It's time to get laughed at. Here are The18's 2023 Women's World Cup predictions ahead of the biggest (first time with 32 teams) and farthest reaching (first time with two host nations) version of the tournament yet.
The competition's main storyline is the USWNT going for a historic three-peat, but England, the reigning European champions, are massive rivals and aiming for their first appearance in the final.
Although Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game from the nation's capital will feature all the league's must-watch talent (minus Lionel Messi) and Arsenal's flourishing squad, the biggest cheer of the night might be reserved for a Gunners player who spent last season in France and who might not even be on the roster come September: instant USMNT hero Folarin Balogun.
Sorry, Panama. I know the Gold Cup final is later Sunday night, but the tournament has already been won by Mexico after members of the national team met the child who wanted to be Mexican — so he could spend his days eating quesadillas — and presented him with that delicacy and an El Tri jersey.
It was revealed in the original video that the four-year-old boy has Ethiopian roots, but that's all over now — just look at how content he is to be wearing La Verde and eating that delicious cheesiness melted inside a warm tortilla.
MANCHESTER — Soccer fans are buzzing about a Women's World Cup ad featuring French stars Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann - or so it seems at first.
In Telecom company Orange's campaign aimed at challenging people's perceptions of women's soccer, the two-minute ad appears to show a display of magical soccer skills from diving headers to curling free kicks by Mbappe, Griezmann and others.
Then comes the twist.
Nike went all out on their latest commercial featuring United States women’s national team star Sophia Smith.
Released on Saturday, the 60-second commercial features an unnamed defender being haunted by Smith ahead of the 2023 World Cup.
The ad is a nod to the 2022 film “Smile” which I had to look up when writing this article and boy was that a little too spooky for me.
Thankfully Nike’s ad is a little more family friendly but will still be fear-inducing for defenders going up against Smith in Australia and New Zealand.
A friendly match between Women's World Cup-bound teams Ireland and Colombia was abandoned after becoming overly physical, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said on Friday.
The game in Brisbane, Australia, which was played behind closed doors, was called off after 20 minutes.
"The game, which was held in Meakin Park, Brisbane, became overly physical and it was decided, following consultation with the match officials, to end the game," the FAI said in a statement.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup kicks off next week and the hype continues to build. The Women’s World Cup weather will be one topic that fans back home might be discussing.
I was looking through some United States women’s national team content and was initially confused. Why were they all wearing jackets?
FIFA said it is giving away 20,000 free tickets for Women's World Cup games in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Dunedin amid concerns about the slow pace of sales in New Zealand.
Co-hosts Australia have snapped up the lion's share of the 1 million tickets sold so far, with their 'Matildas' team seen as a genuine title threat.
It's over. The USMNT's Gold Cup, B.J. Callaghan's reign, Matt Turner's blessed existence in penalty shootouts... it's all over. The only constant that remains is Cristian Roldan's inability to put the ball in the back of the net.
Panama shocked the U.S. on Wednesday night in front of over 30,000 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego by triumphing 5-4 in a shootout, this after 120 minutes produced a 1-1 stalemate.