FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: What legacy does this tournament leave?
In partnership with Media City Qatar. Spain were crowned world champions for the first time in Sydney.
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00:00 It was a tournament that transformed women's football on the continent.
00:04 Australia and New Zealand 2023 was a World Cup to remember.
00:08 So on this week's show we're taking a look at the legacy of the competition.
00:12 Hello there and welcome to Football Now.
00:17 Now the Women's World Cup party may be over but we're in Sydney to see how Australia is getting on
00:21 just a few months after hosting football's biggest competition.
00:24 On the pitch it was a tournament to remember for the Matildas
00:27 who not only captured the hearts of their nation but they captured the hearts of the watching world too.
00:31 Off the pitch all sorts of ticketing and viewership records were broken too.
00:35 It's safe to say the sport has really made its mark on the people down under.
00:39 I can't express how proud I am of what we've managed to achieve with this tournament.
00:48 It's something incredible and I think we all had high expectations as football fans of what it could bring here
00:54 but I think it's just exceeded it.
00:55 I feel like the Matildas have come a really far way.
00:58 From the start there was only a couple of fans and now there's just 17 million people that are here supporting them.
01:05 It's crazy how far they've come.
01:08 That's just great.
01:09 It feels like your favourite band that used to be an indie band is now the biggest band in the world and it's great.
01:15 I'm so proud.
01:16 It's a very big inspiration for all these little girls especially knowing that now they can get big
01:21 and all these people there to support them.
01:24 Despite incredible performances from the players on the pitch,
01:28 the final was overshadowed by the post-match behaviour of the Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales
01:33 leading to his resignation three weeks later.
01:36 This was following swift action by FIFA which saw Rubiales suspended from all footballing activity pending an investigation.
01:43 We caught up with their president Gianni Infantino before the final and asked him about the legacy of the competition.
01:49 Well I think the future is definitely for women's football and it's not just a PR thing.
01:56 It's not just something that we say.
01:59 It's really the facts and the figures which show it.
02:01 And you know half of the world population are women.
02:05 So it is obvious that this is going to grow.
02:08 This is going to prosper.
02:10 And I mean already now there are not many men's competitions which can compete with this FIFA Women's World Cup.
02:18 So starting from there, I think the path is all open for this to become as big as the men's World Cup.
02:26 Well this year's winners were awarded around 100 million euros for lifting the Women's World Cup.
02:34 Compare that with the full 100 million that Argentina earned for winning the men's version last year.
02:39 In fact such is the nature of the women's game right now.
02:41 Some players were even juggling two jobs whilst competing here in Australia.
02:45 With more eyes on the sport than ever before, could we finally start to see a level playing field?
02:50 I think it's as cliche as it sounds.
02:52 It's going to inspire the next generation.
02:55 Boys and girls that you know they have these idols that have made it so far before.
03:01 When I was growing up I didn't have these female idols in football because women's football wasn't as accessible.
03:07 I mean it's always been popular to play it.
03:09 But now there will actually be an avenue to be able to go professional, to dream about winning a World Cup.
03:17 And that's something that we've never had ever before.
03:20 And a lot of discussion here has been around the funding.
03:23 Football doesn't get as much funding as the other bigger codes do.
03:27 Such as AFL, cricket and rugby league.
03:30 So hopefully this is a push that we can get more funding, especially at that grassroots level.
03:35 So Australia can continue to become bigger and better when it comes to women's football.
03:40 Well you couldn't come to Sydney without paying a trip to the host of the World Cup final stadium, could we?
03:46 And as you've heard just there, women's football continues to move in the right direction.
03:50 And that goes for African football as well.
03:52 Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa all qualifying for the knockout stages.
03:56 The first time that three sides from the continent have done so.
03:59 So what does that mean for African football?
04:01 As a continent we are still celebrating that historical moment at the Women's World Cup.
04:06 So much was happening behind the scenes but still the African team stood out.
04:10 Even Zambia that did not make it out of the group stage, they actually had a moment where they got their first win.
04:16 So we are celebrating all the four teams.
04:19 And because of this performance it actually shows African women's football is a force to be reckoned with.
04:25 The quality of the players is very, very good.
04:29 And also for the coaching staff, a huge congratulations to them because they also showed they can actually match up to the standards of other coaches from across the world.
04:38 So that is why we are celebrating African women's football, such a good, good moment for the continent.
04:43 Well we weren't the only ones to make the journey from Doha to Sydney during the Women's World Cup.
04:48 Qatar 2022's Generation Amazing sent ten lucky representatives to give Festival 23 a helping hand.
04:54 It's all been organised by the sports charity Common Goal and a key aim of theirs is promoting gender equality.
05:00 Champions!
05:02 We had a group from Qatar, Iraq and Palestine that came and attended the festival.
05:08 They got to meet other delegates from different countries and different backgrounds.
05:11 And it was an amazing sort of learning experience for them, obviously from a cultural aspect.
05:16 And you know this is the legacy of the World Cup from Qatar. It's the legacy that continues.
05:20 You know the World Cup ended in December but the legacy for us doesn't stop.
05:24 And that's why Generation Amazing Foundation was established, to carry the legacy forward and to connect with mega sporting events down the line.
05:31 I mean it's amazing to be here, honestly, like you know we've been getting the World Cup vibes again.
05:36 And I think you know this is a great time for Australia and New Zealand.
05:39 And I think we're very lucky to be here and we're very happy to have been part of the legacy of this World Cup.
05:46 Festival 23!
05:48 Yeah, the future looks bright for the women's game.
05:51 That brings us to the end of this week's show and our time in Sydney.
05:54 Do let us know your thoughts at home using the hashtag #FootballNowWWCLegacy.
05:58 We'll see you at the same time next week. Bye for now.
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