Underdog against tournament favorite: Jamaica with striker Khadija Shaw (l.) was able to keep up well against France.
Foto: imago/Action Plus
For Lorne Donaldson, the matter is pretty clear. The fact that his players from Jamaica are playing in a final round again, as they did at the 2019 World Cup in France, is a blessing for the »Reggae Girlz«. And for football. In fact, the happiness transported to Australia from the Caribbean is contagious. After the zero number against co-favourites France, there is now an outsider duel against Panama on Saturday at 2.30 p.m. The teams meet in Perth, on the west coast, while Jamaica flies from its base camp all over the continent. After that, against Brazil in Melbourne on Wednesday, it could actually be about whether a possible round of 16 opponent of the DFB selection is also called Jamaica.
“My players are developing,” stresses Donaldson, “because some have had the chance to play in the top divisions.” Almost half of his squad is under contract in the USA or England, top striker Khadija Shaw, for example, at Manchester City. The gap is closing for the national coach. “Small countries have understood: We don’t have the resources like the big nations, but we do more with the coaches and staff.” Small adjustments with a big effect.
In general, France coach Hervé Renard believes that football is “getting closer and closer together”. The man should know: he coached Saudi Arabia to a sensation against Argentina at the men’s World Cup in Qatar and thus encouraged Lionel Messi to attend the coronation mass. As is well known, that tournament offered endless excitement in the group phase. The German national team suffered from the drama on the last day of the game. But for the Women’s World Cup, a repeat is not necessarily in sight.
The record of the World Cup newcomers Ireland, Portugal, Zambia, Morocco, Vietnam, Panama, Haiti and the Philippines was sobering on the first day: zero points, zero goals. Ireland and Zambia are already eliminated. After all, the Filipino soccer players gave the party crasher for New Zealand (1:0); National coach Alen Stajcic immediately spoke of the greatest success for the country in a team sport.
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“That’s another step that some nations have taken this year,” said Joti Chatzialexiou, sporting director of national teams at the German Football Association (DFB). His thesis: “Regardless of whether it’s in men’s or women’s football, there are no longer any greats.” In his first interim conclusion from the Wyong Race Club press tent, the 47-year-old contradicted himself a bit: Because in his opinion, the top nations are »Excellent in cognition, in game speed. When I see how Japan played, how the Spaniards played, the USA: At some point, other opponents await us in the tournament.” Brazil is a secret favorite for him, according to the DFB expert: “They are now very far away from a dependency on Marta. Brazil will definitely have a say in the World Cup as well.”
Basically, Chatzialexiou thinks the increase from 24 to 32 teams at this World Cup is the right thing to do: “The games were always very close and at a very good level,” he said. It can be seen “that smaller nations have also become more athletic, that they have improved a lot”. But the debutants are mostly well organized on the defensive, but often overwhelmed on the offensive. Some seem happy not to have to own the ball.
So top teams like Japan and Spain have the round of 16 ticket in their pockets early on. Zambia and Costa Rica were overwhelmed in this group. Then Silvia Neid, who is responsible for trend scouting, would also be right, who had viewed the expansion with skepticism: “In my opinion, that’s a bit too early, but we already said that when the team was increased from 16 to 24.” It’s like so often a question of perspective: promote development through a World Cup experience – or rather wait?
Fifa President Gianni Infantino has proclaimed the “best and biggest World Cup of all time” for women as well as for men. The impresario said he was a “happy man” because there are “hundreds of thousands of happy men, women, girls and boys” who come to the games – and “millions upon millions watching from home”. In fact, the targeted 1.5 million tickets have been sold, and an average of 28,721 spectators came to the first 16 games, around 50 percent more than at the 2019 World Cup in France. And the well-attended knockout games are yet to come in Australia and New Zealand.
But when it’s so one-sided, as in the German lesson against Morocco, the elementary ingredients for good entertainment for the audience are missing. In the North African country, women footballers have only recently been granted much better opportunities. A lack of support is still the cardinal problem in many African countries. During the friendly game against Germany, it came out that Zambia’s internationals actually only deserve a tip. Some go home with the equivalent of 50 euros, get 5 or 10 euros for a win. “The money is not enough to feed the family.” It would be all the more important that the basic World Cup bonus of 30,000 US dollars intended by Fifa reaches every player in such countries. But not even Fifa can guarantee that, as Infantino admitted at the opening press conference in Auckland.
First of all, the world association’s prize money ends up in the accounts of the national associations, which are then supposed to pass it on. Would such conditions change if the 2027 Women’s World Cup went to South Africa? Many in Europe may find the joint application of the associations Germany, Netherlands and Belgium great, but it is reported that some Fifa officials are more inclined to vote for the African continent at the congress in May 2024. The vote would certainly be justified by promoting the development of women’s football globally.
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