2023 Women's World Cup: Winners and Losers of the Tournament

The 2023 Women's World Cup is in the books. And what a tournament it was! We saw stunning goals, stop-you-in-your-tracks shocks and top quality football throughout the month in Australia & New Zealand.

Spain brushed off England in a tight final that was decided by Olga Carmona's excellent first-half winner. It was a fitting end that showcased the two best teams and the rightful winners.

For one last time; read on for winners and losers...

We have to start with the actual winners of the tournament. Spain were absolutely fantastic and thoroughly deserved victors. For a heavily changed squad to deal with the well-documented issues around Jorge Vilda's management and to emerge as champions is nothing short of sensational.

Spain's brilliant passing and short, snappy interchanges completely kept England at arm's length throughout the final. They controlled midfield like they have in every game, and learnt how to snuff out the counter-attack that looked an obvious weakness after the 4-0 Group Stage defeat to Japan. Champions often have a bad moment at the World Cup before lifting the trophy. So it proved once more.

To defeat the Netherlands, Sweden and England after such a heavy loss underlines the togetherness of a side that possesses a generation of players who have the potential to dominate for a long time.

The likes of Aitana Bonmati, Teresa Abelleira and in particular, 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo are already legends for their country. They will also be the building blocks for the next European Championships, in which England will likely be their biggest threat.

England's failure in the final shouldn't overshadow Sarina Wiegman's unbelievable achievement of reaching four major finals in a row. A World Cup still eludes the Dutch manager, but you wouldn't put it past her in the future, with England or another nation.

It's easy to forget the Lionesses entered the tournament with a number of key injuries, including captain Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, softening their tag among the favourites somewhat.

England struggled through their opening group game with Haiti, a match that Wiegman reacted to with positive changes, including bringing Lauren James into the team. Moving to a back three also gave England new life and extended their run in the tournament, with Alex Greenwood's switch to left centre back being the key cog.

Wiegman brought England their first major trophy since 1966 last year and was one match away from landing another in Sydney.

She should be celebrated as a hero. It's easy for football fans to get greedy, and after years of hurt, English supporters must stop and acknowledge the gravity of what the Lionesses have achieved - largely thanks to Wiegman's expert tactical knowledge, adaptiveness and ability to cultivate a happy camp that works for each other in difficult moments.

The immediate disappointment of the United States' poor showing at this tournament has passed. Two weeks on from the penalty defeat to eventual bronze-medal winners Sweden, the focus should be on the future.

Vlatko Andonovski's decision to resign is a snapshot of an era where nothing synced; players performed badly, tactics were hamstrung and young talent like Sophia Smith were not protected in difficult games. The fallout from the nation's worst Women's World Cup result in history can be navigated by making smart decisions–starting with appointing a progressive coach–but the USWNT's struggles now lay bare a truth that has been creeping in the shadows for a while.

The era of American dominance is over.

So many nations have made huge strides in quality, both on and off the pitch, that the USA needs to do more than just rely on big names always finding a way. I'm not saying they will fail to win another World Cup. The US will rightfully continue to rank among the favourites. But we're not going to see chatter of another possible three-peat as Europe's top teams crush the once massive gap into nonexistence.

Make no mistake about it: the USWNT's future is bright. There is so much to get excited about and serious competition should push them forwards. It is easy to be super glum in the wake of defeats, but with a little self-reflection and a lot of hard work, USWNT can be contenders again. Just don't expect it to be undisputed.

Three African teams qualified for the knockout stages at Australia & New Zealand. Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco showed immense quality to ensure a trio of the continent's best teams made it through to the last 16 for the first time ever. This was no fluke.

A combined two group stage losses from the three aforementioned teams was the result of incredible grit, technical skill and quality.

Nigeria's goalless draw with Canada in their opening game indicated they were a serious force. Following that up with a 3-2 win over co-hosts Australia put everyone on notice. The Super Falcons then pushed England all the way in the quarters, even racking up 20 shots on goal in the 0-0 draw, before losing on penalties.

South Africa provided one of the moments of the tournament in their final group game against Italy. Thembi Kgatlana's last-minute winner to send them through had the team erupting in celebration, knowing they had already achieved so much against the odds.

Morocco, too, weaved one of the unlikeliest stories of the competition that we'll be talking about for a long time. Few teams make it out of the group stage after a 6-0 defeat in the opening game. Germany ominously walked through them, but that wasn't goodnight.

Back-to-back 1-0 wins over Korea Republic and quarter-finalists Colombia eliminated the Germans, who many picked to win the entire thing before the tournament. That's an unbelievable story for Morocco and one of the sport's biggest ever shocks.

A word too, on Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina, who became the first player to wear a hijab during a World Cup match.

Such visibility will inspire Muslim girls into football at all levels and should be seen as a seminal moment for Arab representation. It's these massive moments that trigger smaller changes–such as Benzina's hijab being added to EA FC–leading to greater inclusivity throughout the sport.

Okay, so this doesn't matter too much in the scheme of things, but let's be honest: having referees wear a mic and then struggle to communicate contentious decisions to everyone in the stadium just didn't work.

It could work, it does in other sports, but the delivery here felt as if it was rushed in at the last second.

We had botched announcements, others struggle to get their point across and just the general sense that it was a bit naff. I'm all for hearing the ref speak during a game, especially if it's to the players, but perhaps shouting to a live stadium makes it seem unnecessarily like a pantomime.

Transparency should be applauded, but this kind of execution needs some work. Perhaps a Roman style thumbs up or thumbs down is where we should go next.