[7][8] Morning mass in the hometown of one of the Ireland players was moved earlier so that people could watch their games,[9] while several bars in Washington, D.C. operated 24-hour service during the World Cup after the city approved extended alcohol license hours.
He suggested that many fans would want to watch Spanish star Alexia Putellas play but would not be able to without staying up late on weeknights, though some of the Spain matches were at more reasonable times for viewing in Western Europe.
It was suggested that the late deals pointed to a lack of planning on FIFA's behalf, not considering that brands need time "to invest and create brilliant campaigns".
While the distances involved made it impossible to attend every match as he had in Qatar, he was criticised for staying less than a week, avoiding one of the host nations completely, and for cynicism (having said others were disrespectful towards the event).
[37] Had Russia qualified for the tournament, its female players would have been able to use their country's name, flag and/or anthem at the Women's World Cup, unlike their male counterparts, as the reduced ban expired on 16 December 2022.
[53][54][49] In September 2022, the FAZ announced that it had referred accusations of sexual misconduct made against Bruce Mwape, the head coach of its women's team, to the police and FIFA for investigation.
[58] During the medal ceremony after Spain won the World Cup, Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales kissed Jennifer Hermoso on the lips.
[59] In a separate incident at the end of the match, Rubiales was filmed pointing to the Spain players before grabbing his crotch, with the obscene gesture further criticised as he was standing next to the teenage Infanta Sofía.
[61] While on a layover returning from Australia, Rubiales published an apology video in which he said that he had no bad intentions and was sorry for distracting from the celebration, saying: "I have to apologise, learn from this, and understand that when you are president you have to be more careful.
The French Football Federation (FFF) held its own investigation and found that the issues between players and management had "reached a point of no return", and that the fracture would negatively impact the team's Women's World Cup campaign.
[73] In June 2023, Jamaican players shared an open letter on social media, criticising the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for lack of planning, resources and funding.
[85] Captain Refiloe Jane later said that the dispute had been settled before the tournament, with the confirmation that the team would receive the standard pay from FIFA and money from the Motsepe Foundation donation.
[92] England head coach Sarina Wiegman said that while she was not part of the payment dispute, and that the players were not letting it affect them during training, she hoped it would be resolved positively before the tournament began.
On 18 July, four days before their first match, the players themselves published an open letter which said they were pausing the discussions until after the World Cup, with the full intention to resume; it also noted that they had first gone to the FA with their commercial concerns in 2022.
[102] On 7 July, the Nigeria team announced that they were planning to boycott their opening game of the World Cup, set to be against Canada in Group B, due to the NFF informing them that they would not pay the players bonuses, either.
[108] In the press room after Norway lost the opening match to New Zealand in a surprise defeat, Norwegian players Caroline Graham Hansen and Ingrid Syrstad Engen spoke about where they felt the approach had been lacking.
Ahead of Norway's second match, Graham Hansen missed a training day and a media appearance due to a reported sore throat, though manager Hege Riise said she was fully fit.
Manager Hervé Renard said that this was purely a sporting decision, but Hamraoui rejected this, calling her exclusion an injustice; the pair had reportedly had long discussions about the possible selection.
[145] In early matches of the tournament, the starring performance of goalkeepers was a particular trend,[146][147] and cartoonist David Squires illustrated a comic mocking the irony of this in light of Nike's decision.
[158] Swedish coach and pundit Jonas Eidevall criticised the pitch quality of the Allianz Stadium, suggesting the turf was too dry and so studs getting caught in the ground (which can cause injury) was more likely, during the group stage match between England and Denmark.
[169] Though The Guardian opined that the FA put its World Cup ambition ahead of good club relations, it pointed out that FIFA was ultimately to blame, as it had created "a mess of a calendar" in women's football that was overloaded with tournaments.
[179] Players and coaches including Alex Morgan, Emma Hayes, Becky Sauerbrunn and Megan Rapinoe publicly denounced the deal and urged FIFA not to partner with Visit Saudi.
[187] In May 2023, two top-level female executives at FIFA, Fatma Samoura and Sarai Bareman, announced to the media that discussions had begun, including consulting with national teams and their captains.
Some viewers considered this to have sexist overtones, including other journalists taking to social media to remark that it is insulting to think a woman's skills would be compromised by giving birth.
Adjepong did call on the African football associations with a platform at the World Cup to "[champion] the rights of LGBTQ+ citizens" with an aim to create positive change in their countries.
The conference began with football questions until a Spanish journalist breached the subject, asking what image Zambia was giving to the world that they would keep someone accused of serious misconduct in such a visible role.
[citation needed] During the tournament, conservative pundit and former American football player Jason Whitlock went on a lengthy rant on his podcast about Rapinoe specifically, and the United States team generally.
[229] Following the U.S. team loss on penalties during the knockout stage against Sweden, former U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that "many of our players were openly hostile to America - No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close.
"[232] The conservative Washington Examiner accused the team of being "far more concerned pushing a woke agenda regarding equal pay for female athletes and the rights of LGBT citizens than they have been with winning games.
"[233] British broadcaster Adam Boulton was discussing the World Cup on his podcast when he was told which teams had been knocked out and asked if the tournament was "serious" or "just a kind of random kick around", also belittling the players.