It is coming home!! Or is it?

In football you win as a group, lose as a group; you divide the credit and the blame

Gianluigi Buffon

24 nations, one dream. 11 players, one aim. A million spectators, one trophy. With the Women’s World Cup in full swing in France, I wish I was there watching Canada beat Cameron instead of writing this!!

A month-long tournament culminating on 7th July, the 8th edition of the Women’s World Cup (WWC) promises drama at its best. 552 players plying their trade across 9 cities, France was given the opportunity to host WWC for the first time. Having recognized the Division 1 Feminine as late as 1974, the France Football Federation (FFF) can finally provide a landmark moment for French football through this edition. With their men’s team having won the World Cup twice, it is now up to their counterparts to prove their worth once again in world football.

However, that remains to be seen, with reigning world champions USA and 3rd-place England emerging as the front runners for the coveted trophy. Both Canada and Germany come into the World Cup in good form and should also be considered as outside threats for the trophy. There will be many interesting games to be seen before the knock-out stages with some mouth-watering clashes ahead of us.

USA and Canada will be looking to cruise through their groups, while Japan vs England should decide the group winner. Group C seems to have no clear cut winner with Jamaica having one of the most heart-warming stories before the World Cup campaign. Bob Marley’s daughter, Cedella revived the national team, with the team being disbanded in 2008 and 2016 by the federation due to lack of funds. This is Jamaica’s debut at the prestigious tournament and their country’s heartbeat, Khadija Shaw is all set to make an impact at the biggest stage of them all. 

The World Cup will feature many prominent stars, but Ballon d’or winner Ada Hegerberg will not dazzle her loyal supporters at this edition. Hegerberg quit the national team two years ago in an attempt to protest the inequality between men’s and women’s football and has skipped this World Cup as a statement. Her efforts have been both criticized and appreciated and only time will tell if she is able to achieve that much sought after parity. 

With the first round of fixtures done and dusted, only the next few weeks will tell us who will be the champion of them all. Keep your eyes glued to the TV!! These brilliant women need as much of your support as the men, if not more.