2023 has been...well, an interesting year, both for good as well as not so great reasons.
Despite the world getting a reprieve from the COVID-19 pandemic, the outbreak of conflicts, namely in Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East have people still on edge as to what will happen in 2024.
Meanwhile, in football, it was also an interesting year as well, with plenty of talking points both from the top leagues in women's football as the 2022/23 seasons came to an end as well as, of course, the highly anticipated 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup - which in itself provided its fair share of entertainment despite the awkward kick-off times for people not based in Australia, New Zealand, and the Asian region in general.
So, with that in mind, let's take a look at nine key observations and interesting happenings from the women's game in 2023.
1. Barcelona's early "holiday" at the end of title winning 2022/23 season
Given that they had won yet another league title with plenty of time to spare, who could blame Barcelona for taking their foot off the pedal this past May? On May 6th, the Blaugrana successfully defended their league crown after beating Real Sociedad 5-2 on the road, which made it a 62nd consecutive Liga F win for the team dating back to the prior season.
However, whether it be mental or physical fatigue, or just complacency, Barcelona relaxed a bit too much, as they saw their 62 match winning streak come to an abrupt end following a 1-1 draw with Sevilla. Still, fans, while disappointed that that record had ended, didn't fret too much as the team were still unbeaten dating back to June 2021.
On the final matchday, Madrid, who had been humiliated 7-0 by Barcelona earlier that season, got their revenge on the Blaugrana. A brace from Zambian striker Rachael Kundananji was enough to give her side a shock 2-1 lead, thus ending Barcelona's unbeaten streak at 64 games and making Madrid the first team to beat Barcelona in over 700 days. Still, despite the bitter feeling after seeing their unbeaten streak end in such a shocking fashion, it clearly awakened Barcelona from their premature holiday as they beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in the Champions League final a few weeks later in June.
2. Roma make history and end Juve's undisputed reign in Italy...while an Inter striker also makes history
The 2022/23 season was also an interesting one in Serie A, as Roma won their first ever Scudetto. The victory for the Giallorosse ended Juventus's reign as champions of Italy, as prior to this, the Bianconere had won five titles in a row, starting from the 2017/18 season.
In addition, although she was not able to help Inter secure a European football spot, it was still a campaign to remember for Inter striker Tabitha Chawinga, who became the first African woman to win the top goalscorer prize in Serie A. The Malawian international's 23 goals were enough to help her easily clinch the coveted prize well ahead of the chasing pack.
3. Big celebrations for Bayern Munich in May...and a historic win for die Roten
Both the men's and the women's teams left it really late to clinch the Bundesliga titles for their respective divisions and ultimately won it on the final matchday However, while the men's side needed a very late goal from youngster Jamal Musiala to scrape to a 2-1 win over Mainz, the women's team had no problems dispatching struggling Turbine Potsdam 11-1 to pip Wolfsburg to the title.
The 11-1 mauling of Potsdam also marked the biggest-ever result for Bayern Munich in the team's history and means that for the fourth time in history, both the men's and women's teams at Bayern Munich were able to celebrate the league title. The first time this happened was during the 2014/15 term, and has happened again during the 2015/16 and 2020/21 campaigns.
4. Manchester United make huge strides...and disrupt the WSL status quo in the process
Although they were not able to prevent Chelsea from winning the WSL title - as the Blues pipped them to the coveted prize by two points - the 2022/23 season was still an excellent one for Manchester United. Not only did the Red Devils qualify for the the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time in club history, but in finishing in second, ended the dominance of Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City as the three teams who have consistently filled those spots since 2014.
The next part of this piece will cast an eye over some key talking points from the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. There were naturally huge talking points throughout the tournament, which featured 32 teams for the first time and also was the first tournament to be co-hosted by teams from different federations (Australia, from the AFC and New Zealand, from the OFC). However, it is simply not possible to include every single key aspect of what turned out to be a great competition, and as such, this article has decided to pick a handful that really had fans buzzing.
5. What's next for England after disappointment in the WWC final?
In 2022, England ended the country's long wait for an international title following their triumph at the Women's EURO competition. It was the first win for the Lionesses, and the first overall for English football since the men's team won the World Cup back in 1966.
With that result achieved, there were high hopes that this England side would do big things at the Women's World Cup. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, it was not to be, as the Lionesses were beaten 1-0 by Spain in a highly entertaining final. Goalkeeper Mary Earps received the Golden Glove for her excellent performances that saw England win all of their group stage games and every single knockout match leading up to the final.
The Lionesses were unable to book a spot in the Nations League finals after finishing second in their group, and there are concerns as to what's next for this side. Have they reached their peak following back to back finals appearances at the Women's EURO and World Cups? Or will they bounce back, especially with the 2025 EURO competition on the horizon?
6. The USWNT are no longer feared
Simply put, nothing lasts forever, especially in sports, and it was only a matter of time before the USWNT were toppled from their undisputed reigns as queens of football. However, no one really expected the outcome that we all saw at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, a competition that the Stars and Stripes had dominated since its inception in 1991.
Indeed, having won four of the past eight competitions, Team USA were widely regarded as huge favorites heading into this summer's competition. With a mix of experience and youth, the USWNT were hoping to make history as the first team to successfully complete a "three-peat" and defend their crown for the third consecutive time after winning it in 2015 and 2019.
