Matildas marketing juggernaut rolls on as World Cup co-hosts thrive
From CNN's Hilary Whiteman in Brisbane, Australia
Australia fans show their support prior to the match between Australia and Nigeria in Brisbane, Australia on July 27. Elsa/FIFA/Getty Images
Despite early grumbles about the lack of free-to-air coverage in Australia, this Women’s World Cup has taken the country by storm.
Football Australia says it’s partly to do with it huge investment in the Matildas — both on and off the field, partly through marketing deals with big brand names.
For example, young fans — or their parents — can buy Matildas branded lunch boxes and bus lanyards from Smiggle, the Australian company that remains the brand of choice for cashed-up kids in Aussie primary schools.
“We took some risk. And we invested in things not only just scarves and beanies, which is your typical football merchandise, but you can get, Matildas backpacks and water bottles … handbags, perfume,” said James Johnson, CEO of Football Australia.
Matildas shirts have been flying off the shelves, and if the team can beat Denmark in Monday’s match in Sydney, Football Australia expects even bigger bumper sales.
“If the Matildas continue to play into the later stages of the tournament beyond round 16, we think that number may even get to three times the amount of the Socceroos shirts were sold in Qatar,” Johnson said.
And if the Matildas don’t win Monday’s match?
“If they don't continue the back end of the tournament, we think that we've got the Australian public already on that Women's World Cup wave,” Johnson said.
17 min ago
Nigeria aims for another World Cup shock against England
From CNN's Issy Ronald
England's players celebrate during the Group D match against China in Adelaide, Australia, on August 1. Li Yibo/Xinhua/Getty Images
England’s World Cup campaign has been steadily building momentum — a cagey opening 1-0 victory against Haiti was followed by a 1-0 win against Denmark and a 6-1 dismantling of China.
Remarkably, forward Lauren James has been involved in three quarters of the Lionesses’ goals at the World Cup, accumulating a tournament high of six combined goals and assists, averaging one every 37 minutes.
The Lionesses’ performances in the group stage, particularly against China, confirmed their status as one of the favorites for the title as they continue their remarkable run of just one defeat in 35 matches under manager Sarina Wiegman, and will be buoyed by the potential return of key midfielder Keira Walsh from injury ahead of Monday’s game.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s victory over Australia was one of the standout upset results in the group stages and its forward Rasheedat Ajibade says her team is confident of repeating another shock.
“We’ve seen a lot of surprises in this World Cup, it’s not about the name, it’s not about the players, it’s not about all of those things,” she told FIFA. “Honestly, I respect every player on the England team but we have a lot of quality on our team and a lot of talent that poses threats. I’m focused on what we can do as a team and not what England want to do and at the end of the day it boils down to what we will do on the field.”
The two teams have played each other just once before at the Women’s World Cup back in 1995 when England won 3-2.
23 min ago
How to watch England, Nigeria, Australia and Denmark fight for a place in the quarterfinals
From CNN's Issy Ronald
With two of the quarterfinals already decided, attention now turns towards the other half of the draw where, on Monday, the fates of England, Nigeria, Australia and Denmark will be determined.
Both match-ups offer their own intriguing storylines. Can Nigeria upset European champion England and reach the quarterfinals for the first time? And can host nation Australia build on its emphatic victory against Canada, after it was unexpectedly defeated by Nigeria?
How to watch: In the US, matches will air on your local Fox channel — England will face Nigeria at 3:30 a.m. ET before Australia play Denmark at 6:30 a.m. ET. You can also stream matches by signing in with your TV provider at foxsports.com or on the Fox Sports app. Telemundo and Peacock are providing Spanish-language coverage.
Seven Network and Optus Sport are broadcasting matches in Australia and the BBC and ITV have the rights in the United Kingdom.
A full breakdown of media rights holders in each country is available on the FIFA website.
35 min ago
Three African teams have reached the Women’s World Cup knockout stages for the first time ever
From CNN's Jack Bantock
Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji of Zambia celebrate after the team's victory as Valeria Del Campo of Costa Rica reacts after the team's defeat and elimination from the tournament in Hamilton, New Zealand on July 31. Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Many predictions didn’t have a single African side making it out of the group stages at the Women’s World Cup, but the continent has once again defied expectations — just as it did at Qatar 2022 for the men’s tournament.
