GTB's Definitive Women's World Cup Final Preview

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup wraps up Sunday at 6:00 am EST (it'll be 8:00 pm in Sydney at kickoff). The final match pits two of the world's top 10 teams in England and Spain. Neither country has won a World Cup, though both have been knocking on the door. 2023 marks England's third consecutive trip to the World Cup semifinals, while Spain made the semis in 2019.

By most measures, the Australia/New Zealand edition of the tournament has been excellent. There have been more goals than in any previous Women's World Cup. The crowds have been immense and spirited. We've seen significantly more parity than many (this guy included) thought, with a number of big teams out early (Germany, Brazil, and Canada failed to reach the knockout stage, while the U.S. went out in the Round of 16), three African teams (Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa) in the knockouts, and a surprising Colombian squad pushing England in an entertaining quarterfinal.

No less a legend than Brazil's Marta talked about the parity after her Brazilian side was knocked out in the group stage, saying, "This competition is like a box with so much surprise, [Women's] soccer has become so competitive." This event was Marta's sixth and final World Cup, as she, Canada's Christine Sinclair (who also competed in her sixth event), and the U.S.'s Megan Rapinoe ended long and outstanding international careers when their teams were eliminated.

Notably, this playing of the Women's World Cup may also be, as The Washington Post called it, "the gayest World Cup ever". Or perhaps not all that notably, as The Post notes parenthetically, "(and no one's batting an eyelid)". That the tournament is generating boffo ratings, significant positive buzz, and excellent on-field play while celebrating the presence of proud, out players, coaches, and fans, is a positive sporting step.

The good news for the women's game is that so many brilliant players remain active and showed the world their skill, tenacity, and power. Sam Kerr's story arc was nearly the stuff of movies, injuring her calf the day before her Aussie squad started the tournament, slowly working herself back to full fitness, and scoring this banger to level the Matildas' semi with England, only to fall short.

Linda Caicedo burst on the world stage, the precocious 18 year-old Colombian dazzling with her technical ability and speed. She eliminated Germany with this wondergoal:

England's young Lauren James (sister of Chelsea men's player Reese James) scored three goals and dished out a tournament-leading three assists before a rush of blood to the head saw her stomp on Nigeria's Michelle Alozie in the Round of 16. The act led to a red card and a two-match suspension, so James will be eligible to compete in the final. 

19 year-old Spaniard Salma Paralluelo scored game-winning goals in both the quarters and semis for La Roja, coming off the bench both times.

Japan's Hinata Miyazawa leads the race for the Golden Boot with five goals, and barring a monster game by one of the finalists, will likely win the award. England's Mary Earps is the odds-on

And beyond individual brilliance, the closeness of the women's soccer community shone through as players shared their joy and pain with their friends, teammates, and partners who happened to play for their opponents. Witness, for example, Kerr and England's Millie Bright, who are club teammates at Chelsea, after the Lionesses beat Australia in the semifinals:

One might think that we'd beg off from making predictions after our fairly disastrous pre-tournament prognostication. Right back on the horse, friends. We're warriors. And we did have both finalists make it as far as the quarterfinals, and we had the host Aussies in the semis, so that's, like, good-ish? We did miss on the other semifinalists, which I think is a pretty good indicator of the aforementioned parity. To be sure, we definitely weren't the only wrong-getters.

The final shapes up as a fascinating affair. England are the defending European champions, beating Spain in the quarters along the way. The Spanish currently hold the U17 and U20 world titles, and are stocked with exceptional young players, in addition to two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas. La Roja have had a famously tumultuous recent history, with a significant number of players criticizing manager Jorge Vilda's dictatorial style, and a number of prominent players left off the World Cup roster as a result. In the meantime, England manager Sarina Wiegman just keeps winning - her England teams have lost once in 37 matches. USWNT veteran Sam Mewis, who missed this World Cup with an injury, said recently on a podcast with Men in Blazers' Roger Bennett that she would be rooting for England despite being fond of Spain's players because she doesn't want Vilda's authoritarian tactics to be vindicated. I suspect many others feel the same way. 

In the end, I think England will win, but it'll be a close-run thing. The Lionesses have depth (they've advanced to the final without Beth Mead, Keira Walsh, and Leah Williamson, all members of the 2022 FIFAPRO World 11 side), experience, and the ability to bring a player with James' pace, strength, and skill off the bench to harass a tiring Spanish back line (at least I'm guessing Wiegman will take that approach after her team won consecutive knockout matches without James). But no result would really surprise me after the World Cup we've seen.

The women's game is in excellent shape, and this World Cup has showcased its growth across the globe. There's still work to be done to root out misogynists and creeps, but I suppose that's true of a lot of domains.