Three of the top 10 FIFA-ranked countries have exited the tournament in the group stage.
Can we say that the FIFA ranking system is bogus? Brazil and Germany are only two of the renowned women's teams that have been eliminated from the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup group stage. Lower-ranked nations such as Morocco and Jamaica have advanced to the round of 16 in what has become a tournament of upsets and surprises.
With the expanded format to 32 teams, unheralded nations like Haiti, Vietnam, and the Philippines showed up in Australia and New Zealand and rocked the boat.
Some surprising results
Philippines (46) 1-0 New Zealand (26)
Nigeria (40) 3-2 Australia (10)
Morocco (72) 1-0 South Korea (17)
South Africa (54) 3-2 Italy (15)
Colombia (25) 2-1 Germany (2)
The results have been unpredictable at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Even the defending champions, the USA, had a challenging 0-0 match against Portugal to make it to the round of 16, whereas Panama (ranked 52) managed to score three goals against France (ranked 5). Coach Randy Waldrum said the Nigerian team felt undervalued and underappreciated when they arrived for the tournament, which is a feeling many teams from non-European and North American regions have.
The list of countries in the last 16 makes for interesting reading. Three countries from Africa are through; Nigeria, South Africa, and Morocco, while three of the top 10 FIFA-ranked countries-two-time champions Germany, Canada (Olympic champions), and Brazil have been sent packing.
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One can argue that the surprises in the tournament might be attributed to the difference in financial incentives 'directly' allocated to the players. In Australia and New Zealand, every player receives a minimum of $30,000, with the amount increasing as the stages progress. Advancing to the round of 16 grants each player $60,000 (approximately N46 million).
This substantial financial motivation provides players from countries like Nigeria and Jamaica with an even greater incentive to perform exceptionally well.
At the 73rd FIFA Congress in March, FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed that the Women's World Cup prize money has increased by 300%, to $150 million.
He said, "For the first time ever, I [Infantino] plan to dedicate a specific portion of this payment, which mainly has to go to football development, but a specific portion of that should go, of course, to the players."
While this statement continues to be scrutinised to mean many things, the simple fact is that players will be richer for playing in the World Cup, with a specific amount coming to them as ascribed by FIFA.
The round of 16 kicks off on Saturday, and there is no guarantee that better-ranked teams are safe from the minnows. The target is the quarterfinal--oh, sorry, $90,000!
