By Ayobami Okerinde
At the blast of the whistle in the opening game between New Zealand and Norway, millions of supporters were hopeful of a great tournament to come.
Three round of matches will go on to be completed among the competing 36 teams, with a staggering total of 126 goals scored.
Amid this were some shocks and surprises that lit up the tournament and stoke anticipation for more intrigues as we gear up for the second round.
Surprises
Africa
Africa’s representatives are flying the continent’s flag high at the tournament. Three of the four representatives have qualified for the round of 16.
Prior to the tournament, football fans had less hope of any of the countries qualifying for the next round of the competition.
All four representatives — Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, and Zambia — won at least one game, despite Zambia crashing out in the group stage.
Nigeria became the first country from the continent to qualify consecutively from the group stage; South Africa, in their second attempt, scored their first ever world cup goal and secured qualification; and Morocco, in their debut tournament, shocked the world by qualifying for the round of 16.
Jamaica
Another inspirational story in the tournament is the story of the Jamaican national team.
Related News
- England vs Nigeria: We won’t be intimidated – Super Falcons coach Waldrum speaks tough
- What Dembele’s move mean for Barcelona and Xavi
- NPFL: Club owners jettisons abridged league, approve August 26 as resumption date
Jamaica became the first Caribbean nation to reach the knockout phase of the tournament. The team stunned the world by qualifying ahead of Brazil.
The ‘Reggae Girlz’ have been disbanded twice, in 2008 and 2016, by the country’s football federation.
With no support or funding,the team was forced to crowdfund to raise money for travel, accommodation, and meal costs just before their opening game.
An online donation page called “Reggae Girlz Rise Up,” created by one of the player’s mothers, raised nearly $50,000 for the team.
Shock
The elimination of some of the tournament’s favorites will go down as one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history.
Olympic winner Canada was one of the shocks of the tournament after their third-place finish in Group B.
The team only got 4 points out of a possible 9. A 4-0 defeat in their final group game sent the Sinclair-led side packing from the tournament.
Similarly, Brazil’s exit remains arguably the country’s worst performance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In their last group game, the team only needed a win to secure qualification for the next round of the tournament.
Two-time women’s World Cup champions, Germany also exited the tournament after the 0-0 draw against South Korea in their last group game.
The 2023 edition could have a new winner, with Japan, Norway, and the USA remaining as the only countries to have won the competition.
