What are we looking at?, Women's World Cup New Zealand | Strength | World Cup

Today, Beijing time, the 2023 Women's Football World Cup is about to kick off in Australia and New Zealand.

After four years of waiting, 32 teams went to the football feast together. After a whole month of intense competition, what are we watching in this Women's World Cup?

Highlight 1: "The Strong Rose" Blooms Again

The resounding rose is the biggest motivation for Chinese fans to pay attention to the Women's World Cup.

Looking back at previous Women's World Cups, Chinese women's football has had peaks and valleys.

In 1991, the first Women's World Cup was held in Guangdong, China. Chinese women's football team made their debut at the World Cup and advanced to the quarterfinals with their head held high as the first place in their group.

In the 1995 Women's World Cup, the Chinese women's football team further advanced to the semi-finals.

In the summer of 1999, the Chinese women's football team, coached by Ma Yuan'an and led by Sun Wen and Liu Ailing, presented us with a dream like journey to the World Cup in the distant United States.

The Chinese women's football team and the American women's football team will compete in the Rose Bowl, with a score of 0-0 after 120 minutes of intense competition. In the penalty shootout 4-5, we narrowly missed the world champion.

That was the pinnacle of Chinese women's football and an unforgettable memory for Chinese fans.

From 2003 to 2019, the Chinese women's football team experienced ups and downs on the World Cup stage. We can still make it to the quarterfinals, but there have also been darkest moments when we missed the World Cup finals.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese women's football team suffered a heavy blow. If viewed from the perspective of the time, there seems to be nothing to look forward to in the 2023 Women's World Cup.

But Shui Qingxia took on the task in the face of danger, and the Chinese women's football team worked together, winning consecutive comebacks against Japan and South Korea, and winning the Asian Cup championship again after 16 years. Our familiar Chinese women's football team has returned.

Players such as Wang Shanshan, Lou Jiahui, and Zhang Rui are always on the rise, while players such as Wang Shuang, Tang Jiali, and Xiao Yuyi are at their peak. Players such as Zhang Linyan, Wang Linlin, and Shen Mengyu are growing rapidly.

Today's Chinese women's football team is not outstanding in strength among 32 teams, but I believe they will give their all in every game, showing the perseverance and courage of a "resounding rose".

Highlight 2: Heroes Striving for Championships

From 1991 to 2023, the Women's World Cup has reached its 9th edition today.

In the previous 8 Women's World Cups, from a few strong teams such as the United States, Germany, and Norway competing for the championship, to dark horses like Canada and Japan making a comeback, and then to the collective rise of European women's football in the previous tournament, the top 8 teams occupied seven seats.

The current pattern of the Women's World Cup is becoming increasingly similar to that of the Men's World Cup. The main reason for this change is the rapid improvement in the level of European women's football. This also means that the 2023 Women's World Cup will be a grand competition among the strong players.

The American women's football team has won the Women's World Cup four times, but this time they are still a favorite team to win. The famous data website Opta predicts that the probability of the US women's football team winning the championship will reach 21.65%, ranking first among all teams.

The German women's football team won two consecutive World Cups in 2003 and 2007. A year ago, in the women's European Championship, the German women's football team lost to England in extra time. This time, the German women's football team remains a strong contender for the championship.

The English men's football team has been without an international championship for 57 years, while the English women's football team won the most recent Women's European Championship. The English women's football team is the second most popular championship contender after the American women's football team.

Barcelona's women's football has swept across Europe, and the Spanish women's football team is also playing the magnificent Tiki Taka, becoming a powerful force in the world of women's football.

The Dutch men's football team is known as the "uncrowned king". In the previous Women's World Cup, the Dutch women's football team advanced all the way to the final and ultimately lost to the United States to win the runner up. Will the Dutch women's football team win the World Cup championship before the Dutch men's football team?

The French women's football team is not only strong, but their head coach is also a familiar face. He is Lerner, who coached the Saudi Arabian team at the Qatar World Cup. Will his handsome white shirt bring good luck to the French women's football team?

In addition, teams such as the Tokyo Olympics champion Canadian women's football team, the Tokyo Olympics runner up Swedish women's football team, the current host Australian women's football team, and the Copa America champion Brazilian women's football team are also undeniable strengths.

Highlight three: Stars shining brightly

Who is the best player in women's football today? Alexia Putryas must be the best answer in the hearts of many people. In the past two years, she has won the Ballon d'Or and Miss World Soccer consecutively, and she is also the soul figure of Barcelona's women's football team. After experiencing injuries and returning full of blood, will she become the master of this year's Women's World Cup?

ESPN has selected the top 25 players of this World Cup, with Australian player Kerr ranking first. Kerr has won the top scorer award in women's football leagues in Australia, the United States, and England, and is also the historical top scorer of Australian women's football. Will Kerr welcome a World Cup that belongs to her as the host of this battle?

Sophia Smith may not be well-known, but she may be the most dazzling figure in the American women's football team at this year's Women's World Cup. At the age of 23, she is the MVP of the 2022 American League, and she will have the opportunity to become another legendary figure to succeed Lapinoue and Morgan.

In this World Cup, 34 year old Alex Morgan also came, and 38 year old Megan Lapinoue also came. Lapinoue and Morgan have both won the Women's World Cup twice and the Olympic Women's Football Championship once. Lapinoue has also won the Women's Ballon d'Or and Miss World Soccer, while Morgan has also won the Women's Champions League.

Image: American player Lapinoue, winner of the Women's Football Ballon d'Or

37 year old Mata has also arrived, and she will participate in the Women's World Cup for the 6th time. She is only one year older than Messi, but she ruled football several years earlier than Messi.

Mata has participated in 5 Olympic Games and 5 World Cups, and has scored goals in every major competition. She has been elected Miss World Soccer 6 times, which is even more remarkable.

Mata currently ranks first on the Women's World Cup all-time top scorer list with 17 goals. In this Women's World Cup, even if Mata cannot fulfill her dream of winning the championship, she is likely to continue to expand her goal scoring record.

In addition, players such as Bopp from the German team, Hegberry from the Norwegian team, Jesse Fleming from the Canadian team, and Shaxi Kumagaya from the Japanese team are also worth paying attention to.

Highlight 4: The Most Expensive Women's Football World Cup in History

Once, the influence of the Women's World Cup and the Men's World Cup could not be compared. Now, even though there is still a gap between the two, this gap is rapidly narrowing.

In the past few years, the attendance records for the women's European Championship and UEFA Champions League have been continuously broken. Barcelona women's football, England women's football and other teams have also become popular due to their outstanding performances, and more and more male football fans are also paying attention to women's football.

The total prize money for the 2018 Men's World Cup was $400 million, and the total prize money for the 2022 Qatar World Cup was $440 million. The total prize money for the 2019 Women's World Cup was $30 million, while the total prize money for the 2023 Women's World Cup was $152 million.

There is still a gap between men's and women's football, but the gap is significantly narrowing. The increase in bonuses can reflect the increase in the commercial value of women's football, ultimately, it is an increase in global enthusiasm for women's football.

The schedule of the group stage of the Chinese women's football team is as follows:

July 22, 20:00 Denmark Women's Football vs China Women's Football

July 28, 19:00 Chinese Women's Football vs Haitian Women's Football

August 01 19:00 Chinese women's football vs England women's football