The 2019 Women's World Cup was a marvelous show of just how popular and powerful women’s soccer is. From Megan Rapinoe’s on- and off-field performances, to the stellar competition from start to finish to huge crowds in France and viewership on TV, the tournament was a rousing success.
Now FIFA wants to cheapen the whole experience.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has hit Russia with a four-year ban from international sport after a special meeting at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Switzerland resulted in a unanimous vote to suspend the nation.
The suspension results in Russia being banned from participating at next summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, the decision from WADA doesn’t affect Russia’s participation at UEFA Euro 2020 since the tournament isn’t classified as a “major event.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday recommended banning Russia from global sports for four years, including a ban on hosting major events. Oddly, any such ban will not affect the Russia Euro 2020 team, because it does not fall under WADA’s “major event” classification. But questions remain about the 2022 World Cup.
Mexico pushed Brazil to the brink in the final of Sunday's 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, but late goals from Kaio Jorge and Lázaro sent a raucous crowd of over 15,000 into raptures in Brasília. Inspirational captain Eugenio Pizzuto had provided the assist on Bryan Gonzalez’s opener for El Tri in the 66th minute, but Brazil’s ferocious comeback began in the 84th with Kaio’s VAR-assisted penalty and ended — just before the match was headed straight to a shootout — with Lázaro’s stunning winner with only one minute remaining in stoppage time.
Colorado native Lindsey Horan recently shared her story about how she started her journey to achieve her dreams with The Players’ Tribune. Horan had her goals set from a young age, when she dreamed of being the best football player in the world. Her mindset remains the same today, except now she’s living out her dream.
The numbers are officially in, and the 2019 Women's World Cup viewership totals are astronomical — double what they were in 2015 by some of the most important metrics.
It was historic, but amidst renewed tensions and the recent launching of some unidentified projectiles toward the Sea of Japan (as well as a forthcoming "Hog Apocalypse"), it wasn’t exactly euphoric. For the first time since a 1990 friendly, the men’s teams of North and South Korea faced off in Pyongyang.
In 1999, the USMNT was coming off a miserable showing at the 1998 World Cup in which it finished dead last. It was a dark time for U.S. soccer fans, but the following year showed reason for hope with the performance from a bunch of then-unknown kids on the U-17 USMNT at the U-17 World Cup in New Zealand.
Now the USMNT is again coming off a miserable couple of years having failed to qualify at all for the 2018 World Cup, and 20 years later the U-17 USMNT might give fans a reason to believe the country is heading in the right direction.
She retired as the greatest to ever play her sport. Many would argue she’s still the most dominant women’s footballer to have ever graced the pitch. Now you can own her most legendary trophies, medals and memorabilia thanks to an incredible Michelle Akers auction from Goldin Auctions.
Without warning, the Iranian Football Federation made 3,500 tickets for Iran’s World Cup qualifier against Cambodia on Thursday available to women, essentially permitting women to attend a men’s soccer match for the first time in 40 years.
Through social media, women found out about the tickets anyway, and within minutes they were all gone, Reuters reported Friday.