Playing time at Women’s World Cup dominated by English-based stars

Almost 20 per cent of playing time at the Women’s World Cup went to players from English-based clubs.

Spanish champions Barcelona were the dominant individual club as their nation defeated England in the final and here, the PA news agency looks at what the statistics show.

Super League shows the way

Twenty of England’s 23 finalists play for Women’s Super League clubs, with Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh contributing to Barca’s tally and Georgia Stanway of Bayern Munich the other exception.

That was a big factor in the English league’s dominance but, mirroring the growth of the men’s Premier League, the collection of top talent from around the world has also contributed significantly.

While none of the Spain squad play in the WSL, beaten semi-finalists Sweden and Australia both gave more than 45 per cent of their minutes to players based in England.

A total of 89 players from English clubs featured on the pitch in Australia and New Zealand, combining for 29,104 minutes of playing time out of the 146,252 minutes across all players at the tournament (19.9 per cent).

Ever-present Lionesses Mary Earps and Alex Greenwood led the way with 756 minutes each, with Australia’s Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord playing 750 and 749 respectively.

English-based players also scored 37 goals, 10 more than those from any other domestic league, led by four each from Sweden and Arsenal defender Amanda Ilestedt and Manchester City’s Dutch midfielder Jill Roord.

Ilestedt and 15 Arsenal team-mates combined for 6,048 minutes and a dozen goals, while 16 Chelsea players played a total of 5,228 minutes. City’s 13 representatives played 4,858 minutes and scored 11 goals, the latter figure one behind Barca and Arsenal’s leading total.

Barca success continues

Les nostres blaugranes conquisten el món. Felicitats, campiones! #FIFAWWC

Our blaugranas take over the world! Congrats

Campeonas del mundo. ¡Felicidades! pic.twitter.com/Mld6k8A9OI

— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) August 20, 2023

Those figures are eclipsed by Barca, who had a tournament-high 18 players and 7,608 minutes of playing time while matching Arsenal’s goal tally.

The club won last season’s Spanish title and Champions League and nine of their players – Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmati, Salma Paralluelo, Mariona Caldentey, Cata Coll, Laia Codina, Alexia Putellas and Maria Perez – can now call themselves world champions as well.

That came at the expense of Walsh and Bronze in the final while Fridolina Rolfo reached the last four with Sweden. Norway pair Caroline Graham Hansen and Ingrid Syrstad Engen, Switzerland’s Ana Maria Crnogorcevic, Nigeria forward Asisat Oshoala, Italy teenager Giulia Dragoni and Brazil’s Geyse were their other representatives.

Paris St Germain edged out Real Madrid, and their seven Spain players, for fifth place in playing time and matched their eight goals, a total also shared by Lyon and American side Racing Louisville – home of Brazil’s Ary Borges, who scored a hat-trick against Panama, and South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana and China’s Wang Shuang with their two goals apiece.

Another notably overachieving club in the goals column were Japan’s MyNavi Sendai with five. They had only one representative at the World Cup but that player was Hinata Miyazawa, who won the Golden Boot as her country reached the quarter-finals.