FIFA WWC'23: 3-on-3 Episode 1

In conjunction with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, I will be posting three things I found noteworthy over the last three preceding gamedays, in less than three hundred words (each), every three days .. 3 on 3. I will also be recommending a game to (re)watch from the selection of those played in that three day period.

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1. That Kiwi Kickoff

When the World Cup was awarded to Australia and New Zealand, footballing eyes were focused mostly on the Australian women’s national team, the Matildas. Boasting one of the world’s most prolific strikers in Sam Kerr, as well as stalwarts of key European teams in all positions, in their lineup; New Zealand were always going to be the poorer footballing neighbour. In a country where rugby is the dominant first love, football’s jostling for prominence has been more muted.

But the Ferns were not here to be a pushover, and a sterling display against some pundits’ dark horse Norway saw them walk off the pitch with 1 goal, 1 missed penalty kick, 3 points and millions of new fans globally. A play from the back and a team move culminating in the sweetest of one-touch goals by Hannah Wilkinson was the icing on an exemplary Kiwi performance.

On paper this was going to be an easy win for Norway, but an amazing, resilient and guns blazing New Zealand side led by captain Ali Riley showed that a bit of focus and heart goes a long way. I hope they go on to inspire a generation of young girls to elevate women’s sports in the country to be on par with rugby and cricket.

2. That Incoming Change

One of the things that is on the lips of football fans in this World Cup is ‘three-peat: yes or no?” That is, will the US Women’s National Team win the World Cup for the third time in a row? But anyone expecting this to be an easy stroll for the established powerhouses in women’s football is probably going to be surprised.

I think one of the top eight in the FIFA rankings would probably go on to lift the trophy, but not without being properly challenged in the run-up to the semis and the finals. A large part of this has been driven by investment - while the US. China, Japan and German women’s national teams, as well as the Scandinavian countries, have had a program for a while, the gap between women’s teams is closing. This is sadly not saying much, given the chasm that still exists between the resources made available to the men’s and women’s team, but I think we will get there - I choose to trust the process.

All this makes the whole championship well worth watching. We have already seen spirited Republic of Ireland team play the co-hosts Australia, who had to grind out a 1-0 win via a penalty kick. Nigeria eloquently held Olympic gold medallists Canada to a 0-0 draw, Vietnam did not let the USA run roughshod around them and Haiti were very unlucky not to walk away with one - or even three - points against England. Reputation counts for something, but not as much as it used to do.

3. That Penalty Kick Thing (Almost)

As I was writing this, China were playing Denmark. And every game so far had one penalty kick (at least) in it — making it seem like there was a special bonus for penalties given for the officials. But alas, as trends go, they are made to be broken, and the ninth game of the 2023 Women’s World Cup broke the series.

Perhaps though the real story isn’t in terms of the penalties given, but the goals scored. Of eight penalty kicks given - four have been converted: a rate of 50%. This is actually not too far from the conversation rate at the pre-QF stage of the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year, where the conversion rate was at about 58%. But it is the players who have missed that have perhaps been more headline grabbing: Christine Sinclair for Canada, Alex Morgan for the USA, Jenni Hermoso for Spain and Ria Percival for New Zealand. Save for Percival, the other three are lethal strikers for both club and country. In fact, if it wasn’t for retakes, Rico Ueki and Georgia Stanway for Japan and England respectively would be in the list of misses too. 



Of these missed, Sinclair, Morgan and Hermoso were all on target and saved by the keeper, with Percival hitting the woodworks. Maybe it’s the World Cup of goalkeepers?

Game to Watch:

While I might be tempted to say the New Zealand vs Norway game for sheer feelgood factor, I feel like the most entertaining game of the first three days so far has been Zambia v Japan. Not so much for the goals, of which there were plenty, but the drama that unravelled as the game went on. Everything from offside calls to penalty retakes.. and a sending off. More drama than a telenovela.

Where to Watch?

The Women’s World Cup unfortunately is not broadcasted by any of the terrestrial or satellite tv providers in Malaysia. However, fans can still watch the games live via Fifa+ which is providing coverage in countries where no broadcast deal has been made.