July 19, (THEWILL) – FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, has reiterated his confidence in the remarkable growth of women’s football over the past decade and his belief that the upcoming Women’s World Cup will captivate even the most sceptical observers.
The highly anticipated tournament, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, is poised to draw a global audience of an unprecedented scale for women’s football, with FIFA estimating that over 2 billion viewers will tune in for the 64 thrilling matches set to kick off in Auckland on Thursday.
Infantino said: “Many people who believe that women’s football is still not a great game, or it’s not so entertaining or it’s kind of a bad copy of men’s football or some stuff like that – well when they watch a game for the first time they will actually see that it’s a fantastic game.” He pointed to the immense progress made by the sport in the last decade, noting that the Women’s World Cup will feature the finest players from around the world and their skills and passion for the game.
The FIFA President argued that football is one of the sports where the women’s game can truly compete with its male counterpart: “It’s really inconceivable, intellectually, that there is not one sport that can compete with some of the men’s sports.”
As the ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup approaches, all eyes are on the tournament’s opening ceremony in Auckland, followed by the first match between New Zealand and Norway. While ticket sales have exceeded 1 million already, concerns have been raised over the slower sales pace in New Zealand, prompting FIFA to give away 20,000 free tickets to encourage local support and engagement.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
