Sam Kerr scores a worldie against England. Photo / Getty Images
Sam Kerr scores a worldie against England. Photo / Getty Images
The World Cup party is over - but could it come back to these shores?
Fifa’s head of women’s football Sarai Bareman has backed the prospect of another edition being held in New Zealand and Australia.
Ahead of this tournament, it was assumed it would be one-off, asthe exponential growth of the event would rule out a return to this region, given the relatively small commercial markets, the broadcasting challenges with time zones and the population base. The event gets bigger and bigger. The 2019 tournament in France broke all kinds of records, which the recent month has extended even more, with more than 1.9 million people attracted to the stadiums and a huge worldwide television audience.
But Bareman, the former Massey High student who has been at Fifa since 2016, said a return was definitely feasible.
“Australia and New Zealand have proven very well that they are capable of hosting mega events,” Bareman told the Herald. “We have seen it here, in the infrastructure, the way that the fans have showed out, everything has been incredible, from A to Z - all of it. So I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another World Cup in this region and other major sporting events as well. Credit to Australia and New Zealand - they put on an incredible show.”
Bareman aimed high coming into the event but admitted it had surpassed her expectations.
Spain celebrate their 2023 Women's World Cup truimph. Photo / Getty Images
“It even went beyond what I thought would be,” said Bareman. “I knew it was going to be good - we had put so much work into it - but I couldn’t imagine how fantastic it’s been.”
However, once the dust settles, the women’s game still needs a lot of investment and work, given the plight of most players and the developmental state of many leagues.
“Although we have seen some incredible scenes at this World Cup, the truth is - and we can’t ignore this - is that the majority of women’s football players across the globe are amateur and unpaid, or paid very little,” said Bareman. “And this is the reality. They are still only a few leagues in our world where women are paid as professional players.
Bareman hopes the impact of the World Cup can be a catalyst, driving more resources towards the female side of the sport. She said Fifa has accrued US$575 million ($966.5m) of revenue from the tournament, changing the commercial equation and allowing it to break even for the first time.
“If Fifa can unlock the commercial power of women’s football at the top of the pyramid, the flow-on effect for that is huge,” said Bareman.
Fifa are “well into planning” for a Women’s Club World Cup, with more details to come later this year. They have received four bids for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with Brazil, South Africa, the United States and Mexico, and a combined European bid from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
For the first time that tournament will be awarded via a vote from the full Fifa congress, rather than decided at executive council level, with the “most robust and transparent process” the Swiss governing body has ever had.
And Bareman is confident that the event will continue on an upward trajectory, pointing out the men’s World Cup (which started in 1930) enjoyed a 61-year head-start on the female equivalent.
“When you think about it in that respect, we are still a young and growing tournament,” said Bareman. “That means every single edition of this tournament [should be] bigger, better and more successful. We have to continue striving until it gets to the same level as the men’s World Cup in terms of revenue, attendance and viewership. And we have to strive to go beyond them.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
