Lower-ranked teams have shone at the Women's World Cup, progressing over the likes of Brazil, Germany and Italy; the Jamaica women's team made history after the death of promising footballer Jedine Carr last month and had to self-fund their campaign
Tuesday 8 August 2023 12:01, UK
Jamaica, South Africa and Morocco all qualified for the last 16 of the Women's World Cup for the first time, knocking out established teams on the biggest stage, while rising up against inequality, tragedy and ceased funding.
After the surprise exits of Brazil, Italy and Germany, it is South Africa, Jamaica and Morocco, who all sit outside the top 50 ranked teams in the world who have been making headlines.
South Africa were knocked out of the competition by the Netherlands following a 2-0 defeat in their last-16 fixture, but Morocco and Jamaica take centre stage on Tuesday to try and reach the quarter-finals.
Whether any of the trio make it to the last eight or not, it is not just their lowly ranking that makes their success so remarkable, but the journey each team has been on to progress in this tournament.
The Jamaica women's team have had their funding ceased twice in the last 15 years, starting from scratch in 2008 and then again in 2016.
Singer Cedella Marley, the daughter of Bob Marley, stepped in back in 2014 to help raise funds, even releasing a single to boost finances for the team.
This support, and their own determination, saw them qualify for the 2019 World Cup. But after failing to win a game and exiting at the group stage, getting to Australia and New Zealand was going to be even harder.
The players had to finance themselves, with midfielder Havana Solaun's mother setting up a GoFundMe page called 'Reggae Girlz Rise Up'. It raised $50,000 to help cover the costs of competing, with the Jamaican Football Federations support described as "subpar" by the team.
They've also suffered immense loss. Promising young footballer Jedine Carr was killed in a shooting on her way to training just days ahead of their second ever World Cup qualification. Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw proudly displayed a shirt with Carr's name on after their win over Haiti.
Struggle and tragedy off the pitch has translated into grit and dedication on it.
Jamaica held fifth-ranked France to a goalless draw in their World Cup opener, then beat Panama 1-0 in Perth. But qualification still looked unlikely, having to face a wounded Brazil that included a legend of the game in Marta.
The Reggae Girlz made history with a 0-0 draw, defusing Brazil's attack, and World Cup hopes, to qualify second over the South American giants.
They play Colombia in the last 16 on Tuesday August 8.
Lack of support has also been apparent for South Africa.
Just two weeks before their first group match, a dispute between the women's squad and the country's football federation over pay, as well as unsafe facilities, saw the entire first-choice team banned from playing in a warm-up match.
The feud was only settled after charity Motsepe Foundation stepped in to provide last-minute funding, with leader Precious Moloi-Motsepe feeling "duty-bound" to support the team.
There has also been personal tragedy for Banyana Banyana. Star forward Thembi Kgatlana revealed that three family members died in the last two weeks, but she bravely decided to stay with the South Africa squad and went on to score the stoppage-time winner against Italy.
South Africa's journey out the group stage looked daunting, facing three teams ranked in the top 25, and they began with a 2-1 loss to Sweden.
But the teams belief was unwavering and momentum built, a goalless draw to Argentina laid the foundations for a stunning 3-2 win over Italy, which included an own goal from the opposition and Kgatlana's 92nd-minute strike to see the Europeans plummet and South Africa progress.
Head coach Desiree Ellis, who was part of the first-ever South Africa women's team, has been Banyana Banyana's rock throughout this journey.
"I speak through every challenge we had to face in the past, no one gave us a chance today, but we knew what we were capable of," said Ellis after their win over Italy.
"They fought like warriors out there. This is for everyone back home who gets up to support us. This is for everyone involved in women's football."
However, Banyana Banyana's landmark World Cup campaign came to an end on Sunday as they lost 2-0 to the Netherlands.
"We spoke about needing to score more goals and we had the opportunities, especially in the first half," said Ellis. "I'm just proud, disappointed of course, but really proud of this group of players."
While their journey may be over, South Africa have certainly captured the world's imagination and provided inspiration for girls and boys back at home.
Morocco are the first Arab nation to ever qualify for a Women's World Cup, and they rewrote the history books again by making it beyond the group stages. The team has been allowed to flourish thanks to changing attitudes towards women's football in the country.
Unlike Jamaica and South Africa, Morocco received new-found support from the establishment, including from King Mohammed VI, to combat inequalities in the women's game.
This investment funds a women's professional league, as well as a $65m complex where both national teams train.
As the second-lowest ranked side in the tournament, the Atlas Lionesses had a lot to prove in a tough group. Their opening 6-0 thrashing by Germany was a steep learning curve.
Next was South Korea, where they found both their composure and their first-ever World Cup goal from Ibtissam Jraidi in a 1-0 win.
But once again Morocco would need to defy the odds against group leaders Colombia to qualify, and hope Germany could not better their result in the other Group H match.
Morocco held on to secure a vital 1-0 win over Colombia, and coupled with Germany's failure to beat South Korea, they were into the round of 16 - and the emotional celebrations could begin.
The North Africans will play France on Tuesday August 8 in the round of 16.
After the group stage finished on August 3, attentions now turn to the round of 16, which takes place from August 5 to August 8.
The quarter-finals, which will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, are scheduled for August 11 and 12.
The first semi-final will then be played on August 15 in Auckland, with the other semi-final taking place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which will then host the final on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.
