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Women’s football is one of the fastest growing sports in the world right now.
Both domestically and internationally, its upward trajectory has seen landmark investment deals, records broken, and the quality of the game both on and off the pitch improve drastically.
Countries at the very top of the pyramid, or FIFA rankings if you will, reap the rewards of this above all else. Yet with the continued commitment from governing bodies to implement necessary steps, those fortunes have trickled down to a cluster of nations readying themselves to take on the challenge of breaking through.
It has been demonstrated in the last few tournament cycles in the form of first-time participants in major competitions, teams embarking on historic qualifying runs, or some even establishing senior international teams for the very first time.
In the midst of the 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifying, in which New Zealand became the latest nation to book their ticket to Brazil, Olympics.com looks at some of the nations on the rise in this rapidly growing sport.
American Samoa’s breakthrough
One of the most exciting stories out of the latest international window has come courtesy of American Samoa. A U.S. territory in the South Pacific with a 45,000-strong population, they well and truly introduced themselves to the football world in the World Cup qualifiers.
An inspiring run that left them just two wins from an historic maiden major tournament propelled them from 153rd in the world rankings to 120th now, a clear indication of their progress.
Very little was expected of them from the outside looking in at the Oceanian (OFC) qualifiers, yet American Samoa went on to defy the odds and go from underdogs to dark horses. They were ultimately pipped to a spot in the final by Papua New Guinea following a 1-0 defeat, but proved they were well on their way to competing with the continent’s best.
“I think many people don’t even really know where American Samoa is on the map, so we recognise that we’re representing something that’s bigger than just us,” said forward Morgan Patea.
“Sometimes when we play in international matches, I feel people are wondering ‘who is that team?’ – what we want to do is have more people asking us where we come from. To be able to represent American Samoa and show people that we are that little spot on the map, that’s us right there.”
New Zealand went on to clinch the only qualification spot the upcoming tournament, but American Samoa have shown much like Fiji, they can hang with OFC’s top competitors. With the World Cup set to expand from 2031 to 48 teams, their maiden outing could be a lot closer than some may think.
San Marino enters the fray
For San Marino, it is a rise that begins with existence. A welcome announcement of their senior women’s team comes on the back of the legwork put in at the grassroots levels.
A limited player pool had kept plans to do introduce a women’s team on hold, but work and investment across youth development have changed things, allowing San Marino to take such a significant step forward.
“This is a historic event,” Sammarinese football association (FSGC) president Marco Tura said. “We are embarking on a journey that will soon allow us to present ourselves to European football in a sector that, until now, we had never been able to fully develop despite our desire to do so.”
The move doesn’t come without its challenges, particularly where the lack of a domestic league is concerned, but Tura ensured the federation’s commitment to growing the women’s game in San Marino.
“We are not hiding the fact that difficulties have not magically disappeared,” he added.
“But there is strong political and sporting commitment, and I am confident that all stakeholders involved will pull in the right direction so this project can continue.”
San Marino will be coached by former Italy international Giulia Domenichetti as they take their first significant steps onto the women’s international scene.
World Cup firsts and returns
While Spain flourished in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand, to win their first-ever title, for several of the participating nations it was their first taste of the world stage.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Zambia, and Haiti are among those who achieved their maiden appearance three years ago.
Though none of them were able to make it out of the group stages, they proved why they belong. The former beat the Kiwi co-hosts, while Zambia registered a historic 3-2 victory over Germany in the run-up to the tournament.
As well as notable results, they have proven they can produce some excellent talent, too. Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji of the latter are of particular note, raising the ceiling of this up-and-coming African nation.
Two sides that equally made a splash at the same tournament were South Africa and Morocco. South Africa have gone from strength to strength under Desiree Ellis after she took over in 2016. She guided them to their first World Cup in 2019, where they exited in the group stage, before reaching the round of 16 four years later.
In 2022, Ellis was behind the team that stormed to their first major title when they were crowned champions at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Their ceiling is only getting higher under the former international star.
Their fellow African team Morocco emerged from a group that contained Germany, who suffered a shock early exit. In what was their maiden outing, Morocco went on to reach the round of 16.
They’ve twice finished runners-up in the last two editions of WAFCON and will no doubt be aiming to win the upcoming edition as hosts. With an initial world stage outing under their belt, the sky is the limit for the Atlas Lionesses.
Looking ahead to 2027, there is a return to the tournament for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea following their impressive AFC Women’s Asian Cup display. This is a nation that has dominated in the youth groups, winning successive U17 World Cup titles and the most recent U20 World Cup, too.
If they can continue that form going into the senior set up, they could be a dark horse in what is set to be their first World Cup since 2011.
As investment and opportunities continue to grow, so does the game. While the established powers continue to dominate, these are the nations that have already shown they are ready to make that step up, united by possibility.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/american-samoa-san-marino-womens-international-football-new-breakthrough-nations
