In an extract from his new book Aux Armes! Sport and the French – an English perspective, Insideworldfootball columnist David Owen highlights the birth place of the march towards the all-conquering World Cup.
July 23 – On the eve of the kick-off of the Olympic football tournament, Palestine have called for the “immediate exclusion of Israel from the Paris Olympics 2024”.
July 23 – Four-time Olympic women’s champions, the United States have put their disastrous World Cup campaign behind them and are ready to go again, says captain Lindsey Horan.
July 15 – Argentina retained the Copa America with a 1-0 win over Colombia on Sunday but the showpiece finale was overshadowed by yet more organisational issues that from the start beset the tournament in the United States – joint hosts of the next World Cup.
June 26 – With the Copa America under way in the US amid seering heat, an assistant referee collapsed with heat stroke near the end of the first half of Peru’s Group A match against Canada.
June 5 – Manager Thierry Henry has left Kylian Mbappé out of France’s provisional squad for the Paris Olympic Games.
Insideworldfootball talks exclusively to Annabel van Meeteren, President of SVO VV Pinkenberg to gather her thoughts on the BNG2027 bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 and the positive impact a successful bid could have for the women’s amateur game across The Netherlands.
April 23 – With the FIFA Congress poised to choose the host for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 next month in Bangkok, Insideworldfootball talks exclusively to two leading Belgian international players Amadou Onana and Justine Vanhaevermaet to gather their thoughts on the joint Belgian, Netherlands and German bid BNG2027 and what it would mean to have their tournament played in their home country.
Hosting major international football tournaments is about much more than the tournament itself. Increasingly what is left behind and how it impacts the game and society going forward is core to the planning. BNG’s 2027 World Cup bid has put legacy at the centre of it plans.
April 10 – Nigeria and Zambia have completed the line-up for the Olympic women’s tournament, claiming the last two tickets with playoff wins over South Africa and Morocco respectively.
Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany have combined for a Women’s World Cup 2027 bid that they promise will set the standard for years ahead and provide pathways for women in the game and society. Insideworldfootball talks exclusively to DFB general secretary Heike Ullrich and Royal Belgian Football Association president Pascale Van Damme.
March 21 – Hosts France were handed a favourable group in both the men’s and women’s tournaments of the Olympic Games following Wednesday’s draw in Paris.
March 8 marks International Women’s Day – a day of global celebration of women’s social, economic, political and cultural achievements. It offers an important reminder of the significant and leading contribution of women in these areas and of course to all facets of society more generally.
February 29 – Germany claimed Europe’s last ticket to the Olympic women’s football tournament with a 2-0 victory against the Netherlands in the third-place playoff of the Nations League. In Asia, Australia and Japan clinched their spots for Paris.
February 20 – New Zealand have booked their ticket for the Olympic Women’s Football tournament after thrashing Solomon Islands 11-1 in the Oceania qualifying final.