On the 20th of August, 2023, Spain won their first Women’s World Cup. They were the 8th cup holder and marked their place as one of the five teams to ever win the Cup. Back in Spain, viewing parties in the afternoon erupted into cheers. In Madrid, a screen was set up and around 7,000 people bought tickets just to watch the final. The response after the final whistle was exhilarating. However, the glitter and the celebration couldn’t hide the many controversies that came along with the World Cup.

Spain:
Spain is known for its soccer. The most dominant club soccer teams in the world have a home in Madrid and Barcelona. Spain also won the Men’s World Cup in 2010, and Barcelona F.C women’s team (which is made up of mostly Spanish players) won the UEFA Champions League this year. The Women’s National Team has only ever made it to the Round-of-16 in the Women’s World Cup, but four years can make a lot of growth, so Spain was one of the teams expected to get far.

Just like how Spain is known for soccer, the Spanish national team itself is not unfamiliar with controversy. The men’s team has players that have been deemed ‘separatists’ (due to Barcelona F.C’s Spanish players supporting the separation of Catalonia from Spain). Additionally, a year before the Women’s World Cup, fifteen players dropped out from the team and sent an email where they wrote about “the lack of professionalism that…had an ‘important effect on my emotional state and by extension my health’. However, a few returned back to the team in order to play in the tournament, most notably, Aitana Bonmati who eventually won the UEFA Player of the Year Award. Considering these factors, it is surprising how a team that can’t get along with their manager could win a World Cup. However, they did, but the controversies didn’t end there.

During the trophy ceremony, spectators all over the world were skeptical when Luis Rubiales seemed to forcibly kiss Jenni Hermoso on the lips. Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Royal Football Federation, made a public statement defending his actions. However, Hermoso shot back immediately after it became evident that the Spanish Football Federation would not defend her. In a statement that she posted on social media, she said that she, “[wanted] to make it clear that at no time… was [Rubiales’] kiss ever consensual.” What made it even worse was that in her statement, she revealed that she “[has] been under continuous pressure to make a statement that could justify Mr. Luis Rubiales’ actions.” The pressure has also reached her family, teammates, etc…, and she made a reference to the fifteen players who had left the team a year earlier.

A while after this, the Spanish Football Federation continued to justify Rubiales’ actions. It wasn’t until FIFA gave him a 90-day suspension from soccer matches that Rubiales stepped down. Furthermore, the Federation took it into its own hands to sack Jorge Vilda, the manager who had been responsible for the tension in the locker room. Many of Vilda’s staff members resigned while the affair was going on. As for Hermoso, she was included out of the lineup because the new head coach of the Spanish women’s national team “[believes] it’s the best way to protect her”. Hermoso responded with a question: “Protect me from what,” prompting tension to continue forward and make people wonder what would be expected of the Spanish Women’s National team at the next World Cup.

England:

The runner-ups of the tournament were set to win it all. They are ranked fourth on FIFA’s world rankings, and only topped by Sweden, Germany, and the United States. With the top two teams out of the tournament, and Sweden just being knocked out by Spain (who was ranked at sixth place below France), many thought that the Lionesses’ would finally take the trophy home. However, what has to be taken into account is a list of crucial players on the English side who are out due to injury. Most notably Beth Mead (ACL injury), captain Leah Williamson (also ACL injury), and England’s number 10, Fran Kirby (knee injury). And while the English side was still fairly strong, the controversy did not end there.

                                         Courtesy of Yahoo Sports

In the Round-of-16, after the English player Lauren James and Michelle Alozie on the Nigerian side collided, James could be seen getting up and walking on Alozie’s back. At first, only a yellow card was given, but after being consulted by VAR (a technology that helps ref the game), the ref upgraded the card to a red. Along with this, was a two-game ban on James, taking her out of the quarter-finals, and eventually the semi-finals as well. This sparked anger from fans all over the world. However, it was settled in a more civilized manner when according to CNN, “to share her respect for James despite the incident”. Furthermore, James issued an apology statement in response to Alozie: “All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened.”

Early Exits

Something not so controversial, but talked about a lot is the most surprising losses of this tournament had to have been those of Germany and the United States. They were the top two nations at the World Cup with the United States at first and Germany ranked second.

Germany, who was the favorite to win the World Cup, looked to be in a comfortable position after beating Morocco 6-0. However, horror struck after they were beaten by Colombia 0-1. This was one of the most surprising losses of the tournament since Germany had just made it to the Women’s Euros final in 2022. But more heartbreak struck for the German fans as they were finally knocked out of the tournament by South Korea after sustaining a tie with the Korean side. This dropped the Germans’ second-place ranking all the way to sixth place.

Similarly, the United States was always dominant in the tournament. Out of the eight times that the tournament has been played, the United States has won it four times. Additionally, they have always been in one of the top 3 spots by the end of the tournament. This made it devastating for the U.S. when they suffered an exit in the Round-of-16 to Sweden, the 3rd place holders. Still, it can’t be denied that the players of the United States did not have the star power of the same team that had won in 2015 or 2019. While Alex Morgan is still in her prime, many others, such as Meghan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz are no longer the same as they were in 2019.

Courtesy of the New York Times

In short, it is clear that it is a transition era for the United States Women’s Soccer Team, but there is definitely a lot to look forward to. As for the Women’s World Cup, no one can deny its growth from its start in 1991, to where it is now in 2023. Furthermore, the tournament is the most-watched women’s sport in the world. Therefore, as the Women’s World Cup grows, so do other women’s sports across the globe.