A World Cup Spin

As of early Sunday morning, we'll know which country stands atop the mountain as the 2023 Women's World Cup comes to an end. To say there were surprises, upsets, disappointments, and jubilation in the host countries of Australia and New Zealand would be an understatement as the tournament has had incredible moments. The final two teams are shown to the left via their hockey jerseys as England will meet Spain, but the hockey version of the English monarchy plays as Great Britain. Either way, these two teams have some of the best players in the tournament down under, and these two teams will certainly put on a show tomorrow as they look to capture the highest honour in women's football. If this game was played on ice, though, how would these two teams stack up?

We'll start with Great Britain as they are ranked 23rd-overall on the IIHF world rankings. As it stands, the British women have 838 registered players in a region of nearly 68 million people, so growth is something that Great Britain desperately needs if they want to climb the women's rankings. In total, the British have 59 indoor rinks that normally have men's hockey playing in them, so that growth and development needs to happen if there's any hope of Great Britain rising to the occasion on the international hockey stage.

Spain, meanwhile, is ranked 24th-overall on the IIHF world rankings, and they've been making waves on the women's side of ledger. While they have just 241 female players registered, that total actually is larger than the number of registered men in Spain! Spain only has ten indoor rinks so they have room to grow if they invest in the game, but having just 893 registered players of all ages in a country of just over 47 million people likely means that the growth matches the number of rinks found in Spain.

The British women last played at the IIHF Women's World Championship Division-1B tournament in Korea that took place from April 17-23, 2023. The Brits didn't fare so well as they finished the tournament 1-4 against the likes of Korea, Poland, Italy, Slovenia, and Kazakhstan, but their lone win came against Kazakhstan where Nicole Jackson recorded a 1-0 shutout. Outside of a 2-0 loss to Italy, every other game was decided by one goal, including a shootout loss to Slovenia, so the Brits were in the mix in every game at the Division-1B level. Katie Henry led the way with three points in five games while Kathryn Marsden scored two goals to lead the snipers on Great Britain. Nicole Jackson handled most of the goaltending minutes while Ella Howard supported her as the backup.

The Spaniards last took international ice at the IIHF Women's World Championship Division-2A tournament in Mexico that was played from April 2-7, 2023. Spain had an outstanding tournament at the Division-2A level as they went 3-1 against the likes of Latvia, Mexico, Chinese Taipei, and Iceland, and their only loss of that tournament came to Latvia on the final day as they fell 4-1. In the other three games, they only surrendered two goals - both to Iceland - as they had outstanding goaltending performances from Alba Gonzalo and Laura Lopez de Ochoa. Vega Munoz was Spain's top scorer with eight points in the tournament while Claudia Castellanos, Haizea Fernandez, and Munoz all recorded three goals to led the way for Spain's goal scoring. Alba Gonzalo played the vast majority of minutes with Laura Lopez de Ochoa backing her up.

With Latvia getting the bump up to the Division-1B ranks thanks to their win in the Division-2A tournament, we won't see Great Britain and Spain meet next year unless there's a friendly game between the two international squads. Great Britain will play in the Division-1B tournament being held in Riga, Latvia from March 31 to April 6, 2024 while Spain will look to take victory in the Division-2A tourament that takes place in Canillo, Spain - technically, Andorra - at the Palau de Gel from April 7-13, 2024. Belgium will replace Latvia at that Division-2A tournament.

Of course, if Spain can emerge victorious in the Division-2A tourament and Great Britain fails to win the Division-1B tournament, we could get a head-to-head meeting between these two nations on the ice at the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship Division-1B. This blog isn't one to put the cart before the horse, though, so we'll see how the 2024 tournaments play out before being excited about a potential "World Cup rematch" between Great Britain and Spain.

Congratulations to both England and Spain in reaching women's football's pinnacle tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to a great game between two very impressive squads as the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup comes to a close. One team will go home champions while the other just gets to go home, but it's pretty clear that this Women's World Cup has been a rousing success across the globe when it comes to action on the pitch, equality both on and off the field, and support from both fans, sponsors, and media. Yes, there are still things to be fixed, but this will be regarded as on one heckuva tournament when the final whistle is blown tomorrow.

Perhaps one day both nations will see their female hockey stars get the same idolization.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!