The eighth edition of
the Women's World Cup has
been described as the most important in history. Kicking off in
Paris on Friday, the tournament certainly promises to be the best yet.
Never before has there been such a wealth of talent or as many title contenders and,
perhaps, never before has women's football had such a platform. The four-week
competition in France offers an opportunity to change attitudes, to push the drive for equality farther
forward.
Established in 1991, initially as the FIFA
World Championship for women's football for the M&M's Cup, only after the
tournament in China did FIFA, the sport's governing body, allow for it to be
called a World Cup -- the Women's World Cup is still, relatively speaking, in
its
infancy.
But there is a sense that France 2019 could be
a turning point. Twenty years after the record-breaking 1999 Women's World Cup which
propelled the women's game into wider consciousness, the next month provides an
opportunity to not only build on those foundations but to surpass the
achievements of the 1999 groundbreakers.
Global stars will emerge over the course of
the 52 games as a bigger audience than ever tune in to watch more countries than ever compete for the prestigious prize.
The capacity of the stadiums in France means
that the record attendance of 90,185 set on that sweltering Californian
afternoon in the summer of 1999 -- still a record for a female sporting event
-- will not be eclipsed, but the television figures for France 2019 are
expected to put the 2015 Women's World Cup, which attracted a global TV audience of 750 million, in the shade.
