WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
All eyes on Australia, New Zealand as co-hosts kick off Women’s World Cup
The ninth Women’s World Cup and by far the biggest in the tournament’s history kicks off on Thursday with co-hosts New Zealand and Australia in action, with record attendances expected at both their matches.
What began as a 12-team tournament in 1991, the Women’s World Cup has steadily grown in stature and expanded to 32 teams – the same as the men’s tournament.
It also marks the first time two countries are co-hosting the tournament as the quadrennial event arrives in the southern hemisphere for the first time.
New Zealand kick things off in Auckland against former champions Norway while Australia host Ireland, with both matches set to welcome more than 100,000 fans in total.
“It will set the tone for a Women’s World Cup that I expect to become a watershed moment in global women’s sports,” FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman said.
The 2015 edition in Canada welcomed a record 1.3 million-plus fans at stadiums but the 2023 tournament is expected to beat that mark with nearly 1.4 million tickets sold so far.
The pressure is on New Zealand, however, not just as co-hosts but also because they have never won a match at the World Cup in five prior appearances.
They are long odds to beat Norway, who have a Ballon d’Or winner in their midst.
Ada Hegerberg returned to the national team last year after a five-year exile and she is looking to put their disappointing group stage exit at the European Championships in the rear-view mirror.
“We must play every match as if it’s our last,” she said. “We need to really bleed for each other and bleed for our uniform, because nothing comes free.”
Australia will be led by Sam Kerr, a Golden Boot favourite and an icon in the sport after the Chelsea forward became the first woman to grace the global cover of the highly-popular video game FIFA 23.
With 55 goals in her last 72 internationals, Australian fans will hope to catch a glimpse of her trademark cartwheel-backflip goal celebration. On the biggest stage, on home soil.
“It’s about entertainment and having fun and showing what football is about. Maybe it might (happen), maybe it won’t,” Kerr said.
-Reuters
Despite wintry conditions in Blida, on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, Algiers, Nigeria’s U17 girls dug their feet into the ground on Friday night.
They achieved a scoreless draw that qualified them for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals.
Holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage, the 2002 bronze medallists adopted a calm and collected pattern that easily soaked up the expected pressure from the hosts and then relied on fast breaks to try and pull the trigger on their opponents.
Although they created better chances on the night, the Flamingos failed to make dominance in possession pay, but swiftly collected the ticket to Morocco on a 4-0 aggregate win.
The difference over two legs of the final round was a remarkable display in the opening leg by the Flamingos, during which a brace by Queen Joseph and one each by Zainab Raji and substitute Aisha Animashaun ensured a 4-0 win.
The Flamingos will now be one of Africa’s five representatives (including hosts Morocco) at this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals taking place from 17th October – 5th November. The final competition will entertain 24 teams for the very first time.
Since the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup competition was launched in New Zealand in 2008, Nigeria have failed to make the finals only once – the 2018 tournament hosted by Uruguay.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Despite heavy first leg loss, Algeria hopeful of a turnaround in Nigeria’s Flamingos clash
The Algeria U17 women’s national team still hope for a possible turnaround in this Friday night clash with Nigeria’s Flamingos.
Algeria lost 4-0 in the first leg match in Ikenne last Saturday.
The Algerians completed their preparations on Thursday at the Sidi Moussa National Technical Centre, the eve of the return match against Nigeria.
The return match is scheduled for this Friday at 8 p.m. at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida. Aggregate winners will pick a ticket to the FIFA U-17 Women’s 2025 World Cup.
According to sources in Algeria, all the players took part in the final session, during which coach Abdenour Mira finalised the tactical details for the make or mar encounter.
Despite the heavy defeat conceded in the first leg (4-0), the young Algerians approach this match with the desire to finish well and deliver an honourable performance against a formidable Nigerian team.
During the technical meeting held early in the afternoon at the FAF headquarters, in the presence of representatives of the two teams and the organisers, it was decided that Algeria will play in green, while Nigeria will wear white.
The match will be officiated by Cameroonian Aline Marie Noelle Guimbang, assisted by her compatriot Laurie Marcelle Tsafack Teikeu and Chadian Victorine Ngarassoum.
The fourth official will also be Cameroonian, Innoncentia Njang Ntangti.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Under possible cold weather in Blida, Nigeria’s Flamingos set to grab World Cup ticket
The weather is most likely to be cold, but Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, are set to continue a tradition of qualifying for every edition of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, which has had eight editions, out of which the Flamingos featured in seven.
Only Japan, with 100 per cent attendance, has featured in more competitions than Nigeria’s Flamingos.
They look poised to feature again after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria in the first leg of the final qualifying series.
Apart from their opponents, Algeria, they have the expected cold weather to battle with at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida (outside Algiers), on Friday night.
Friday’s encounter against their Algerian counterparts is the final leg of a final qualifying round fixture, with the Flamingos, bronze-medallists from the 2022 finals in India and quarterfinalists from the last edition in the Dominican Republic, holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage.
The Federation Algerienne de Football (FAF) has scheduled the match to kick off at 8 pm, at a time when the winds will begin to blow in stronger from the Mediterranean Sea.
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