FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 review: Is this the best ever?

The dust is settling after a gripping month of football down under. Spain are world champions for the first time. This tournament was about more than just to be lifted the trophy, so will this Women's World Cup go down as one of the best of all time? Hello there and welcome to Football Now from Sydney. The FIFA Women's World Cup is over and what a tournament it has been. Who could have predicted when that first ball was kicked in Auckland six weeks ago that we would have had so many dramatic, so many surprising and so many record-breaking moments. Australia and New Zealand have been the perfect co-hosts for a tournament that really has it all. Starting with a spectacular opening ceremony in Auckland, co-hosts New Zealand and Australia got proceedings on the pitch underway with 1-0 victories on the first day. Finalists Spain and England got off to winning starts too, whilst it was the beginning of the end for USA and Brazilian legends Megan Rapinoe and Marta, who played at their last ever World Cups. Neither had a fairy tale ending though, Brazil failing to make it out of the group stage, whilst Rapinoe missed a key penalty in the shootout that knocked former holders of the USA out at the round of 16. There were though more positive stories surrounding the African sides, who surpassed many people's expectations. Inspiring wins for Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco were coupled with moments of cultural significance, as N'Hulai Benzina became the first ever player to wear a hijab at the Women's World Cup. The knockout stages brought more drama. Australia's quarter-final against France will live long in the memory for finishing with the longest penalty shootout ever seen at a World Cup, Matildas eventually coming out on top. Their journey finally came to an end though, after they were overcome by European champions England in the semi-finals. Final against Spain followed, but La Roca's high press and possession game proved too much for the Lionesses in Sydney. Olga Carmona's strike going down in history as the 1-0 win saw Spain crowned Women's World Cup champions for the first time ever. So Spain lift sports ultimate prize, a remarkable achievement given the fact that 15 of their players were on strike only 11 months ago, following a dispute with the manager Jorge Vilda. Not only that, this was only La Roca's third ever FIFA Women's World Cup. They'd never qualified for one before 2015, but the likes of Jenny Hermoso, Alexia Pateas and Aitana Bonmati have helped propel this squad to new levels. So what does this win mean for the country? It's a moment of a lifetime. This is not just for Spain, it's for all women's soccer, women's empowerment. And they did really well, they played their hearts out and they truly do deserve it. It's something amazing because not only is it a recognition for the whole country but also for all the Spanish women. So it's just great to have the chance to come to the stadium, it's just absolutely amazing. It means the world, man. I had the tickets, I didn't have tickets until this morning and everything just happened the way it should be. I'm so happy, so happy I could take my daughter to such a beautiful event. The best team won and it's the best woman that won this game. Of course, FIFA World Cups aren't just about the winners, it's about the stars of the future, the underdogs, and of course, the supporters. It has been an absolute privilege to be here in Australia during the competition, and I was lucky enough to attend Sunday's final as well. So I thought I'd give you a bit of an insight into just what it's like to be a member of the media out here in Australia. Right, it is the morning of the final, a glorious day here, as you can probably tell, too. We've heard that there's a FIFA event taking place where the president might be having a game of football. So we're gonna go and have a look and see if we can find him for a quick chat. I'm extremely happy, extremely proud. This 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup has simply been the greatest, the best FIFA Women's World Cup ever. Great atmosphere, full stadiums in the streets, everywhere, the people joyful, happy. Australia and New Zealand have been really fantastic, fantastic. Many, many records were broken, surprises, results that we couldn't expect. Eight newcomers, a new world champion. I mean, what do you want more? So, interview with the FIFA president in the can. It's around three hours until kickoff, so time to get going and head to the stadium. Right, let me check and I'll see if the beautiful view or we need to have some footwear. So our Titan X final comes to an end. The Spanish fans will be celebrating long into the night. For me, I'm going to be filing a report for Euronews, and then I'll be heading into the press conference to hear from the manager, Jorge Vilda, and that will conclude a busy day here at the FIFA 2023 Women's World Cup Final. Now we couldn't finish this week's show without a proper mention for the hosts. New Zealand more than played their part, and Australia gave us some incredible moments on and off the pitch. Cities like this one here in Sydney have been full of Matilda's shirts and flags. We caught up with former soccer ruse and Premier League star Craig Foster, who told us just what it means for the country. Tournament has made a massive social contribution to Australia. So there's legacy on a whole range of levels. We've got women's sport, so not just women's football, but all of women's sport in Australia now is entitled to say to their governing bodies, okay, where's the investment? Because everyone now knows that if you invest in the game, that's what's going to happen. The football legacy is also immense. For the first time ever, all of Australia is saying, we love this, we love this feeling. It's brought us together. We've won everything else. Now it's time for us to take on the world at its own game. And once again, I mean, that is a massive legacy. Yeah, brilliant stuff, indeed. That brings us to the end of this week's show. Do let us know your thoughts at home using the hashtag footballnowWWCchampions. Myself and the rest of the team are heading back to Doha where we'll see you at the same time next week. Bye for now.