| 2023 Women's Finalissima | |
| Event: | Women's Finalissima |
| Team1: | England |
| Team1score: | 1 |
| Team2: | Brazil |
| Team2score: | 1 |
| Details: | England won 4–2 on penalties |
| Stadium: | Wembley Stadium |
| City: | London |
| Woman Player1: | Keira Walsh (England)[1] |
| Referee: | Stéphanie Frappart (France)[2] |
| Attendance: | 83,132 |
| Weather: | Cloudy night 9°C 72% humidity[3] |
The 2023 Women's Finalissima was the first edition of the Women's Finalissima, an intercontinental women's football match between the winners of the most recent European and South American championships. The match featured England, winners of UEFA Women's Euro 2022, and Brazil, winners of the 2022 Copa América Femenina. It was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 6 April 2023.[4] [5] The match was organised by UEFA and CONMEBOL as part of a renewed partnership between the two confederations.
England won the match 4–2 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after 90 minutes to secure the inaugural Women's Finalissima title.
On 12 February 2020, UEFA and CONMEBOL signed a renewed memorandum of understanding meant to enhance cooperation between the two organisations. As part of the agreement, a joint UEFA–CONMEBOL committee examined the possibility of staging European–South American intercontinental matches, for both men's and women's football and across various age groups.[6] In September 2021, UEFA and CONMEBOL announced the revival of the Artemio Franchi Cup between the winners of the men's UEFA European Championship and Copa América.[7] On 15 December 2021, UEFA and CONMEBOL again signed a renewed memorandum of understanding lasting until 2028, which included specific provisions on opening a joint office in London, England and the potential organisation of various football events.[8] On 2 June 2022, the day after staging the 2022 Finalissima, CONMEBOL and UEFA announced a series of new events between teams from the two confederations. This included the Women's Finalissima, to be played by the winners of South America's Copa América Femenina and Europe's UEFA Women's Championship. As part of the announcement, the first edition was confirmed to take place in Europe, with the exact date and venue to be announced at a later date.[9] The match was provisionally scheduled to be held during the FIFA International Match Calendar window of 13 to 25 February 2023,[10] but was later confirmed to take place on 6 April 2023 in London.[5] On 26 October 2022, it was confirmed the match would take place at Wembley Stadium.[11]
In the UK, the match was broadcast live on TV by ITV1 and STV, with radio coverage being provided by BBC Radio 5 Live.
| Team | Confederation | Qualification | FIFA Rankings March 2023[12] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA | Winners of UEFA Women's Euro 2022 | 4 | ||
| CONMEBOL | Winners of the 2022 Copa América Femenina | 9 |
England qualified for the match by virtue of winning UEFA Women's Euro 2022 as hosts, having defeated Germany 2–1 after extra time in the final.[13] The win secured England's first major women's football title. Brazil qualified for the match by virtue of winning the 2022 Copa América Femenina, having defeated hosts Colombia 1–0 in the final. The win was Brazil's eighth Copa América title.[14]
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| Player of the Match: Keira Walsh (England)
| Match rules
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| Statistic | England | Brazil | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | Goals scored | 1 | 0 | |
| scope=row | Total shots | 9 | 1 | |
| scope=row | Shots on target | 4 | 0 | |
| scope=row | Saves | 0 | 3 | |
| scope=row | Ball possession | 73% | 27% | |
| scope=row | Corner kicks | 3 | 1 | |
| scope=row | Fouls committed | 3 | 5 | |
| scope=row | Offsides | 3 | 1 | |
| scope=row | Yellow cards | 0 | 1 | |
| scope=row | Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Statistic | England | Brazil | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | Goals scored | 0 | 1 | |
| scope=row | Total shots | 2 | 8 | |
| scope=row | Shots on target | 1 | 3 | |
| scope=row | Saves | 2 | 1 | |
| scope=row | Ball possession | 55% | 45% | |
| scope=row | Corner kicks | 1 | 2 | |
| scope=row | Fouls committed | 5 | 5 | |
| scope=row | Offsides | 4 | 1 | |
| scope=row | Yellow cards | 2 | 0 | |
| scope=row | Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Statistic | England | Brazil | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | Goals scored | 1 | 1 | |
| scope=row | Total shots | 11 | 9 | |
| scope=row | Shots on target | 5 | 3 | |
| scope=row | Saves | 2 | 4 | |
| scope=row | Ball possession | 64% | 36% | |
| scope=row | Corner kicks | 4 | 3 | |
| scope=row | Fouls committed | 8 | 10 | |
| scope=row | Offsides | 7 | 2 | |
| scope=row | Yellow cards | 2 | 1 | |
| scope=row | Red cards | 0 | 0 |
England midfielder Keira Walsh was named official player of the match,[16] with teammate Lucy Bronze voted by fans as England's player of the match.[17] Brazil's Geyse was highlighted for her constant attacking threat throughout the match;[18] coach Pia Sundhage praised Geyse's contribution and credited her move to Barcelona the previous summer for her form.[19] After the match, pundits on British show Football Focus suggested that Walsh and Bronze also joining Barcelona at the same time had similarly improved their form, while giving the same assessment to Georgia Stanway and her move to Bayern Munich.[20]
England's unbeaten run before the match included several encounters that were deemed not challenging enough for the team to prepare for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup set to take place in July and August 2023; sports media agreed that while England had looked equally dominant in the first half of the Finalissima, the threat of Brazil in the second half was "the test England needed". The experience of the penalty shoot-out in front of such a large crowd was also considered beneficial for the teams.[21] [22]
Both teams played international fixtures again five days later on 11 April 2023. England would go on to lose 2-0 to Australia in Brentford, their first defeat under manager Sarina Wiegman and ending a 30-match unbeaten run that started in September 2021.[23] Meanwhile, Brazil would beat Germany 2-1 in Nuremberg.[24]
