Women’s Football Tournaments to Look Out For
Both internationally and at club level, there are lots of women’s football tournaments to watch out for year on year. 2022 looks particularly exciting as the Women’s Euros is taking place. Let’s take a look at the main knockout competitions in the women’s football calendar.
UEFA Women’s Euros
Postponed a year due to COVID, the 2022 Women’s Euros was originally scheduled to take place in 2021. It’ll now kick off this July, and England is hosting for the first time since 2005. 16 nations will compete across four groups, with the top two in each going through to the quarter-finals. The winner of the last tournament in 2017 was the Netherlands, who also hosted on that occasion. The England women’s national football team will be hoping to win the tournament for the first time, having reached the semi-finals in 2017. Northern Ireland, meanwhile, will be competing in their first major tournament.
FIFA Women’s World Cup
The Women’s World Cup was founded in 1991 and is arguably the most prestigious tournament in women’s football. The 2023 edition will see an increase in the number of nations competing, from 24 to 32 teams. Like the Euros, it features a group stage and is followed by knockout rounds on the way to the final. The United States were crowned winners for the fourth time in France in 2019, and continue to be a force to be reckoned with.
Women’s FA Cup
Founded in 1970, the Women’s FA Cup is a knockout club competition featuring over 400 teams each year. Arsenal are the most successful club in the competition with 14 titles. Chelsea, meanwhile, are the current holders, having beat Manchester City in the 2022 final with a 3–2 win, finished off in extra time with Sam Kerr’s second goal of the game. Just under 50,000 fans watched the final at Wembley.