US women take world lead into 5th year; ranking grows to 176 nations
December 10 – The US women remain top of FIFA’s rankings, a position they have held since 2017. They are followed by Sweden and Germany.
Women
SIGA invites candidates for 4th women’s global mentorship programme
December 10 – Sports integrity group SIGA has opened applications for its 2022 women’s global mentorship programme, aimed at promoting future leaders in sport and fostering greater gender equality in the boardroom.
Euro 2020 final chaos was a ‘national shame’ and could have cost lives, finds report
By Samindra Kunti
December 6 – The lawlessness around the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy at London’s Wembley Stadium could have cost lives, an independent FA review has found. The review recommends the government should consider a new category for football matches of national significance which would give police and organisers extra powers to make the match day safe.
USL W League hits 30 teams for inaugural 2022 season
December 6 – The United Soccer League, operator of tier two and three men’s professional leagues in the US, has announced a 30th team to join the USL W League for the 2022 inaugural season.
England hammer 20 past Latvia to set new scoring record
December 1 – England bettered Belgium’s 19-0 victory against Armenia with 20 goals of their own against Latvia to set a new European record in Women’s World Cup qualifying.
Women’s Euro ticket ballot closes with 200,000+ applications
November 17 – The first Women’s EURO 2022 ticket ballot window has closed with more than 200,000 applications, on top of the 162,000 tickets sold in pre-sale.
USL W League names Charlotte Independence as 23rd club for 2022 inaugural season
November 8 – Charlotte Independence has become the 23rd club to announce it will join the United Soccer League’s USL W League for its inaugural 2022 season which is set to kick off next May. It is expecting to have at least 30 teams by season opening day.
Euro 2022 group draw pitches England with Norway, Dutch face Sweden
October 29 – Hosts England will meet Norway, Austria and Northern Ireland in the group stage of the Women’s Euro 2022 tournament, while holders the Netherlands were paired with Olympic silver medallists Sweden following Thursday’s draw.
UEFA breaks down financial distribution for Women’s Euro 2022
October 26 – UEFA has issued a breakdown of the prize money for the Women’s EURO 2022 to be held in England next summer, as well as more detail of the club benefits programme which will see clubs compensated for releasing players.
Forget the Olympics, Ellis champions biennial WWC as a self-sustaining opportunity
By Andrew Warshaw
October 19 – A biennial Women’s World Cup will help “shine a light” on the sport and help it “stand alone” in terms of visibility and investment but is not a foregone conclusion according to former US head coach Jill Ellis.
USL expands again with launch of second tier pro-women’s league
September 22 – The United Soccer League has announced the launch of a professional women’s league that will operate as the second tier of women’s club soccer in the US.
US pay parity dispute escalates as women call USSF offer a publicity stunt
September 17 – The festering dispute between the US women’s football team (USWNT) and their national federation over equal pay has escalated further with the players union deriding the latest offer as a publicity stunt.
Aussie W-League expands boundaries with addition of Wellington Phoenix in NZ
September 10 – Australia’s W-League has added a tenth team for its 2021/22 season, with the addition of Wellington Phoenix from New Zealand joining the competition.
Jbarah goal sees Jordan beat Tunisia to win Arab Women’s Cup
September 7 – Jordan beat Tunisia in the final 1-0 to win the 2021 Arab Women’s Cup in Cairo, Egypt, the second edition of the competition that was first held in Alexandria in 2006.
Women’s Euro ticket sales top 140k a year before kick off
August 4 – UEFA is reporting more than 140,000 tickets have already been sold for the Women’s Euro 2022, a record for the tournament which takes place in England next summer.