Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players each, who primarily use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing team. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is the world's most popular sport.
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition between the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament has been held every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 due to the Second World War. The reigning champions are Argentina, who won their third title at the 2022 tournament.
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's international governing body. The competition has been held every four years and one year after the men's FIFA World Cup since 1991, when the inaugural tournament, then called the FIFA Women's World Championship, was held in China. Under the tournament's current format, national teams vie for 31 slots in a three-year qualification phase. The host nation's team is automatically entered as the 32nd slot. The tournament, called the World Cup Finals, is contested at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about one month.
Birgit Prinz is a German former footballer, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year. In addition to the German national team, Prinz played for 1. FFC Frankfurt in the Frauen-Bundesliga as well as the Carolina Courage in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first professional women's league in the United States. Prinz remains one of the game's most prolific strikers and is the second FIFA Women's World Cup all-time leading scorer with 14 goals. In 2011, she announced the end of her active career. She currently works as a sport psychologist for the men's and women's teams of Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
The FIFA Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, led by Argentina as of April 2023. The teams of the men's member nations of FIFA, football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest. The rankings were introduced in December 1992, and eight teams have held the top position, of which Brazil have spent the longest ranked first.
The New Zealand women's national football team, nicknamed the Football Ferns, is governed by New Zealand Football (NZF). The New Zealand national team qualified for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in China in September 2007, sending the team to their first World Cup in 16 years, and the second since their 1975 debut in international competition. New Zealand will co-host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup alongside Australia, the Football Ferns automatically qualified as co-host.
The Argentina women's national football team represents Argentina in international women's football. Like their men's counterpart, the women's team has been known or nicknamed as "La Albiceleste ".
Saskia Bartusiak is a German retired footballer. She played as a centre back.
Homare Sawa is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward or a midfielder. Regarded by many as one of the greatest female footballers of all time and the greatest Asian female footballer of all time, Sawa had a professional club career spanning 24 seasons, mostly with Nippon TV Beleza and INAC Kobe Leonessa. She also spent 22 years with the Japan national team, most notably captaining them to a FIFA Women's World Cup win in 2011 and an Olympic silver medal finish in 2012.
Cristiane Rozeira de Souza Silva, known as Cristiane, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Santos and the Brazilian women's national team. A prolific forward, she was part of Brazil's silver medal-winning teams at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic football tournaments. In total she has participated in five FIFA Women's World Cups and four Olympics.
Carly Mitchell Telford is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Melissa Palma Julie Tancredi is a Canadian retired soccer forward who played for the Canada women's national soccer team. 3 time Olympian, 2 time Bronze Medalist. She won an Olympic bronze medal as a participating member of Canada's national team at the 2012 Olympics when Canada defeated France 1–0 in the bronze medal match on August 9, 2012. Tancredi was a participating member when Canada won Bronze defeating Brazil 2-1 in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Tancredi's nickname is "Tanc".
Alyssa Michele Naeher is an American soccer goalkeeper for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She was on the 23-player roster for the United States at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. She has also played for the Boston Breakers and Turbine Potsdam. With the Breakers, she won the 2014 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year award.
Carmen Elisa Rodallega is a Colombian footballer who plays as a full back for Atlético Huila. She has been a member of the Colombia women's national team.
Boca Juniors Femenino is the women's football team of Argentine sports club Boca Juniors. Established in 1990, it has been the leading force in the Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino since the late 1990s, having won 27 editions of the competition, including a ten-years streak winning both the Apertura and Clausura championships. Former men's squad player Juan Román Riquelme is in charge of the section since the beginning of 2020.
Valeria Cotelo is an Argentine women's international footballer who plays as a defender. She is a member of the Argentina women's national football team. She was part of the team at the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. On club level she plays for Boca Juniors in Argentina.
Natalia Gatti is an Argentine women's international footballer who plays as a forward. She is a member of the Argentina women's national football team. She was part of the team at the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. On club level she played for Boca Juniors in Argentina, and currently she's playing for KAC.
Catalina Itatí Pérez Castaño is an Argentine footballer who plays as a defender for River Plate. She is a former member of the Argentina women's national team.
Rosana Itatí Gómez is an Argentine football manager and former player and former futsal player. She manages the Bolivia women's national team. She played as a midfielder for the Argentina women's national team.
Sabrina Celeste Barbitta Nuño, known as Celeste Barbitta, is an Argentine footballer who plays as a defender. She was a member of the Argentina women's national team at two FIFA Women's World Cup editions.
