FIFA President Gianni Infantino left from watching the FIFA Women's World Cup in host nations Australia and New Zealand to spend a week on the Pacific Islands, backtracking his call for fans to fill up the stadiums, as well as the organization's $49 million direct bonus promise to female players.
In his article for Forbes, freelance journalist and Hispanophile Henry Flynn noticed Infantino's trend of watching every single men's World Cup in Qatar but has not done the same consistency with the women's tournament.
"High-stakes knockout matches will be all the talk when the international soccer chief returns from his reported stays on South Pacific islands," he wrote. "Yet, as this spectacle has already shown, the Women's World Cup is worth more than any showpiece game."
Colombia's Cafeteras have qualified for the next round of the FIFA Women's World Cup after a 2-1 win Sunday (July 30) against Germany's Frauenteam, the first in Group H to do so. Flynn highlighted Infantino's absence in the upset after 18-year-old Cafetera Linda Caicedo gave the side a headstart, which was secured by teammate Manuela Vanegas.
"The result sparked euphoria in a nation whose men couldn't grasp a spot in the last equivalent major championship," Flynn added.
The Colombian newspaper El Tiempo called the Cafeteras' poetic win as the most important victory in Colombian women's football history.
Caicedo also plays for Real Madrid Femenino in Spain's women's football league Liga F.
Read Also: HNGN's Coverage of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Eliminated Teams So Far
Meanwhile, this year's edition of the Women's World Cup has been expanded from 24 teams to 32 as football's female category has been gaining traction on both established national teams and up-starter ones.
As per The Sporting News, the expansion gave more teams a chance to prove themselves on the world stage, even in the group eliminations.
However, as is the nature of any sport, there have been teams that were already eliminated in the female version of the world sport's sought-after competition.
As of this report, nine sides have already been eliminated before the group stage was through. The most high-profile team knocked out of the game early on were the Olympic champions Canada, who were defeated by co-host Australia 4-0 Monday (July 31) in the battle for the second spot of Group B's ticket to the knockout stage.
On Sunday (July 30), tournament co-host New Zealand Football Ferns were knocked out of Group A after a scoreless draw against Switzerland.
After a historic win against New Zealand, the Filipinas bowed out last in Group A rankings after they were demolished by Norway 6-0 Sunday. Their loss meant Southeast Asia was one of the first international regions to be eliminated from the game.
There were also teams that have not won at all in the tournament and joined the list of early exits:
South Korea's Taeguks were eliminated after losing to Morocco 1-0 on July 30. They are still to play against Germany on August 3.
Panama's Canaleras lost to Jamaica 1-0 on July 29. They still have a match against powerhouse side France on Wednesday (August 2).
Vietnam's Diamond Girls was the first ASEAN nation to be eliminated after their defeat against Portugal 2-0 on July 27. They have one last chance to prove themselves in their upcoming match against the Netherlands on Tuesday (August 1)
The Costa Rican Ticas lost their match against Japan 2-0 on July 26. They also placed last in Group C standings after losing to Zambia 3-1 on July 31.
Zambia's Copper Queens, the lowest-ranking team to be eliminated to date, were no match to Spain's golden 5-0 performance during their July 26 game, but they restored their dignity after defeating another Spanish-speaking nation in Group C, Costa Rica, with a 3-1 win Monday.
Ireland's Girls in Green placed last in Group B after losing its match with Canada 2-1 on July 26 but went down swinging after settling for a scoreless draw with Nigeria on their final game Monday.
Standing Updates
Here are the updates for the remaining teams that compete in the Women's World Cup:
Group A: Switzerland and Norway's Grasshoppers have qualified for the knockout stage, with no further games left for New Zealand and the Philippines, who were both eliminated.
Group B: Nigeria's Super Falcons and the Australian Matildas are set to enter the next stage of the tournament.
Group C: Nadeshiko Japan and Spain are both already qualified for the next round, but their match on Monday was for group rankings. The Japanese girls sliced through the Spaniards 4-0 in their respective final group match.
Group D: Currently, England and Denmark are the top two teams in the running to qualify for their group, but they are yet to face China's Steel Roses and Haiti's Grenadiers, respectively, on Tuesday.
Group E: The US Stars and Stripes, the Dutch Orange Lionesses, and the Portuguese Quinas are still in the running for a spot in the knockout stages. The Americans and the Dutch settled for a 1-1 draw in their July 27 match.
Group F: The pressure is on for the Brazilian Canaries to qualify in the next round as they face off with the Jamaican Reggae Girlz on Wednesday. France's Les Bleues are also not in the clear even if they share the top spot with Jamaica as they still have to face off against the eliminated Canaleras, also on Wednesday.
Group G: Sweden's Blågults have already qualified after their 5-0 dominance over Italy in their July 29 match. Aside from that, it is still anyone's game for Italy, Argentina, and South Africa in Group G's Thursday (August 3) doubleheader.
Group H: With the Cafeteras securing the first of two knockout stage slots and with South Korea eliminated, a Group H double-header on Thursday would be up for grabs between Germany (vs. South Korea) and Morocco's Atlas Lionesses (vs. Colombia).
