From rights infringements to outright misogyny, women's soccer still faces hurdles the men's game doesn't

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

You couldn't go anywhere in the world this past week and not be enthralled by women's soccer.

The U.S. defeated Canada's Olympic champions 1-0 in the CONCACAF W championship in Monterrey, Mexico. By virute of the win, the Americans solidified a spot at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but Canada can still make it if it defeats Jamaica in a single-game qualifier in 2023. Both teams, as well as Jamaica and Costa Rica, also qualified for next year's Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Across the pond, Europe has the Women's Euros, a major tournament featuring top teams such as England, France, Spain, Italy and Sweden. There has been much attention and highly deserved media coverage of the women's Euros. And as expected, the orange waves of fans representing the Netherlands are out in full force.