Nigeria, South Africa and tournament debutants Morocco have all stamped their tickets to the knockout round of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, ensuring the presence of three African teams in the tournament’s last 16 for the first time ever.
Zambia fell short of making it four-out-of-four for the African nations, finishing third in Group C behind two of the competition’s strongest sides, Japan and Spain. Yet the tournament’s lowest FIFA world-ranked team (77th) bowed out in style, claiming their first ever Women’s World Cup win with a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica.
For the three remaining African sides, dreams of replicating — or even surpassing — Morocco’s achievement of reaching the semifinals at Qatar 2022 remain very real.
Nigeria is back in action against England on Monday: It might have featured two scoreless draws, but Nigeria’s route to its match today was not short on drama.
A penalty save from goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie helped the Super Falcons to an impressive 0-0 draw against reigning Olympic champion Canada in their opening Group B game. It was a solid start for a side that arrived at the tournament having conceded more goals at the World Cup than any other team.
A bout with co-hosts Australia served up one of the games of the tournament so far, as Nigeria stunned Brisbane Stadium with a thrilling 3-2 victory.
A 0-0 draw against already eliminated Republic of Ireland was enough to see Nigeria progress from the group stages for the third time in their history, but they did surrender top spot in the section to Australia after the co-hosts dismantled Canada 4-0.
What would have been a match-up against Group D runners up Denmark is now a showdown with reigning European champion England. To go any further, the Super Falcons will have to stop a team with a perfect record at the tournament so far and beat European opposition at the Women’s World Cup for only the second time in their history.
40 min ago
A changing of the guard in women's soccer but the US future can still be bright
Analysis from CNN's Aimee Lewis
US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher dives for a shot during the penalty shootout against Sweden in Melbourne, Australia on August 6. Robin Alam/USSF/Getty Images
US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher stood alone holding the ball and inhaled deeply, her eyes wide in disbelief, as Sweden’s players raced pitchside to form a joyous heap of yellow on the grass. Some of her teammates were in tears. “Feels like a bad dream,” Alex Morgan would later tell Fox Sports.
The match was over, the US defeated by Sweden on penalties in the last 16, and gone were the dreams of making history. The team that had cleared the path for all others had been caught. This was a changing of the guard in women’s soccer.
It isn’t that the US has never lost a women’s soccer match, but it last suffered defeat at a World Cup 12 years ago and has never been knocked out of the tournament at such an early stage.
This is a country that had won four of the previous eight editions of the tournament and had always reached the semifinals. Now, it is out having failed to make it to the quarterfinals. It will take time for that to register with players and fans.
For decades, ever since that first World Cup win in 1991, the US has been the standard-bearer in women’s soccer, the dominant force on the pitch, its leading voice off it.
As First Lady Jill Biden wrote on social media, addressing her country’s defeated team: “You made this sport matter.”
Perhaps, in time, even those in the US will come to regard this loss as a positive development for the women’s game because no sport or competition thrives in a hegemony.
Three of the four former World Cup winners are no longer in the tournament, while the so-called underdogs have thrived. As the US team itself posted on social media after the match, “This year’s Women’s World Cup is a testament to the growth of women’s soccer on a global scale …”
Stinging penalty shootout defeat brings unfamiliar feelings for a historically dominant US team
From CNN's Issy Ronald
United States' Megan Rapinoe reacts after missing the penalty during the match against Sweden in Melbourne, Australia on August 6. Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Disappointment is an unfamiliar emotion for the US when it comes to women’s soccer. This is a team that had not lost a Women’s World Cup match for 12 years, had never finished worse than third in the tournament, and was aiming for a historic World Cup three-peat, a near-impossible feat never achieved in men’s or women’s soccer.
So when the US crashed out of this World Cup in the Round of 16, losing a dramatic penalty shootout against Sweden in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday, there was a stunned sense of disbelief — of it all simply being a “bad dream,” as the team's legendary forward Alex Morgan said.
Public figures sent consolation messages on social media, while the team itself — also mourning the impending retirement of iconic forward Megan Rapinoe and likely retirement of fellow stalwart Julie Ertz — huddled together on the pitch, before facing questions not previously asked of the US Women’s National Team.
The team's young players have emerged onto the world stage in the harshest cauldron imaginable — now the team will reckon with the end of several iconic players’ international careers, and try to build toward a future without some of those familiar faces.
