The Women’s World Cup will be held here in Brazil for the first time. It will feature 32 teams from June 24 to July 25, 2027.
Everywhere throughout the country girls are already passionate about the sport, looking up to the stars of the women’s national team as role models. And fans of all ages are guaranteed to be there.
Six-year-old Manuela Baère is already excited to see the players on the field.
“I love football. Did you know I take football lessons? I can’t wait to see the girls play. We only ever see the boys. I’m so excited for us to see the girls play,” she said.
Sofia Seabra, 13, is a huge fan of forward Marta, who continues to inspire generations. The student from Brasília is already figuring out a way to watch the opening match of the Women’s World Cup at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
“I grew up playing football with boys, but that never got me down. Even though I wasn’t as physically strong as they were, I always pushed myself harder and harder to improve. I’ll be cheering really hard next year,” she noted.
Cultural change
In April this year, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) appointed Aline Pellegrino – former captain of the Brazilian national team, runner-up at the 2007 World Cup, and an Olympic medalist at the 2004 Athens Games – as executive director of legacy and institutional relations for the 2027 FIFA World Cup.
She highlights the power of the Women’s World Cup in driving cultural change.
“At this moment when women’s place in society is being recognized, this World Cup also has a social dimension. It helps us become a more egalitarian society. And I think football has this power to bring about change and transformation. So I believe that a major legacy that can emerge on its own is this cultural legacy. There’s enormous potential to share these stories, to change the culture, so that girls and boys start playing football together from the very beginning – and for that not to be a problem, because it isn’t a problem. I hope this World Cup will bring about many changes in our society here in Brazil,” she stated.
And for those who are already on the field following in the footsteps of athletes like Aline Pellegrino, one thing is certain – next year’s World Cup will bring greater visibility to women’s football. Such is the view of Myllene D’Arc, a 34-year-old player for the Republicanas de Brasília team.
“I always watched the boys play, and then I ended up playing with them and fell in love with the sport. My hope for the Women’s World Cup is that it will bring much more visibility to women, to show that football isn’t just for men, right? It’s for women too, and we can do whatever we want, play whatever sport we want, because we’re empowered,” she argued.
On the streets, as the men’s World Cup was drawing to a close, opinions about the women’s World Cup ranged from the more optimistic to the less so. But the idea that female athletes need more visibility and recognition is nearly unanimous.
Next year, eight state capitals will host the competition – Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and São Paulo.
Since 1991, when the first Women’s World Cup was held, the trophy has been lifted by only five teams over the course of the tournament’s nine editions – the US (four times), Germany (two), Norway (one), Japan (one), and Spain (one), the current champion. Let the cheering begin, as we hope the talented Brazilian athletes will claim the unprecedented title of world champions on home soil.
Source: Agência Brasil