FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 review: Is this the best ever?
In partnership with Media City Qatar. The sun has set on what has been an extraordinary women's World Cup down under.
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00:00 The dust is settling after a gripping month of football down under.
00:03 Spain are world champions for the first time.
00:06 But this tournament was about more than just who lifted the trophy.
00:09 So will this Women's World Cup go down as one of the best of all time?
00:13 Hello there and welcome to Football Now from Sydney.
00:20 The FIFA Women's World Cup is over and what a tournament it has been.
00:24 Who could have predicted when that first ball was kicked in Auckland six weeks ago
00:27 that we would have had so many dramatic, so many surprising and so many record-breaking moments?
00:32 Australia and New Zealand have been the perfect co-hosts for a tournament that really has had it all.
00:37 Starting with a spectacular opening ceremony in Auckland,
00:41 co-hosts New Zealand and Australia got proceedings on the pitch underway
00:45 with 1-0 victories on the first day.
00:47 Finalists Spain and England got off to winning starts too,
00:50 whilst it was the beginning of the end for USA and Brazilian legends
00:53 Megan Rapinoe and Marta who played at their last ever World Cups.
00:58 Neither had a fairy tale ending though, Brazil failing to make it out of the group stage,
01:02 whilst Rapinoe missed a key penalty in the shootout that knocked former holders the USA out at the round of 16.
01:09 There were though more positive stories surrounding the African sides,
01:12 who surpassed many people's expectations.
01:14 Inspiring wins for Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco were coupled with moments of cultural significance,
01:20 as Nuhulai Benzina became the first ever player to wear a hijab at the Women's World Cup.
01:25 The knockout stages brought more drama.
01:28 Australia's quarter-final against France will live long in the memory
01:31 for finishing with the longest penalty shootout ever seen at a World Cup,
01:35 the Matildas eventually coming out on top.
01:37 Their journey finally came to an end though,
01:39 after they were overcome by European champions England in the semi-finals.
01:43 A final against Spain followed,
01:45 while Morocco's high press and possession game proved too much for the Lionesses in Sydney.
01:50 Olga Carmona's strike going down in history as the 1-0 win
01:53 saw Spain crowned Women's World Cup champions for the first time ever.
01:57 So Spain lift sports ultimate prize,
01:59 a remarkable achievement given the fact that 15 of their players were on strike only 11 months ago,
02:05 following a dispute with the manager Jorge Vilda.
02:07 Not only that, this was only Morocco's third ever FIFA Women's World Cup.
02:11 They'd never qualified for one before 2015,
02:13 but the likes of Jenny Hermoso, Alexia Pateas and Aitana Bonmati
02:17 have helped propel this squad to new levels.
02:19 So what does this win mean for the country?
02:21 We are the champions!
02:24 We are the champions!
02:25 It's a moment of a lifetime.
02:27 This is not just for Spain, it's for all women's soccer, women's empowerment.
02:31 And they did really well, they played their hearts out and they truly do deserve it.
02:36 It's something amazing because not only is it a recognition for the whole country,
02:40 but also for all the Spanish women.
02:42 So it's just great to have the chance to come to the stadium, it's just absolutely amazing.
02:47 It means the world, man. I didn't have tickets until this morning
02:51 and everything just happened the way it should be.
02:53 I'm so happy I could take my daughter to such a beautiful event.
02:58 The best team won and it's the best women that won this game.
03:01 Of course, FIFA World Cups aren't just about the winners,
03:08 it's about the stars of the future, the underdogs and of course the supporters.
03:12 It has been an absolute privilege to be here in Australia during the competition
03:16 and I was lucky enough to attend Sunday's final as well.
03:18 So I thought I'd give you a bit of an insight into just what it's like
03:21 to be a member of the media out here in Australia.
03:24 Right, it is the morning of the final, a glorious day here as you can probably tell.
03:28 We've heard that there's a FIFA event taking place
03:30 where the president might be having a game of football.
03:32 So we're going to go and have a look and see if we can find him for a quick chat.
03:35 I'm extremely happy, extremely proud.
03:40 This 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup has simply been the greatest,
03:45 the best FIFA Women's World Cup ever.
03:49 Great atmosphere, full stadiums in the streets, everywhere.
03:52 The people are joyful, happy.
03:54 Australia and New Zealand have been really fantastic, fantastic.
03:58 Many, many records were broken, surprises, results that we couldn't expect.
04:04 Eight newcomers, a new world champion.
04:08 I mean, what do you want more?
04:10 So, interview with the FIFA president in the can.
04:13 It's around three hours until kickoff, so time to get going and head to the stadium.
04:17 Right, then we've taken our seats, a beautiful view.
04:22 All we need now is some football.
04:24 So a tight, intense final comes to an end.
04:34 The Spanish fans will be celebrating long into the night.
04:37 For me, I'm going to be filing a report for Euronews
04:39 and then I'll be heading into the press conference to hear from the manager, Jorge Vilda.
04:43 And that will conclude a busy day here at the FIFA 2023 Women's World Cup final.
04:49 Now, we couldn't finish this week's show without a proper mention for the hosts.
04:52 New Zealand more than played their part,
04:54 and Australia gave us some incredible moments on and off the pitch.
04:57 Cities like this one here in Sydney have been full of Matilda's shirts and flags.
05:01 We caught up with former soccer ruse and Premier League star Craig Foster,
05:05 who told us just what it means for the country.
05:07 The tournament has made a massive social contribution to Australia.
05:14 So there's legacy on a whole range of levels.
05:17 You've got women's sport, so not just women's football,
05:20 but all of women's sport in Australia now is entitled to say to their governing bodies,
05:25 "OK, where's the investment?"
05:27 Because everyone now knows that if you invest in the game, that's what's going to happen.
05:32 The football legacy is also immense.
05:35 For the first time ever, all of Australia is saying, "We love this.
05:40 We love this feeling. It's brought us together. We've won everything else."
05:44 Now it's time for us to take on the world at its own game.
05:48 And once again, I mean, that is a massive legacy.
05:51 Yeah, brilliant stuff indeed.
05:53 That brings us to the end of this week's show.
05:54 Do let us know your thoughts at home using the hashtag #FootballNowWWCChampions.
05:58 Myself and the rest of the team are heading back to Doha,
06:01 where we'll see you at the same time next week. Bye for now.
06:03 (FOOTBALL NOW WWC CHAMPIONS)
06:05 (upbeat music)
06:08 (upbeat music)