However, others, namely Portugal, and Sweden, had other ideas. Portugal were one of several teams making their debut at the Women's World Cup, but put up an excellent fight to earn a well-deserved point against Team USA, meaning that the then-world's number one side would have to face Sweden in the round of 16. Ultimately, the Swedes triumphed after a tense penalty shoot-out which meant that, for the first time in tournament history, the reigning champion did not progress at least to the quarter-finals. In the case of the USWNT, it was an even bigger blow considering that they had always made it at least to the semi-finals in all other tournaments.
Ultimately, that result showed the world that the USWNT were not a side to be feared and that the landscape had truly shifted in the women's game.
7. Spain overcome adversity to make history
Spain's journey to the Women's World Cup was not without its fair share of drama. Due to a dispute with their country's football federation, over a dozen players decided to resign from the team in a bid to force then-coach Jorge Vilda out. It didn't work, and several of those players ended up reversing their decisions.
Despite the brimming tension behind the scenes, Spain dazzled at the World Cup, with the only blemish on an otherwise perfect body of work being a shock 4-0 loss to Japan in their final group stage game. Olga Carmona scored the only goal in a tense final game against England to earn La Roja their first ever title, and make Spain the second nation (after Germany) to win both a men's and women's World Cup. Carmona's game-winning goal was even more poignant as it was revealed that her father had passed away shortly before she featured in her first ever World Cup final.
Unfortunately, their victory was overshadowed by a very cringe-worthy and totally inappropriate incident involving RFEF president Luis Rubiales and star striker Jenni Hermoso which led to massive protests in Spain demanding action be taken against Rubiales. Eventually, he was forced out, but there still continues to be a lot of issues that women footballers in Spain have to contend with - which makes their ongoing success on the pitch that much more impressive considering the adversity they have faced.
8. South Africa, Morocco, and Jamaica make fans proud
The expanded group meant that more teams were competing, and thus presented a great chance for some minnows to create major upsets. And fans were not left disappointed. Placed in a group alongside heavyweights France and Brazil, no one gave Jamaica much of a shot and figured that the Reggae Girlz, at best, could pip debutants Panama to third spot in Group F.
However, they had other ideas. Not only did they hold both France and Brazil to very impressive 0-0 draws, but also edged out Panama 1-0 to win their first ever World Cup match and qualify for the round of 16 as Group F's runners up. Their journey ultimately ended in the round of 16 at the hands of another surprise package, Colombia, but it nonetheless will be something fans will remember for quite a long time.
Likewise, South Africa were also written off early by many pundits, especially as they were placed in a quartet alongside the highly experienced Sweden and an Italy side that has many of its players playing in the world's biggest leagues. Perhaps those quick to dismiss Banyana Banyana had conveniently forgotten that Desiree Ellis's team had already pulled off a huge shock to win their first ever AFCON Women's title in 2022.
Either way, South Africa clearly approached the 2023 Women's World Cup without fear. Although they lost 2-1 to Sweden and had to settle for a two-all draw after throwing away a two goal lead against Argentina, a well-earned 3-2 win over Italy was enough to help the team make history and earn a round of 16 spot. Like Jamaica, their journey also ended there as they were beaten 2-0 by the Netherlands, but South Africa were able to depart with their heads held high after overcoming some huge odds.
Finally, Morocco completes the trio of teams who were underestimated and exceeded the odds. The Atlas Lionesses were making their debut and after a humiliating 6-0 loss to Germany, most figured it was going to only get worse for the North African side.
Yet, they showed great fortitude to battle to two gritty 1-0 wins over South Korea and Colombia, which was enough to see them qualify for the round of 16, and ironically, get the last laugh as Germany ended up being dumped out of the competition. Morocco were beaten thoroughly by France, losing by a 4-0 score-line but it is safe to say that they did not leave their first ever World Cup feeling too bitter and disappointed.
9. Germany's woes are clearly not just only affecting the men's team
Speaking of Germany, their World Cup will be something the team will be desperate to forget in a hurry. The struggled of the men's team since their 2014 triumph - which saw die Mannschaft dumped out of the group stages in 2018 and 2022 - is something that many fans will be well aware of. However, the women's team had seemingly escaped the same disgraceful result at a World Cup.
That is, until 2023. When the grouping was announced, pretty much most people figured it would be a straightforward path to the round of 16 for Germany, especially given that their opponents were Morocco, South Korea and Colombia. Hardly teams that should trouble a side that were ranked in the top five of women's teams world wide.
Yet, despite a 6-0 win over Morocco in a typically ruthless Germany performance, things quickly went awry, with a 2-1 loss to Colombia followed by a 1-1 draw against South Korea. It marked the first time Germany did not get out of their group at the World Cup and came on the heels of a disappointing showing at the Women's 2022 EURO competition, in which the all-time winners lost in a Euro final for the first time as England beat them 2-1. Although Germany appear to be finding their footing so far in the Nations League, it will be very interesting to see how they fare once the finals get underway in February 2024.
If you feel something was missed here in this brief summary, not to worry! Part two of this series will add a few more interesting talking points, with a focus on the current state of affairs in the women's top leagues as most are currently in the midst of their respective 2023/24 campaigns.
