Spain, England battle to become FIFA’s new women World Cup champions

[FILE] England’s forward #11 Lauren Hemp (L) celebrates scoring her team’s first goal during the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women’s World Cup quarter-final football match between Colombia and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney on August 12, 2023. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

Two of the world’s best teams in recent years, England and Spain, will today in Sydney battle for the title of the globe’s best football team.

None of the teams have ever won the World Cup, but they have shown in recent times that they rank among the best ever sides to grace the game.

The two European heavyweights will bring the tournament to a close in what promises to be a close, high-quality final.

It marks the end of a remarkable tournament that’s encapsulated all the beautiful game has to offer; from the group stages that oscillated between high-scoring mismatches and tight, cautious defensive displays to the high-quality knockout stages peppered with upsets, penalty drama, and the displays of joy and heartache that accompany such high-pressure stakes.

After a dominant first two matches and already qualified for the knockout stages, they even afforded themselves a drop in focus and were beaten 4-0 by Japan.

In the knockout stages, they had a more difficult time, scraping past the Netherlands 2-1 in the quarterfinals with a 111th-minute winner. In the semifinal, Sweden and Spain served up a thriller, with Olga Carmona scoring the winner in the 89th minute with a delightful long-range shot that bounced off the crossbar and over the line.

The Lionesses have not lost a game in the tournament and notched up some impressive results, not least their 3-1 win over co-hosts Australia in the semifinal.

However, they have sometimes shown some vulnerability,