In this issue:
How CAF and CONCACAF nations have performed in expanded World Cup
What if federations backed their women’s team?
The group stages are done, there’s no more triple and quadruple header game days and now knockout football really starts. Extra time and penalty shootout dramas are just around the corner so buckle up because if the group stages are anything to go by this is going to be one hell of a last 16.
This World Cup has already proved itself to be the most unpredictable and most open tournament in history. We lost one of the favourites Germany at a World Cup group stage for the very first time, we also saw Brazil bow out at the group stage for the first time since 1995. We’ve seen Jamaica, who didn’t get a single point in 2019, go the entire group stage unbeaten and without conceding a goal. We nearly lost USA, who had never previously finished second in a group, and we said goodbye to Olympic champions Canada.
Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa all qualified for the round of 16, the first time three African teams have ever made it through.
Any fears about whether this expanded, 32-team tournament was going to open up issues of competitiveness and big team domination have been extinguished. This World Cup has shown that globally women’s football is becoming more competitive, and more developed.
In an earlier issue of Go with the Flo, after the first round of group games, I mentioned how it felt like the gap was closing, even just after a few games. It felt like so many teams had grown tactically, technically and athletically in the last four years. What’s even more impressive is that so many teams are doing that with very little federation backing. It begs the question, what if these federations ACTUALLY supported their women’s teams? There is so much potential waiting to be unlocked across the world and on ability alone these players are not just punching their weight at this World Cup but boxing with heavyweights and knocking them to the canvas.
I wanted to look at this from a points standpoint, and see just how much the gap had closed from World Cup to World Cup. So, I looked at the numbers of teams from CAF, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL that qualified for 2019 and 2023, the number of points that were available and who got what. However, in order to make it reflective of the new era in the women’s game, I took away historically “big teams” who have won World Cups or reached finals and semi finals in the past. So USA, Canada and Brazil were left out of the equation.
Taking those numbers, I then (thanks to my girlfriend because I’m awful at maths) worked out as a percentage, how many points teams from these regions have claimed from those available compared to 2019.
Here’s how it looks:
2019 percentage of points claimed (minus USA, Canada, Brazil)
CAF % - 22
CONCACAF % - 0
CONMEBOL % - 28
2023 (minus USA, Canada, Brazil)
CAF % - 50
CONCACAF % - 14
CONMEBOL % - 39
Even without the statistics, there was a feeling that these teams and teams from those regions had performed better at this World Cup than ever before, on upsets and shocks alone. But the numbers back this up, these teams have closed the gap with poor preparations, bonus and pay disputes and coach issues. Imagine what they could do with the investment that so many Uefa nations are given. Hopefully at the 2027 World Cup these numbers will grow even more and the next four-year cycle will see the start of proper resources for these teams.
Something to read….
The USWNT’s ‘Prayer Circle Formation’ is tough to watch, but winning isn’t impossible
Till tomorrow!