The unspoken issue in women's football

April 22, 2022. Spanish team Barcelona face German team Wolfsburg in the Champions League semi final, a critical game which draws a crowd of 91,000 fans. The game is replete with technique and skill, as Europe's best players produce moments of magic on the field, captivating the crowd. Barcelona end up winning 5–1, all but confirming their spot in that season's Champions League final. After the game, the crowd applauds—not Gavi or Marc Andre ter Stegen, but Alexia Putellas and Maria Leon, the faces of the new generation of increasingly famous female players.

Today, we’d like to believe that we are close to bringing equality to women's football. But when four thousand miles away, in Afghanistan, women football players are struggling to exist as the Taliban's iron grip on the country tightens, one must consider that we are still far, far away from where we should be.

With the new era of women's football beginning to dawn, grassroots organizations are beginning to take more of a lead in influencing sports bodies like FIFA to encourage the growth of the sport. For example, the women's Super League, the English top tier division for women's soccer, saw a 60% rise in revenue from 2021 to 2022. For the first time in its history, because of their ever increasing popularity in the football world, women football players like Sam Kerr, Alexia Putellas, and Alex Morgan are now household names

Audience members are beginning to tune in, as the women's game reaches larger and larger audiences. In fact, this year's women's world cup is expected to have the highest attendance overall ever, as this year's expected audience has more than doubled since the first world cup in 1991. So what's the issue?

One of the biggest problems is that while we many think that the football world has begun to fully accept women's soccer, it also may be that the progress that has been done in first world countries, is actually distracting us from the issues in second and third world countries, places whose stances on women's football and in general women's rights, really need to be addressed.

A nations economy can have major effects on its national team.

A country's economy can determine how good the quality of their women's team is. Countries with strong economies tend to be socially developed and progressive, which translates to having progressive values, which impacts their women's team as well. Countries such as the United States, Germany, and Japan, all have great women's football teams, with the U.S. having won four world cups, Germany two, and Japan once. Even China, who historically are not powerhouses in the game, have only missed qualification to one world cup, and recently won the AFC women's Asian cup. What a surprise—China's economy is the second strongest only to the United States.

But why is this connection all so real? The progression of a women's football team can be closely connected to the status of the economy, because unlike the men's game, the women's game still needs support and funding to allow it to prosper. As such, a strong economy usually allows for upward mobility for women in their society, such as the ability to vote, and being well educated. All of this is necessary for women to be able to play soccer as well.

Of course, there are outliers. Brazil for instance, is not a first world country, but a developing nation. However, football is so important in Brazilian culture, that talent naturally rubs off into the women's game as well. The institutions that helped power Brazil's men's team to a record 5 men's world cup triumphs is similarly benefitting the women's game too. For example, the early age that Brazilian boys begin playing football in clubs is similarly accelerating the women's game too. Talented girls are being scouted at younger ages, to maximize the number of years they have to train.

Many countries have neither a stable economy to boost a push for women's soccer, nor a system for the men's team which benefits the women's game as well. For example, women's football as a whole in Africa has neither the structure, economic support, nor the impetus of other countries to elevate the women's game. As such, national teams in Africa have been noticeably underdeveloped, the highest ranking national team being Nigeria, in 40th place, below the likes of world cup debutants Vietnam and The Republic of Ireland. Nigeria surprised the world this year by qualifying for the knockout phases of the 2023 Women's World Cup, but the issues remain.

Spain—the current world cup winners—have a very strong economy.

With this in mind, it's paramount that these issues be examined and understood at the same level as the progress that is being done in Europe as well. While it is understandably great that the women's game is being elevated in Europe and in other developed countries, it's not doing much to benefit the women's game elsewhere.

This isn't to say that everything is optimal in first world countries. It's definitely not. Women's wages have only slightly increased from 2019 to 2023—from 7.5% of what men made to 25%—but because of their socioeconomic situations, progress within these countries is much more likely to happen. For example, women in the U.S. are able to protest and champion for equal rights, using their power of free speech.

Compare that with the women's Afghanistan team, which was broken up in 2021 after the Taliban re-asserted power. Because of the Taliban's traditionalist views on women, women's football has all but been quashed by the Taliban. Infringements on human rights demonstrate that the issue at hand is not development in the countries which permit progress, but development in countries that do not.

What can be done to elevate the women's game in countries where funding is most needed? The most important thing is awareness. As mentioned, nations like Afghanistan threaten equal rights advocates, so spreading the word on their behalf is incredibly important. Joining the protests that Megan Rapinoe and the rest of the US Women's national team helped fuel, is important to remind FIFA and other governing bodies about the need for equal opportunity.

Fortunately, steps are being taken in these parts of the world to improve the conditions of women's football. Recently, some nations that have historically had traditionalist views of women's soccer, have begun to relax their own values. One such example is Saudi Arabia. With the death of the former leader King Abdulaziz, the new successor King Salman began to introduce more progressive laws, such as making it legal for women to view football games in 2017, and then eventually establishing a women's team in 2021.

While still steeped in tradition, the Saudia Arabian royal family has begun to pass progressive acts.

Better yet, non-profit organizations such as The Women's Sports Foundation and The Play It Forward Sport are determined to elevate the women's game, and are having greater impact.

There is always more that can be done if we want to see the women's game be available to all. A stronger effort by FIFA, Uefa, and other leading organizations is necessary if we are to see the Women's game be accessible to everyone.