Read more about the US team's exit, and it's future prospects, here.
It's the Round of 16 at the FIFA Women's World Cup, with teams facing elimination in each match. Winners advance to the final eight.
Soon: England takes on Nigeria at 3:30 a.m. ET. The Lionesses have a perfect record this tournament and are strongly favored, but the Super Falcons' dazzling attack has proven capable of stunning upsets.
Later: Australia faces Denmark at 6:30 a.m. ET. The co-host Aussies are coming off an impressive 4-0 win over the Olympic champion Canada.
No three-peat: On Sunday, the US team fell short in its quest for a third straight title, losing its first World Cup match in 12 years by way of penalty shootout against Sweden.
Australia fans show their support prior to the match between Australia and Nigeria in Brisbane, Australia on July 27. Elsa/FIFA/Getty Images
Despite early grumbles about the lack of free-to-air coverage in Australia, this Women’s World Cup has taken the country by storm.
Football Australia says it’s partly to do with it huge investment in the Matildas — both on and off the field, partly through marketing deals with big brand names.
For example, young fans — or their parents — can buy Matildas branded lunch boxes and bus lanyards from Smiggle, the Australian company that remains the brand of choice for cashed-up kids in Aussie primary schools.
“We took some risk. And we invested in things not only just scarves and beanies, which is your typical football merchandise, but you can get, Matildas backpacks and water bottles … handbags, perfume,” said James Johnson, CEO of Football Australia.
Matildas shirts have been flying off the shelves, and if the team can beat Denmark in Monday’s match in Sydney, Football Australia expects even bigger bumper sales.
“If the Matildas continue to play into the later stages of the tournament beyond round 16, we think that number may even get to three times the amount of the Socceroos shirts were sold in Qatar,” Johnson said.
And if the Matildas don’t win Monday’s match?
“If they don't continue the back end of the tournament, we think that we've got the Australian public already on that Women's World Cup wave,” Johnson said.
England's players celebrate during the Group D match against China in Adelaide, Australia, on August 1. Li Yibo/Xinhua/Getty Images
England’s World Cup campaign has been steadily building momentum — a cagey opening 1-0 victory against Haiti was followed by a 1-0 win against Denmark and a 6-1 dismantling of China.
Remarkably, forward Lauren James has been involved in three quarters of the Lionesses’ goals at the World Cup, accumulating a tournament high of six combined goals and assists, averaging one every 37 minutes.
The Lionesses’ performances in the group stage, particularly against China, confirmed their status as one of the favorites for the title as they continue their remarkable run of just one defeat in 35 matches under manager Sarina Wiegman, and will be buoyed by the potential return of key midfielder Keira Walsh from injury ahead of Monday’s game.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s victory over Australia was one of the standout upset results in the group stages and its forward Rasheedat Ajibade says her team is confident of repeating another shock.
“We’ve seen a lot of surprises in this World Cup, it’s not about the name, it’s not about the players, it’s not about all of those things,” she told FIFA. “Honestly, I respect every player on the England team but we have a lot of quality on our team and a lot of talent that poses threats. I’m focused on what we can do as a team and not what England want to do and at the end of the day it boils down to what we will do on the field.”
The two teams have played each other just once before at the Women’s World Cup back in 1995 when England won 3-2.
With two of the quarterfinals already decided, attention now turns towards the other half of the draw where, on Monday, the fates of England, Nigeria, Australia and Denmark will be determined.
Both match-ups offer their own intriguing storylines. Can Nigeria upset European champion England and reach the quarterfinals for the first time? And can host nation Australia build on its emphatic victory against Canada, after it was unexpectedly defeated by Nigeria?
How to watch: In the US, matches will air on your local Fox channel — England will face Nigeria at 3:30 a.m. ET before Australia play Denmark at 6:30 a.m. ET. You can also stream matches by signing in with your TV provider at foxsports.com or on the Fox Sports app. Telemundo and Peacock are providing Spanish-language coverage.
Seven Network and Optus Sport are broadcasting matches in Australia and the BBC and ITV have the rights in the United Kingdom.
A full breakdown of media rights holders in each country is available on the FIFA website.
Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji of Zambia celebrate after the team's victory as Valeria Del Campo of Costa Rica reacts after the team's defeat and elimination from the tournament in Hamilton, New Zealand on July 31. Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Many predictions didn’t have a single African side making it out of the group stages at the Women’s World Cup, but the continent has once again defied expectations — just as it did at Qatar 2022 for the men’s tournament.
