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Arsenal playmaker Mariona Caldentey was discussing the lack of progress in her homeland following Spain’s World Cup victory two years ago.“The Spanish league is not going how we would like,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live in September 2024. ”When England won the Euros, everyone could see a really big change in the league. We’ve missed that in Spain. We won the World Cup and it changed nothing.”
But the recent advancement of women’s football in England was not solely about winning Euro 2022 — hosting the tournament was just as important. The cumulative attendance was just under 575,000, with most fans from the host nation. People saw it for themselves.
When England battled their way to the final at Wembley, there was a remarkable scramble to find tickets. There was a buzz around the country that only happens when you host major sporting events.
Now the United Kingdom is set to host another, after it was announced as the only bidder for the Women’s World Cup in 2035.
Of course, Euro 2022 would not have been the same if England had not reached the final, and their 2-1 victory over Germany meant their post-match party lasted a week, the post-tournament euphoria lasted a month, and the subsequent attendance boost lasted for a season. There would not have been the same impact if England had won a major tournament in the early hours, as Spain did a year later in Australia.
Every couple of years, the rest of the footballing world gets irritated by English football fans singing about football “coming home”. It is, to some, a sign of arrogance that the English should refer to the trophy in this manner.
The truth, though, is that Three Lions originally referred to England hosting, rather than winning, the European Championship in 1996. The men behind the song, Frank Skinner and David Baddiel, were tasked with creating a piece of music about English football, but they were asked to include the motto of Euro ’96, ‘When Football Comes Home’.
There was genuine pride that England was hosting an international tournament in a sport it had codified and exported worldwide. National sporting successes remembered fondly in this country since then — the Ashes in 2005, the Olympics in 2012, the Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2017, the men’s Cricket World Cup in 2019, and most relevantly the Women’s Euros in 2022 — have not merely featured England or Great Britain performing well, but hosting the event.
“We know from the experience of the Euros how big the game is already here and what the momentum did in the country,” said England manager Sarina Wiegman in response to the news about 2035. “Another tournament on an even bigger stage would be incredible and give another boost to the game.”
For all the warm memories of Euro 2022, hosting World Cup 2035 will be a different proposition, even beyond the fact that matches will be played in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, too. Some Euro 2022 matches were played in small venues in Rotherham and Leigh, as well as at Manchester City’s academy stadium. Only the opening game, at Old Trafford, and the final, at Wembley, were played at grounds with a capacity greater than 33,000. Leigh does not have a train station, and the semi-final played at Milton Keynes was compromised by a rail strike.
Whereas Euro 2022 comprised 16 teams, World Cup 2035 could feature 48. The difficulties in finding enough adequate training bases could explain why no other bids were forthcoming.
Realistically, it is impossible to know quite where the women’s game will be in 2035. Australia and New Zealand were excellent hosts of the most recent World Cup but their geographical isolation means it was not a good bellwether of how many fans will travel. After two seasons of significant growth, Women’s Super League (WSL) attendances have plateaued this season.
Indeed, there is currently a debate about how to best facilitate crowds for WSL matches. The top sides in the division have found their regular grounds are too small, and the stadiums the men’s teams play at are often too big. Brighton & Hove Albion are committed to building a ground specifically to host their women’s side, and any similar developments could be based around staging games at World Cup 2035. Then again, Brighton’s main ground sold out when it hosted England vs Norway and England vs Spain in 2022, so maybe the World Cup will be beyond the scope of these planned grounds.
Nevertheless, hosting matches will be a tantalising prospect for any club owners planning a new stadium. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has shown little interest in Manchester United’s women’s side since taking charge, but you can be sure the phrase ‘World Cup’ will interest him in light of the grand plans for an Old Trafford replacement.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland might feel the biggest benefit of hosting. The practical aspects get a test drive at the men’s Euro 2028 tournament (albeit with the Republic of Ireland rather than Northern Ireland hosting matches at that competition).
The more significant aspect might be encouraging those sides to progress on the pitch. All three have sporadically qualified for recent tournaments. Scotland were at the World Cup in 2019, Northern Ireland at Euro 2022 and Wales will be at Euro 2025. With the Republic of Ireland qualifying for World Cup 2023, it is almost as if those four have taken turns to qualify for major tournaments.
It remains to be seen whether the home nations are handed a bye to the tournament, but either way, there will be a determination to impress on the pitch. That can translate to practical action in several ways: more public funding of youth football activities, more council funding of infrastructure, and more players with dual nationality declaring themselves available for those sides. “We must make the most of this, to inspire the next generation of players, volunteers and supporters,” said Noel Mooney, chief executive of the Welsh Football Association.
In many ways, it is somewhat backward that so much interest, coverage and investment depend upon a one-month sporting tournament, and that all of that can be considered a great success or a colossal waste based upon a misplaced pass or a fortunate deflection. But women’s football has learned that these are the moments to capitalise upon.
“We’ve brought everybody together,” England captain Leah Williamson shouted into the camera after the 2022 final win against Germany. “We’ve got people at games. We want them to come to the Women’s Super League. The legacy of this team will be the start of the journey.”
England’s squad, led by Lotte Wubben-Moy, all signed a letter calling for the government to guarantee equal access to football in PE lessons for female pupils, a wish that was granted the following year.
Equally, there are various reports that facilities have barely improved in recent years for female players, and the English Football Association (FA) has been accused of ‘successwashing’. But even if the FA is overly concerned about elite success, a 10-year run-up to a World Cup on home soil gives it a great incentive to invest at grassroots level. Hosting a tournament, as much as winning it, can truly transform a sport.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, UK Women's Football, Women's World Cup
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