Women's World Cup preview: Who blocked the United States from winning 3 consecutive titles? China's first battle determined its destiny, and the last dance of the 6th legendary race
The afterglow of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has not yet dissipated, and the high-profile 2023 Women's World Cup is about to kick off. This international women's football event, which is also held once every four years, will undoubtedly warm this southern hemisphere winter. So what are the highlights of this World Cup that deserve the attention of Chinese fans?
Highlight 1: The Women's World Cup came to the southern hemisphere for the first time + the two countries jointly organized
The Women's World Cup is co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, marking the first time the Women's World Cup has come to the Southern Hemisphere after eight editions. It is worth noting that since Australia has joined the AFC, this is also the first time in history that the Women's World Cup has been jointly presented by football federations on two continents.
Highlight 2: The third expansion in history, who can become a dark horse with 8 new armies
Following 2015, the Women's World Cup once again ushered in expansion. The 24 teams were expanded to 32. The increase in the number of places means that female footballers from more countries can enjoy the glory of the highest stage of women's football in the world. In addition to the United States, England and other giants, China and Japan such as "regulars", there are also Portugal, Vietnam, Zambia and other 8 new teams appeared in this arena. Which new army will become the big dark horse of this World Cup is worth looking forward to.
Highlight 3: The total prize money of the event exceeded 100 million US dollars! Each person can divide 210,000
It is reported that each player in the Women's World Cup will have a guaranteed income of 30,000 US dollars (1 US dollar is about 7.17 yuan), and the champion members will receive 270,000 US dollars in prizes, and the total prize money of the event exceeds 100 million US dollars, which is several times that of the 2019 Women's World Cup. Although such prize money is still a huge gap with male footballers, it at least proves the vigorous development of women's football and the increasing influence of the competition.
Highlight 4: Who can stop the United States from winning 3 consecutive championships, England is favored as the new king
As the most successful team in the history of the Women's World Cup, the US women's team, which has won four times and the past two World Cup titles, is still the favorite to win the championship, and four years ago the United States team broke through the siege of European powerhouses such as England, France, Spain and the Netherlands, which was impressive. In addition to the United States, the power of European powers has also been significantly improved. In particular, the English women's team, which won the European Championship last year, will undoubtedly be the biggest rival of the United States team defending its title. In addition, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden and other European powerhouses will still be obstacles on the way to the United States winning the championship.
The Women's World Cup has produced four champions in its short 28-year history, with the United States (4) and Germany (2) accounting for the lion's share, with Japan and Norway accounting for the majority of the 28-year history. It will be interesting to see whether England and Spain become the fifth team to win the Women's World Cup.
Highlight 5: How far can the Chinese women's football team go, the first match against Denmark may decide the fate
In this World Cup, the Chinese women's team participated in the Asian Cup for the eighth time. The Chinese team is in the same group as England, Denmark and Haiti. If the Chinese women's football team wants to qualify, defeating the new Haitian team is a task that must be completed. England are too strong for China, so Denmark will be a direct competitor to the Chinese women's group.
Therefore, the results of the first round of direct dialogue in the group on the evening of the 22nd will largely determine how far the Chinese women's football team can go in this World Cup. You know, except for one previous failure to break through from the preliminary round, the Chinese women's football team can at least qualify from the group every time they participate. If the Chinese women's football team can qualify for the round of 16, and the potential opponents in the 1/8 final are Canada and Australia, it can go further, which is already a huge breakthrough.
Highlight 6: The Last Dance! Legendary Marta 6 World Cup or crazy record
In this World Cup, many veterans are still playing with the team. The most interesting is the 37-year-old Brazilian superstar Marta. This is her sixth World Cup appearance, after scoring 17 goals in the previous five editions, ranking first in the Women's World Cup all-time goalscorer list, and this edition she is expected to break history again. Regrettably, Marta has not won the World Cup so far, and she hopes that she may be the last World Cup and can realize her dream of the Gold Cup.
Also participating six times is Canada's 40-year-old veteran Sinclair. She could become the first player over 40 to score a goal at the Women's World Cup (already 10). In addition, the United States team stars Morgan (34 years old) and Lapinoe (38 years old), who have scored 9 goals in the World Cup, are among the 10+ goals in the World Cup, I believe it is only a matter of time. These veterans are destined to be crazy setters in this world record.