It’s been a month of breathtaking and captivating soccer action at the Fifa Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Now the end is near and only two matches remain.

The third-place playoff between three-time bronze medallists Sweden and tournament co-hosts Australia takes place on Saturday at 10am (SA time) and will serve as an appetiser for the grand finale between England and Spain.

The deciding match of what has been described as the best Women’s World Cup in the tournament’s three decades of existence kicks off at 12pm. It will see a new name etched onto the trophy, with neither the English nor the Spanish having managed to claim it in the past.

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Whoever manages the feat will become just the fifth nation to clinch the coveted trophy after record winners the USA, as well as Germany, Norway and Japan.

The Spaniards huffed and puffed against Sweden’s golden generation, before earning a 2-1 win. England blocked out deafening noise from over 50,000 Australians packed into Stadium Australia as they swatted aside the Matildas 3-1.

The English, who are also the reigning European champions, remain the only unbeaten team in the tournament. When they clash with La Roja in the prestigious contest, they will aim to maintain this and also upgrade the World Cup bronze medal they managed in 2015 to gold.

England head coach Sarina Wiegman during the Women’s World Cup semifinal match between Australia and England at Stadium Australia on 26 August, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo: Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

World-class Wiegman

A large chunk of England’s success over the past year can be placed on manager Sarina Wiegman’s tactical brilliance. The flying Dutchwoman is contesting her second successive World Cup final.

In 2019 she led her country of birth, the Netherlands, to World Cup silver after they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the USA in the decider.

Wiegman will also be hoping to upgrade her medal at the quadrennial soccer spectacle and rise to the gold standard as she did when she guided England to European glory in 2022. She managed to win the European championship with the Netherlands in 2017 as well.  

“She’s not bad, is she? To have done it with her home nation must be something she’s incredibly proud of. To win the Euros back-to-back was astonishing,” England defender Lucy Bronze told Fifa.com.

“She’s put in a lot of work this tournament to get us to the final, and her experience has really shone through.”

Though England headed into the tournament as one of the clear favourites for the title, the Spaniards were a bit further down the pecking order prior to its commencement.

Though, with the success of Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League — which provides a large number of players to the national team, there was an expectation that La Roja would push deep into the tournament.

This is in spite of never navigating past the quarterfinal stage before. Plus the not-so-little matter of the internal conflict that plagued the team in the build-up to the tournament.

Nevertheless, Jorge Vilda’s charges have been in great form throughout the tournament, playing some of the best soccer. Their only blip was a 4-0 thumping by Japan during their final Group C game.

Spain Head Coach Jorge Vilda during the Women’s World Cup on 15 August, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo: Ane Frosaker/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

“Spain has got the best technical players in the world in my opinion,” stated Bronze, who plays in Spain after joining Barcelona in 2022. “They’ve been unbelievable in this tournament and they’ve dominated most games in possession.”

Bronze shared that the Lionesses are fully aware of La Roja’s strengths, as they are of the side’s weaknesses.   

“They like to feel in control of the game with possession. But we’re a team that can possess the ball or be comfortable without it. We showed against Australia we’re really good on the break. We can score from set-pieces and counter-attacks,” Bronze shared.

The final battle between the two best nations throughout this ninth edition of the World Cup promises to be a riveting one.

The English hold the psychological advantage heading into the crunch contest. The European champions have won six of the 11 encounters between the two teams. Spain have only managed two wins. While three have been stalemates.

Mariona Caldentey of Spain and Nathalie Bjorn of Sweden during the Women’s World Cup at Eden Park on 15 August, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)

Bronze battle

Before the England and Spain battle, it will be Sweden looking to claim a third World Cup bronze medal when they take on the hosts.

While the Australians are traversing uncharted territory, having never reached the last four before, the Swedes are not new to this stage of the competition.

Sweden has long been an influential nation in women’s soccer. However, they’ve never managed to clinch the ultimate prize. They boast one silver medal and three bronze. The most recent of those third-place finishes came in 2019. They can add a fourth one Down Under.

“We can still come third and that is what we will focus on. The players and staff alike. We will be focused on having the best possible team in the final match. Because we want to win. If you win the last game, you can be happy,” said Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson.

The last time the two countries played in a competitive fixture was the semifinal of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Sweden came out 1-0 victors in that game. The Europeans would be vanquished 3-2 on penalties by Canada in the final.  

The Matildas were unable to secure third in that tournament, after losing 4-3 to USA in the bronze medal match.

With the backing of their passionate home support, the Australians will be out to right that wrong. Even though they would have preferred to be in the final on home soil.

“We want to win the bronze medal, to bring a World Cup medal would be amazing. It really feels like we have brought the nation together over football,” said Australia’s star striker Sam Kerr.

“It feels like we’ve done something amazing for the country… But there is definitely work still to be done.” DM