2023 WWC: Canada, Australia High Commissions host watch party to discuss celebration of women in sports

The Australian High Commission together with the Canadian High Commission hosted the live viewing of the Australia vs Canada game at the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on Monday.

The event which took place at the Australian High Commission Residence, Cantonments brought together dignitaries such as the Australian and Canadian High Commissioners, the President and Vice President of the Ghana Cricket Association, Ghana's Minister of Youth and Sports Spokesperson, and a member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Communication Team.

Also in attendance were some media houses and Black Queens players as well. The event was also to Celebrate Women in Sports and the role of sports in achieving gender equality.

Her Excellency Berenice Owen-Jones, Australian High Commissioner, High Commissioner of Canada to Ghana, Martine Moreau, and Matilda Dimedo, a member of the GFA Communication Team spoke at the event - focusing mainly on the drive towards gender equality both on and off the field of play and how the visibility of women's sports is growing.

Women's football is currently one of the most-watched sporting events in the world with over 360 million people tuning in to watch the Women’s Euros final last summer.

The 2023 Women's World Cup is being held in Australia and New Zealand and the tournament was expanded from 24 teams to 32 with eight groups of four teams to allow many countries to participate at the global showpiece.

The World Cup is expected to set viewership records for the women’s game, hoping to attract over 2 billion viewers. 1.12 billion viewers tuned into official broadcast coverage of the Women’s World Cup in 2019, with the average live match attracting 17.27 million viewers, more than double the average of 8.39 million viewers in 2015. The final reached over 263 million unique viewers.

Despite the drive to promote gender inequality in Women's sports, both commissioners put friendship aside for 90 minutes to support their respective country to victory.

Australia kept their World Cup dream alive as they progressed to the last-16 stage by thrashing Canada 4-0. The co-hosts finished top of Group B as Canada suffered their first Women's World Cup group-stage exit since 2011.

Women's football has long been viewed as unequal to men, particularly regarding equal pay, visibility and training conditions but the narratives are gradually changing and if the same resources and attention are given to the game, surely it could reach the heights of men's football.

FIFA announced 300% increase in bonuses for the 2023 Women's World Cup, bringing the total to €135 million which represents a huge step in developing women’s football.