Canada vs China match at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Edmonton.

                                                                          Angel Sang

A celebration of talent, skill, and passion, this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup has been nothing short of spectacular.

Spain are crowned World Champions

An outstanding performance in the final against England’s Lionesses landed Spain their first-ever World Cup gold medal. 

The FIFA Golden Ball was awarded to star player Aitana Bonmati, a rightful recognition for her terrific contribution to Spain’s success. 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo also took the tournament by storm, winning her the trophy for FIFA Best Young Player. 

Despite the controversy surrounding Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales’ non-consensual kiss of player Jennifer Hermoso, the win is a historic achievement for Spain.

Sweden’s victory over the USA

The United States entered the tournament with four previous wins under their belts. The team ranked first in the World in 2022, and is home to some of football’s greatest talents. Inevitably, all eyes were on the US national team coming into the tournament. 

The USA were shockingly knocked out by high ranking opponent, Sweden. A goalless game resulted in a penalty shootout, with Arsenal and Sweden star Lina Hurtig scoring an unbelievable winning penalty. 

No previous winners reached the semi-finals

This tournament was full of surprises, and the knockout stages was certainly one of them. 

Germany failed to make it out of the group stages, with Morocco and Columbia snatching their place in the round of 16. Brazil suffered a devastating draw to crowd-funded team Jamaica, limiting their World Cup campaign to the group stages.

With the absence of historically top-performing teams, viewers were struck with the reminder that the quality of women’s football has certainly evolved. These unexpected turns of events created a sensational tournament, and none of the four teams who reached the semi-finals had previously won a World Cup trophy.

Katie McCabe’s corner goal for Ireland

The Republic of Ireland qualified for their first World Cup following a victory over Scotland. 

Although the Irish didn’t last long in the tournament, the team still got a point on the board following Arsenal’s Katie McCabe’s incredible corner kick goal.

McCabe’s strike broke records for the Republic of Ireland, being their first goal in a World Cup, and has also been nominated for goal of the tournament. 

Chloe Kelly’s record-breaking penalty

Manchester City and England star, Chloe Kelly, broke records with her powerful strike in a penalty shootout against Nigeria which sent England through to the semi-finals.

The kick reached a speed of 110.79km/h, the most powerful kick of the tournament and more powerful than any Premier League kick in the 22/23 season.

Kelly and her Lioness teammates consoled Colombia players after the devastating defeat, one of the many touching displays of sportsmanship throughout the tournament.

Co-hosts Australia triumph over France in penalty shootout

The goalless quarter-final resulted in a tense penalty shootout, consisting of a gruelling 20 penalties in total.

The home crowd went wild after Australia defeated France 7 – 6 and secured a place in the semis.  

The Matilda’s unfortunately later suffered defeat in the semi-final to tournament runners-up, England. They still made history, though, as fourth place is the best Australia has finished in a World Cup. 

Japan’s 4-0 win against Spain

An exceptional win for Japan was achieved with only 23 per cent of ball possession the entire match.

Although Spain later lifted the trophy, this remarkable result from Japan was thrilling to watch. 

The rise of African teams

Currently, no African teams have ever ranked in the top 10 of the FIFA World Rankings. These nations certainly showed the world that could soon be changing in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa all made it out of the very competitive group stages after some stellar performances. 

Nigeria beat co-hosts Australia with a spectacular 3-2 group stage match, also drawing with Canada and the Republic of Ireland, leading to the elimination of both nations. 

Reggae Girlz put the Caribbean on the women’s football map

Jamaica were the first Caribbean team to reach the round of 16 in a Women’s World Cup. 

The Reggae Girlz released a statement, prior to the tournament, outlining the lack of resources and support they received from the Jamaican Football Federation.

Despite the unjust circumstances, Jamaica excelled in the competition, keeping a clean sheet in the group stages. An achievement to be proud of for the Reggae Girlz!

With all the talent showcased this year, we can only expect more from women’s football in the years to come.

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Featured image courtesy of IQRemix via Flickr. No charges have been made to this image. Image licence can be found here.

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