LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia should bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2035, the country’s technical director of women’s football Monika Staab said on Thursday.

Staab, 64, was the first coach of the Saudi women’s team when it was formed in 2021. The Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) has said its aim is to qualify for a Women’s World Cup within 10 years.

Saudi Arabia is also bidding to host the men’s World Cup in 2034.

“I told (the sport’s administrators) it takes time to go to the World Cup. I know they want to host the men’s World Cup – why not host the Women’s World Cup in 2035?” Staab told the Leaders sports business conference in London.

“We’re now getting a team ready to be at least competing at that level.”

SYDNEY, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Spain defeated England 1-0 in the final of the Women’s World Cup on Sunday, capping off a tournament that has broken attendance and TV records and raised hopes of a surge in interest for the women’s game.

Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the ninth edition of the global showpiece event was the first to be held in the southern hemisphere.

While local interest ebbed when Australia exited in the semi-finals, just shy of two million fans will have passed through the gates in nine host cities after Sunday’s final crowd of 75,784 is added to the tally.

An Olga Carmona goal was the difference between the two sides in a pulsating game that saw Spain create the majority of the clear-cut chances.

Thousands of fans milled around Stadium Australia in Sydney hours before kick-off on Sunday, with troupes of drummers and stilt walkers creating a festival atmosphere.

England and Spain were both making their first appearance at a Women’s World Cup final, while England’s wait for a first trophy since the men’s tournament in 1966 goes on.

Australia’s semi-final loss to England on Wednesday drew an average of 7.13 million viewers on the channels of local broadcaster Seven Network, the highest viewership ever recorded by research firm OzTAM, which launched in 2001.

Matildas matches sold out months in advance, and organisers expect the average attendance to overtake 30,000 once all 64 matches are completed.

The last Women’s World Cup in France four years ago attracted more than 1.1. million fans to 52 matches with an average crowd of 21,756.

Demand was weaker in New Zealand, whose team went out in the group stages. FIFA gave away thousands of tickets and some games attracted as few as 7,000 fans, although White Ferns matches broke records for a soccer crowd in the country.

FUNDING GAP

Australia’s players, who lost 2-0 in a third-place playoff match to Sweden on Saturday, will earn $165,000 each in prize money for this tournament, more than 300 times the A$750 ($480) they received for a quarter-final appearance in 2015.

But at the grassroots level, the sport needs more resources, Matildas striker Sam Kerr said after the loss to England on Wednesday.

“We need funding in our development, we need funding in our grassroots,” she said.

“We need funding, you know, we need funding everywhere.”

The Matildas’ standout World Cup campaign has led to calls for more support to women’s soccer in Australia, where it lags more popular football codes like rugby league and Australian rules.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded on Saturday by promising A$200 million for women’s sport in the wake of the Matildas’ run to the semi-finals.

Albanese said the money would be used to improve sports facilities for women and girls, with soccer tipped to receive “significant resourcing”.

The government also wants to ensure women’s sporting events are available on free-to-air television, after criticism that most World Cup games not involving Australia were behind a paywall.

Women’s soccer has also confronted a variety of challenges involving finalists England and Spain, who will both be chasing a first world title in Sydney on Sunday.

Women were banned from official facilities in England, the home of the game, until 1970, and have long lagged the men’s team in interest and funding, although that began to change after the Lionesses won the European championship last year.

The Spanish team, meanwhile, has been rocked by a locker room dispute with coach Jorge Vilda and the Spanish football federation, with some of their best players absent from the tournament as a result.

Facts and statistics:

* Number of matches: 64

* Number of teams: 32

* Venues: 10, in nine host cities

* Goals scored: 164, highest at any edition of the World Cup

* Penalties taken: 27, excluding shootouts

* Top scorer: Hinata Miyazawa of Japan (five goals)

* Fastest goal: after 68 seconds, scored by Panama’s Marta Cox against France in the group stage

* Highest scoring team: Spain (18 goals)

* Biggest win: Netherlands 7-0 Vietnam in the group stage

* Youngest player: Casey Phair of South Korea at 16 years and 26 days, youngest ever in the history of the tournament

* Winning team’s prize money: $4.29 million

* Total prize money: $110 million

* Highest match attendance: 75,784 for four games at full capacity at Stadium Australia in Sydney

* Total attendance: 1,978,274

* Average attendance: 30,911 – more than 9,000 above the average for the 2019 edition in France, which had 24 teams participating)

Aug. 2, 2023: Two minutes into stoppage time, Thembi Kgatlana stunned Italy with a game-winner for South Africa in a 3-2 victory that pushed her team into the Round of 16 for the first time at the Women’s World Cup.

Kgatlana’s score in the box off a pass from Hildah Magaia answered a game-tying goal in the 74th minute in Group G action in Wellington, New Zealand.

Italy (1-0-2), needing only a draw to advance, made it 2-all on Arianna Caruso’s second goal from a corner. Several attempts to take the lead were averted by South Africa (1-1-1).

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Magaia netted the third goal of the game in the 87th minute attacking from left of the goal.

South Africa goalie Kaylin Swart made multiple critical saves down the stretch, including a long-distance try from Italy defender Elena Linari.

–Jamaica 0, Brazil 0

Jamaica earned a draw in Melbourne to advance to the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup and send Brazil home from the group stage for the first time since 1995.

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Three consecutive shutouts propelled Jamaica into the knockout round for the first time.

Jamaica goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer continued her stellar play by keeping Brazil off the board, ending the spectacular World Cup career of Brazilian star Marta, who has a record 17 career World Cup goals.

Playing in the Women’s World Cup for only the second time, Jamaica needed a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the team to make it to the event.

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The Reggae Girlz eliminated reigning Copa America champs Brazil and advanced as the runner-up to France (seven points) in Group F with five points.

–Sweden 2, Argentina 0

Two second-half goals set up Sweden for a Sunday date with the United States in a matchup of group stage winners.

Elin Rubensson sparked the celebration in the 90th minute with a penalty kick. Rebecka Blomqvist opened the scoring in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a header for a tally in the 66th minute for No. 3 Sweden.

Sweden beat the Americans in 2021 in Tokyo during the quarterfinals of the 2020 Summer Games.

–France 6, Panama 3

France dominated possession and scored six goals to win Group F in a fast-paced and entertaining match against Panama in Sydney.

France fell behind instantly on a free kick by Marta Cox and appeared to be reeling.

But Lea Le Garrec made it 4-1 before the half and France’s Kadidiatou Diani scored three times. Panama wouldn’t go silently, with goals in the 64th minute on a penalty and Lineth Cedeno’s header in the 87th minute made it a one-goal game.

France began the match with captain Wendie Renard (calf injury) and all-time leading scorer Eugenie Le Sommer on the bench but proved to have more than enough firepower, netting six of its 21 total shots and possessing the ball nearly 70 percent of the match.

–Field Level Media

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