This World Cup was bigger than ever – a look back at the characters’ viewership, strong debutants and acceptance of homosexuality

2. Inclusion

Orange captain Sherida Spets played with the All-Band around her arm. Collectively selected from eight FIFA options. With the band with a special message, FIFA took it a step further: at the Men’s World Cup, it was one loveTires were still banned last year, on pain of a yellow card. Captain Virgil van Dijk was deterred by this.

Women’s football is way ahead when it comes to accepting homosexuality. Although there are still many accomplishments to be achieved here all over the world. For example, this is still a taboo within the Moroccan national team, as demonstrated when a journalist from BBC He was asked about the players’ sexual orientation during a press conference. A FIFA official asked the reporter to stop asking questions about this.

It is generally known that a large number of foreigners from Orange are married to a woman or have a girlfriend as a partner. For example, midfielder Danielle van de Donk openly dreamed of a final match against Australia for her lover Ellie Carpenter, during the World Cup. I stayed out. But after eliminating the Orange in the quarter-finals against Spain, Van de Donk was in colours Matildas Seen in stands in Australia and France. Other internationals, such as ‘soccer mom’ Spites, speak freely about their wives at home during the World Cup. On the other hand, no one is surprised that Lake Martins plays Martins van Leer on the back after marrying former goalkeeper Benjamin Van Leer.

When it comes to inclusivity in terms of ‘origin’, there is still a huge gap in women’s football that needs to be filled with the men’s. With Lineth Beerensteyn, Esmee Brugts and Jacintha Weimar, Andries Jonker’s selection included three players with Surinamese the rootsBut other than that, Orange lacked talent with roots in other soccer countries, such as Morocco and Turkey. There is still a world to be won out there.

3. Feminization around the world

There was a fear beforehand that 32 participants would be too many. Being the first in the eight finals was considered hopeless a priori. This fear turned out to be unfounded. Although Costa Rica, Vietnam, Haiti and Panama went home with zero points from three matches after the group stage, these nations almost always managed to put up a reasonable game. With Vietnam’s 7-0 defeat in Dunedin against the Dutch as a negative exception.

A number of countries less known for women’s football have even managed to reach the knockout stage with remarkably good football. Who would have thought that Morocco, Colombia, Nigeria, South Africa and Jamaica would overtake great powers like Germany and Brazil? And that the United States, winners of the previous two World Cups, should give way to the traditional European tournament in men’s soccer: England, Spain, France, the Netherlands and possibly Germany next time.

Not only does the World Cup promote women’s football in Australia and New Zealand, but it also contributes to the feminization of the sport around the world. National coach Sarina Wiegmann was the only woman off the bench in the last eight. The Netherlands will face England in their second World Cup final on Sunday and is seen as the best coach ever and a role model for other women. With twelve women among the 32 national coaches, soccer serves a guiding function for other sports. But steps can still be taken here, too.

Read also: By Van Daniel Pinedo. What about the Zambian women who have accused their coach of sexual offending behaviour?

Support for the sport is increasingly growing internationally. For example, 53.9 million people watched the match between China and England. FIFA expects the World Cup to attract more than two billion viewers. This is a significant increase compared to nearly 1.2 billion four years ago. The World Cup raised 523 million euros, which FIFA tied with.

The KNVB hopes to be able to stage the biggest event in women’s sport in four years’ time with Germany and Belgium. The global development of women’s football is one of the main goals. As well as significantly lower flight movements for staff, players, officials, sponsors and fans compared to Australia and New Zealand.

4. A new and better generation

These were the touching words Marta spoke after Brazil’s unexpectedly early elimination. The best South American footballer is the epitome of a player who continued to fight for a professional career against all odds, and who had no examples of her own because there simply weren’t any. But the 37-year-old World Cup top scorer (women’s and men’s) has now become a symbol for a new generation of players in Brazil and beyond. “Now I go out into the street and people stop me, parents say to me:“ My daughter adores you, she wants to be like you, ”said proud Marta in a shocked voice.

For example, every country in the World Cup has its own “martas”. The successful orange generation of Spitse, Van de Donk, Martens and Groenen – European Championship winners in 2017, World Cup finalists in 2019, World Cup quarter-finalists – can be considered a group of pioneers. They were – and still are – examples of young talents such as Esmee Brugts and Wieke Kaptein, who made their debuts at this World Cup and are considered figureheads for a new, better educated generation.