As the fellow once said, reality ain’t as real as it used to be.  I kept returning to this thought while watching Under Pressure, the TIME and FIFA-produced docuseries about the U.S. women’s national team’s progress through the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which debuts on Netflix on Tuesday. Director Rebecca Gitlitz most likely sought to tell one kind of story, and thanks to the United States’ heartbreaking Round of 16 exit, was forced to tell an entirely different one. The tension of what really happened and what got reshaped into a four-part narrative becomes the central question of the ..read more

A survey of 2023 Women’s World Cup players, conducted by world players’ union FIFPRO, underscored the growing conflict between international duties and professional leagues in women’s soccer. The problem was particularly pervasive due to the timing of this year’s World Cup, which started and ended approximately one month later than previous editions due to it being staged in Australia and New Zealand during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter. Fifty-three percent of players surveyed felt they did not have enough rest time before their first World Cup match, FIFPRO said, while 60% felt their post ..read more

Jorge Vilda has been fired as head coach and sporting director of Spain’s women’s national team less than three weeks after coaching the squad to a historic first Women’s World Cup title. The move is the first measure in what the Royal Spanish Football Federation claims will be sweeping changes in the ongoing fallout from suspended president Luis Rubiales’ on-stage kiss on the lips of Spain midfielder Jenni Hermoso. Vilda had been Spain’s coach since late 2015, taking over just after the team’s first senior World Cup appearance and guiding the squad to the knockout stage of the tournament in 2 ..read more

There are few countries in the world where soccer is as central and preeminent as it is in Spain. Clubs are century-old institutions, and presidents (especially from Real Madrid and FC Barcelona) are considered to be way more relevant and powerful than cabinet ministers. People old and young love the game; Spanish teams are used to winning continental and world titles; and the national team, la Selección, has been living its golden age for the past 15 years. A week ago, the women’s side won the World Cup for the first time. Nearly everything is good — on the pitch. Yet soccer institutions in S ..read more

Developments continue to unfold following RFEF president Luis Rubiales’ internationally televised and nonconsensual kiss on star striker Jenni Hermoso during the FIFA Women’s World Cup medal ceremony. Bookmark this page to keep up with all the major developments in real time. Below you’ll find links and news updates to the story in reverse chronological order. *Editor’s note: Some statements have been translated to English and may contain errors. Aug. 26, 2023 Spain head coach Jorge Vilda released a statement speaking out against Rubiales’ “unacceptable” and “improper behavior.” However, he di ..read more

It’s been less than a week since Spain was crowned FIFA Women’s World Cup champions. Instead of being able to celebrate the huge victory, the news cycle has been dominated by the conduct of Spanish Football Association (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales after he was filmed behaving lewdly while celebrating Spain’s victory and forcing a nonconsensual kiss on star striker Jenni Hermoso. On Friday, widespread reporting indicated that Royal Spanish Football Association (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales would resign, but instead, Rubiales stood before an assembled RFEF and vowed would fight any attempts t ..read more

“Hold on, they’re talking about the World Cup!” It was nearly midnight, and as my wife and I parked the car in front of her home in rural Tuscany, the radio signal finally started coming in clear. Between songs, the late-night hosts of a popular station Radio Deejay took a moment to shout out this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup ahead of Italy’s opening match. I quickly reached for the volume to hear what they were saying.  “The game is slower than the men’s game, but it’s more technical and you can see more,” explained the male voice over the radio waves.  My heart sank a bit. I kne ..read more

“Beyond Greatness” This was the tagline for this year’s World Cup and it was represented in several different ways throughout the tournament, but none more so than in the euphoria and discovery of the new, underappreciated teams emerging as genuine footballing sides, now on the verge of potentially becoming mainstays in women’s international football. Alternatively, you can look at the deeper, more intricate details and understand that the level of tactics in the broader game has profoundly improved. Most of the top sides came in with a dedicated style of play and though some teams’ identitie ..read more

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup provided us with some stunning results and moments. From New Zealand’s maiden win in World Cup play to Spain’s triumphant score over England, the ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup had it all. Here is a look back at some of the top moments from the tournament. Sam Kerr sets Sydney alight Australia fell short in the semifinal against England but not before Sam Kerr gave the country’s newfound soccer crazies a moment to remember for a lifetime. Trailing 1-0 in the second half, Kerr got the ball in space and ran at the English back line. Instead of taking on ke ..read more

Spain were one of the favorites to win the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup — and they did just that. Olga Carmona was the hero for the La Roja in a 1-0 victory over England in the championship, capturing their first senior World Cup title. That success comes after Spain won the 2022 U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup in India and the U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica. Furthermore, Spain is now the second nation to win both the women’s and men’s World Cups, with Germany being the first. Despite adding another trophy to the case in Spain, there has been plenty to discuss off the pitch that can over ..read more