The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off in Australia and New Zealand today, with both host nations winning their opening matches. This year’s tournament has a larger field – 32 teams compared to 24 in 2019 – with eight nations making their debut in the World Cup. According to Bloomberg, “more than 100,000 people attended the two stadiums in Sydney and Auckland, setting new all-time highs for women’s matches in both countries.”
If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Lisa Delpy Neirotti, the director of the MS in Sport Management Program and an associate professor of Sport Management at the George Washington University. She has been a professor of sport, event and tourism management at GW for more than 30 years. Her areas of expertise include sponsorships, event and facility management, sport marketing, economic impact, sport tourism, and sport for social good. She also specializes in mega events like the Olympic Games and the World Cup, where she has attended these numerous times as a consultant, volunteer or researcher.
Neirotti will be following the Women’s World Cup and can speak to a number of topics as the tournament unfolds, including pay equity and the growth of women’s soccer.