on July 20 with two matches for the host teams: New Zealand vs Norway in Auckland and Australia vs Ireland in Sydney.

In a month’s time, the world will be able to watch established players reach their last World Cups, such as Brazil’s Marta, 37, and American Megan Rapinoe, who will be 38 for the tournament.

Along with them, the promises of women’s football will debut, such as the talented Colombian Linda Caicedo, 18 years old and signed by Real Madrid.

The Ibero-American world will be represented by six national teams, among which Spain stands as a contender for the title.

However, the Spanish team was in crisis as 15 players withdrew from the national team due to strong disagreements with coach Jorge Vilda.

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Ultimately, three of these 15 players returned to the national team, apart from Alexia Butellas, the talented midfielder widely regarded as the best player in the world to return from a serious injury ahead of the 2022 European Championships.

Brazil and Colombia come with renewed squads looking to battle it out in their respective groups in their quest to progress to the following stages.

Argentina, Costa Rica and Panama appear with lower expectations.

The Panamanians are one of eight newcomers to a major women’s World Cup, along with Haiti, Ireland, the Philippines, Morocco, Portugal, Vietnam and Zambia.

Favorites

In the ninth edition of the tournament, the 1991, 1995, 2015 and 2019 Cups, the United States team set a record with four titles to its credit, an astonishing mark considering the women’s competition began in 1991.

The North Americans arrive in Australia and New Zealand hoping to extend that mark with their fifth crown.

USA has a team that combines veterans like attacking captain Alex Morgan and legendary Megan Rapinoe, along with fast and talented youngsters like Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson.

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“We want to keep fighting for what’s next, this is not a team that rests on its awards, it’s always about the next game, how we fight and how we continue to be the best team,” Rapinoe said recently.

Three European teams emerge with options to deny American supremacy.

England, with their surprise win at Euro 2022, advanced to the final under the guidance of Barcelona’s star midfielder Keira Walsh.

Germany, which won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups, comes into Euro 2022 with the core of a second-placed team, although without its stars Giulia Quinn and Linda Tallmann.

The third European favorite is Spain, which, in addition to Butellas, managed to reunite three of the 15 “rebels” who resigned from the squad, although they will come into the World Cup shattered.

Previous Women’s World Cup Winners:

1991: United States

1995: Norway

1999: United States

2003: Germany

2007: Germany

2011: Japan

2015: United States

2019: America

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