While Olympic champion Canada has exited the FIFA Women’s World Cup after the group stage, 16 teams are still in contention.
The expanded 32-country tournament already boasts record ticket sales, improved prize money and new faces. A look at five things from the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Canada’s early exit at the tournament will not help Canada Soccer’s bottom line as much as it no doubt hoped.
According to FIFA, participating member associations whose teams do not survive the group stage each receive $1.56 million US from the world governing body to “support football development in their countries.”
That rises to $1.87 million for reaching the round of 16, $2.18 million for making the quarterfinal, $2.455 million for fourth place, $2.61 million for third, $3.015 million for second and $4.29 million for winning it all.
Player payments come out of that prize money with FIFA suggesting a range of base payments per athlete from $30,000 for those exiting after the group stage to $270,000 per player on the champion team.
Christine Sinclair says World Cup exit a ‘wake-up call’ for Canada Soccer
Following Canada’s 4-0 loss to Australia and exit from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Christine Sinclair told CBC News’ Lyndsay Duncombe that she thinks the defeat is a “wake-up call” to Canada Soccer.
Some federations have their own payment structure in place so the actual player payments will differ. The Canadian women struck an interim labour deal with Canada Soccer during their stay in Australia that covers compensation for both 2023 and the tournament.
Terms of the agreement were not released.
In addition to the prize money, each of the 32 competing teams received some $960,000 in preparation money for use ahead of the tournament.
Total compensation on the rise
The FIFA payday goes to Canada Soccer and not Canadian Soccer Business, which handles its marketing and sponsorship.
FIFA notes the $152 million in total compensation at this year’s women’s tournament, which including the prize money plus preparation payments for the 32 teams and compensation paid to clubs, is three times more than what was on offer four years ago in France and more than 10 times the amount offered at the 2015 tournament in Canada.
But it is still well short of what the men get.
The total prize pool at last year’s 32-country tournament in Qatar was $440 million with the teams failing to advance out of the group stage like Canada — those finishing 17th through 32nd — each receiving $9 million.
Argentina, as winner, collected $42 million in prize money.
The Canadian men, also in a bitter labour dispute with Canada Soccer, say they have yet to see any of the Qatar prize money.
In addition, all 32 men’s entrants were given $1.5 million ahead of the tournament to cover preparation costs.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said the world governing body’s goal is to have equal prize money at the 2026 men’s and 2027 women’s World Cups.
The official word
The decision to have referees announce the result of video reviews has been a hit to date at the tournament.
It has added a degree of drama with fans in the stands waiting to hear the verdict. The practice was first used earlier this year at the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco and the Men’s U-20 World Cup in Argentina.
Sophie Schmidt shoulders the blame in her final World Cup match
A “gutted” Sophie Schmidt spoke with CBC News’ Lyndsay Duncombe after Canada was eliminated in a 4-0 loss to Australia at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Before the tournament, Schmidt announced she would retire from international soccer after the World Cup.
FIFA says the objective is to help fans in the stadium and TV viewers understand what is going on with referees announcing the play in question, the outcome and the reason why.
The announcement in English are made through a microphone linked to the PA system with some referees handling the language better than others.
Making their mark
Haiti, Ireland, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Vietnam and Zambia have been welcome additions to the women’s tournament.
The 46th-ranked Philippines shocked No. 26 New Zealand while No. 72 Morocco upset No. 17 South Korea, both by 1-0 scores. No. 77 Zambia downed No. 36 Costa Rica 3-1.
No. 53 Haiti lost its first two games against No. 4 England and No. 14 China, but only by 1-0 scores. No. 22 Ireland gave No. 7 Canada and No. 10 Australia all they could handle, before falling 2-1 and 1-0 respectively.
And 25th-ranked Colombia, in its third trip to the tournament, recorded a shock 2-1 win over No. 2 Germany. It was just the Germans’ second loss time in 26 Women’s World Cup group-stage matches and first since a 3-2 loss to Sweden in 1995.
FIFA says of the 17 teams that previously made their Women’s World Cup debuts this century, 11 failed to win a match at their debut tournament. Only three survived the group phase to make the knockout rounds — with Switzerland, the Netherlands and Cameroon moving on in 2015 in Canada.
Milestone goal
Zambia’s Barbra Banda scored the tournament’s 1,000th goal, converting a penalty in Monday’s 3-1 win over Costa Rica in Hamilton.
FIFA says the milestone came 31 years eight months 15 days after China’s Ma Li scored in a 4-0 win over Norway in the opening match of the inaugural 1991 tournament.
Canada, by the numbers
In leading Canada out against Australia on Monday, captain Christine Sinclair made her 23rd Women’s World Cup start which equals retired American Joy Fawcett for second-most in tournament history.
American Kristine Lilly, also retired, tops the list at 29.
It marked the sixth World Cup for the 40-year-old Sinclair, with veteran midfielder Sophie Schmidt taking part in her fifth tournament. Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, defender Vanessa Gilles, midfielder Julia Grosso and forwards Cloe Lacasse, Olivia Smith and Evelyne Viens made their World Cup debuts.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.
Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.
Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.
The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.
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