Contrary to what happens with the men, the Women’s World Cup does not completely mix the groups during the final phase. And there is an explanation for this.
It was Michel Platini who made this confidence about the 1998 World Cup. “We made a little scam by organizing the calendar. If France and Brazil finished top of their respective groups, they could not meet before the final.had explained the former number 10 of the Blues, organizer of the competition.
This is indeed the privilege of the host countries of major international competitions. They can plan some small adjustments to the calendar, which are favorable to them.
For the 2023 World Cup, there is also what could be called a little “scheming”. The aim of which is as follows: to ensure that the two host countries, in this case New Zealand and Australia, play in their country at least until the semi-finals. How is it possible ? By making sure that the groups do not completely mix during the final phase.
Australia wanted to stay in its country
Traditionally, in the classic format with 32 participants, the teams in each group go to one half of the table each. This was the case during the 2022 World Cup. Didier Deschamps’ France, by finishing first in its group, joined the lower part of the table. Australia, second behind the Blues, went to the top. For other groups, it was the opposite.
For the Women’s World Cup, it’s different. We find in the upper part the survivors of groups A, C, E and G. The qualifiers of pools B, D, F and H are on the other side. The idea was therefore that New Zealand (group A) are necessarily in the upper part in the event of qualification, and play their matches in Wellington or Auckland, in front of their public. Australia (group B) was on its side certain to go down, to evolve in Sydney or Brisbane.
The consequence is that two teams placed in the same group can meet in the semi-finals. For the World Cup in Qatar, it was impossible. Morocco and Croatia, for example, were only able to meet again in the final for 3rd place. This removes a bit of charm from the competition, by reducing the probability of seeing certain posters. For example, we knew from the start that a USA-France was only possible in the final.
