The Women’s World Cup is the Biggest Yet, But Can it Be Bigger?
Given the strides that the women’s game has made over the last couple of years, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has been expected to be a milestone for the sport as a whole.
Australia and New Zealand have been co-hosting the tournament, and there have been a number of huge surprises that have occurred throughout the competition, along with the entire logistics and organisation of the tournament having run smoothly, which is a testament to the organisers.
A total of 32 teams are involved in the tournament, with this iteration featuring the most amount of teams since it was first introduced. The last two editions – in 2015 and 2019 – saw 24 countries competing, but following the success of the latter, football’s governing body decided it would be best to try and capitalise on it.
According to figures, more than 260 million had watched the final in France when the USA managed to defeat the Netherlands in Lyon, while it was also revealed that almost 1 billion had viewed the competition at one stage or another across its entirety.
Indeed, the sport had hit the mainstream. Many were watching and cheering the girls on of their respective nations, while bettors were beginning to flock to sites, including Betway, where they would be able to place a sports bet on the events that were taking place on the pitch. Those that were perhaps cynical of the game, or had no interest at all, had started to take note and were becoming fully invested.
Could the Women’s World Cup get bigger?
Is bigger always better? It is a question that does not always carry the same answer. Sometimes it is easy to say yes, however in some instances, it is easier to disagree and say no. For FIFA, it might be worth taking note of what happens in Australia and New Zealand over the course of the month and looking at the event from afar.
Although FIFA will have eyes on trying to increase the exposure of the female game and will want to help develop it to be parallel to the male game, it is also worth keeping in mind that they are also looking at ways in which they can generate additional revenues.
It could be argued that making the tournament smaller by reducing the number of teams would be a step back, but it could help to increase the quality if there were issues. There is an argument to keep the Women’s FIFA World Cup at 32 teams for a few more editions at a minimum. While it may work for the men’s game or other competitions, the quality of talent on the pitch might not always be able to put on the best product. If the product is hampered, fans will stop being interested in what happens, with many unlikely to tune in, attend games, or even head to sportsbooks like Betway, where women’s football odds are offered.
Of course, if the 2023 edition is a success, FIFA could also look to try and expand the competition. Indeed, it can always be bigger until it physically cannot. However, just because a tournament features more teams and more matches are played, it does not mean that the quality will improve, nor will the interest in the Women’s World Cup.
Photo credit: Facebook / FIFA Women’s World Cup