FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: Who are the finalists?

The traditional third place playoff will take place in Brisbane on Saturday, before Sunday’s showpiece final decides who will be this year’s world champions. Regardless of what happens, there will be a new name on the trophy as both Spain and England have never won the competition before.

It’s undoubtedly been a tournament to remember. With record viewing figures and some of the most dramatic moments the sport has ever seen, interest in the women’s game appears to be at an all time high. Not only have fans been tuning in on TV all around the world, but the supporters inside the stadium have also loved every second and we’ve seen some of the highest attendances in history. In two nations where, stereotypically, interest in football is quite low, Aussies and Kiwis have done their best to prove that wrong.

“Australia isn’t known for being a football nation, in fact most of our Matildas play overseas,” explained Maddie Date, producer for ABC Illawarra, “so to now have this level of growth and so many eyes on us across the world, it’s just been incredible. There’ll be so many more football fans now in Australia for years to come, and I guess that’s been the main aim of having the entire tournament here in the first place.”

But now only two teams are left, and after plenty of disruptions to their preparations, Spain have defied the odds and made the World Cup final for the first time. The headlines surrounding La Roja in the lead up to the tournament were clouded by a breakdown between 15 senior players and the manager, Jorge Vilda. ‘Las 15’ was the name given to the group of players who believed Vilda was too authoritarian and that the standard of training and tactics were not the same as at their clubs.

Only three of the 15