5 top trends to watch out for during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

With less than 100 days to go, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup draws closer by the day. All eyes will be on Australia & New Zealand in the summer as women’s football prepares for another massive show and one’s that expected to be the biggest in the history of the game yet.

FIFA have increased the total prize money by 300% from $30 million in 2019 to $150 million this year and more records are expected to come tumbling down. As the excitement builds, some domestic leagues across the world are in their closing stages. As the biggest stage of women's football beckons, below are some of the biggest trends one will witness when the tournament kicks off.

Football or Soccer Mums

FC Bayern München v Sport-Club Freiburg - FLYERALARM Frauen-Bundesliga

Expect to see players take a lot of selfies with their kids after games or even before matches at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Soccer mums, as they are referred to, want to bring the world to this new dispensation in which they can still play professional football and become mothers. They don’t have to pause momentarily or walk away from the sport entirely.

The current crop of players is able to do this owing to the progressive legislation set out by FIFA. In 2020, the governing body introduced new employment rules that grant them paid maternity leave as well as employment security during this period.

Previously, some clubs fired players for carrying a pregnancy as they were considered a liability. That said, players are asking for improved working conditions for soccer mums from the governing body and their respective associations

Players wearing makeup

When players wore makeup during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, their dedication to the game was questioned. Some people argued that it’s against sport while others said it’s a confidence booster as women still want to feel feminine despite playing sports.

Brazilian Marta stole the show with a bold red lip, and Dutch winger Shanice Van De Sanden has always worn lipstick and eyeliner. USWNT veteran Alex Morgan always paints her nails in a match. This trend is not about to go anywhere anytime soon as players continue to do this during domestic games.

There shouldn't be any problem with female footballers wanting to feel gorgeous even when they are running around, falling and sweating during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. They use high-quality products that are sweat-proof, so one doesn't have to witness them play in fear of having it all crumbling.

LGBTQ players

Germany v Switzerland - Women's International Friendly

Women’s football has a long history of having same-sex couples and those who openly identify as LGBTQ. Some have come out and some who are known or thought to be part of the community, haven’t gone public.

The environment at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup will probably be more open with many such players speaking out more about it. Some even happen to play on the same team, something that fans seem to be curious about.

That said, their feet will do the talking at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup rather than anything else and football fans across the globe should focus only on the magic created on the pitch.

Players staying back to engage with fans

It is a trademark in women’s football; players greet fans, take pictures and sign autographs for them. Despite the game growing in stature, it is an element that is still present in the game and they seem to enjoy it more and more.

Some argue that this type of access will at some point have to be limited in favor of players' security. That’s a fair point because most of the players are now well-known and that territory also comes with the unexpected. Hence, the game and the players themselves will have to keep that in mind and love the fans from afar during 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Huge crowds

We’ve already seen this throughout the domestic league season and at the time of writing, Arsenal Women have sold out the Emirates for the first time in their history. This, in the lead-up to their semi-final second-leg clash against VFL Wolfsburg Women.

This will continue at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which over the years, has attracted huge numbers. Already, Australia’s opener has been moved to a larger stadium to accommodate more fans.

The game was initially set to take place at the Sydney Football Stadium, which has a capacity of 45,500. However, due to ticket demands, the game will now be played at Sydney’s largest stadium, Stadium Australia, which can hold over 80,000 fans.

Expect to hear about this and the high television ratings as FIFA has already stated that it expects record viewership which means over 1.12 billion at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. This viewership was last recorded during the 2019 edition.

Poll : Will the USA defend their Women's World Cup crown in 2023?

Yes

14 votes

Edited by Shardul Sant