Nigeria, South Africa and tournament debutants Morocco have all stamped their tickets to the knockout round of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, ensuring the presence of three African teams in the tournament’s last 16 for the first time ever.
Zambia fell short of making it four-out-of-four for the African nations, finishing third in Group C behind two of the competition’s strongest sides, Japan and Spain. Yet the tournament’s lowest FIFA world-ranked team (77th) bowed out in style, claiming their first ever Women’s World Cup win with a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica.
For the three remaining African sides, dreams of replicating — or even surpassing — Morocco’s achievement of reaching the semifinals at Qatar 2022 remain very real.
Nigeria is back in action against England on Monday: It might have featured two scoreless draws, but Nigeria’s route to its match today was not short on drama.
A penalty save from goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie helped the Super Falcons to an impressive 0-0 draw against reigning Olympic champion Canada in their opening Group B game. It was a solid start for a side that arrived at the tournament having conceded more goals at the World Cup than any other team.
A bout with co-hosts Australia served up one of the games of the tournament so far, as Nigeria stunned Brisbane Stadium with a thrilling 3-2 victory.
A 0-0 draw against already eliminated Republic of Ireland was enough to see Nigeria progress from the group stages for the third time in their history, but they did surrender top spot in the section to Australia after the co-hosts dismantled Canada 4-0.
What would have been a match-up against Group D runners up Denmark is now a showdown with reigning European champion England. To go any further, the Super Falcons will have to stop a team with a perfect record at the tournament so far and beat European opposition at the Women’s World Cup for only the second time in their history.
US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher dives for a shot during the penalty shootout against Sweden in Melbourne, Australia on August 6. Robin Alam/USSF/Getty Images
US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher stood alone holding the ball and inhaled deeply, her eyes wide in disbelief, as Sweden’s players raced pitchside to form a joyous heap of yellow on the grass. Some of her teammates were in tears. “Feels like a bad dream,” Alex Morgan would later tell Fox Sports.
The match was over, the US defeated by Sweden on penalties in the last 16, and gone were the dreams of making history. The team that had cleared the path for all others had been caught. This was a changing of the guard in women’s soccer.
It isn’t that the US has never lost a women’s soccer match, but it last suffered defeat at a World Cup 12 years ago and has never been knocked out of the tournament at such an early stage.
This is a country that had won four of the previous eight editions of the tournament and had always reached the semifinals. Now, it is out having failed to make it to the quarterfinals. It will take time for that to register with players and fans.
For decades, ever since that first World Cup win in 1991, the US has been the standard-bearer in women’s soccer, the dominant force on the pitch, its leading voice off it.
As First Lady Jill Biden wrote on social media, addressing her country’s defeated team: “You made this sport matter.”
Perhaps, in time, even those in the US will come to regard this loss as a positive development for the women’s game because no sport or competition thrives in a hegemony.
Three of the four former World Cup winners are no longer in the tournament, while the so-called underdogs have thrived. As the US team itself posted on social media after the match, “This year’s Women’s World Cup is a testament to the growth of women’s soccer on a global scale …”
United States' Megan Rapinoe reacts after missing the penalty during the match against Sweden in Melbourne, Australia on August 6. Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Disappointment is an unfamiliar emotion for the US when it comes to women’s soccer. This is a team that had not lost a Women’s World Cup match for 12 years, had never finished worse than third in the tournament, and was aiming for a historic World Cup three-peat, a near-impossible feat never achieved in men’s or women’s soccer.
So when the US crashed out of this World Cup in the Round of 16, losing a dramatic penalty shootout against Sweden in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday, there was a stunned sense of disbelief — of it all simply being a “bad dream,” as the team's legendary forward Alex Morgan said.
Public figures sent consolation messages on social media, while the team itself — also mourning the impending retirement of iconic forward Megan Rapinoe and likely retirement of fellow stalwart Julie Ertz — huddled together on the pitch, before facing questions not previously asked of the US Women’s National Team.
The team's young players have emerged onto the world stage in the harshest cauldron imaginable — now the team will reckon with the end of several iconic players’ international careers, and try to build toward a future without some of those familiar faces.
Read more about the US team's exit, and it's future prospects, here.
