Though a lot of his clients play with clubs in Central and Eastern Europe, his knowledge of the global women’s game is stellar and we touched on a number of subjects, including Iran’s WNT rapid development in Asia and concerns about the Saudi Arabian Premier League’s recruitment strategy of global stars.
We then review the 2025 Copa America Femenina in Ecuador, focusing on CONMEBOL’s logistics problems, long-running disputes between the players and officials in Uruguay, the results, the rosters and discuss one barrier that Marta has recently shared that would prevent her from playing at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, despite her stunning late two goals to rescue their final against Colombia at the recent CONMEBOL championships.
Interview with women’s football agent Stavros Gkelias of Greece
This week, TribalFootball.com talked exclusively with Stavros Gkelias, the Managing Director and a co-Founder of Soccer Generation Sports Agency, which was started in 2021 in Athens, Greece to work with professional women’s footballers in their contract and related activities as they advance their professional football careers. They have added offices since their launch in Corfu, Greece and Sofia, Bulgaria.
They help their clients with transfers, contracts, career development, data and video analysis as well as social media and content dissemination. They have recently started to represent male footballers, but set up a separate agency for that business. I came across their agency in reviewing new players for the teams participating in the third round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifiers (which we will review next week). Though they primarily deal with players from Central and Eastern Europe: “mainly the Balkans,” according to Gkelias (see: https://sgssportsagency.net/) including internationals from Greece, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland and Azerbaijan among others.
However, they have three Canadians as clients who are now playing in Europe and he sees great potential in the further development of the game there. I found Stavros Gkelias to be extremely dedicated to the growth of women’s football and quite well versed in global women’s football as we talked about women’s leagues in Armenia, Canada, the U.S., Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Gkelias believes that, for players from America and Canada who want to play with clubs in Europe, that: “We can give them opportunities.”
Specifically for Canada with its new Northern Super League, he felt that: “There were very good players who didn’t go into the sport (professionally).”
With the new Canadian league in particular, he felt that some clubs were not as organized as they could have been, rather taking the attitude that: “We need to do this because we had planned to do it,” resulting in a scattershot and short-term approach to team development.
This reporter has heard some criticism about the player identification process within certain teams in the NSL but that should change in 2026 and beyond, particularly as more top Canadians look to come home from clubs abroad and play in the league. Honestly, I think we could take any women’s league around the world and find a team or more using the same approach, particularly in situations when club funding is dire.
Gkelias felt that some player singings in the NSL and the USL Super League (in its second season) revolved around finding players with: “A good marketing strategy… getting players with good social media numbers, which is not the best strategy… rather than a focus on what a player will bring on the field in order to build the components of a solid team.”
He felt that this name-recognition marketing approach: “doesn’t build fans who follow the game weekly.”
Gkelias takes a patient approach to the development of the sport because: “All new leagues need time to support the level of football they aspire to.”
In general, Gkelias sees that the (women’s football) industry is growing day-by-day. Some positives he focused on included: “More and more people actually care about what happens. It gives a new perspective to girls when they feel that they are part of something important.”
He emphasized that it wasn’t that way even 5-6 years ago, with so many more fans following the sport over the past few years. Another positive that Stavros emphasized is that: “Girls see it as a professional career; little girls wanted to play overseas or at a very good level, but they had to do a second or third job (to play professionally)… We are trying to help girls to be professional players. We see more and more people are interested, with more support for the girls.”
One of the challenges that women’s football still has to overcome is that: “Some leagues are still not fully professional. It’s a process (between) players, clubs and agents.”
On Iran, which is in the first FIFA women’s futsal World Cup Finals later this year along with their outdoor side making the Asian Finals early next year with a chance to qualify for their first WWC finals (see: The Week in Women's Football: Asian Cup qualifiers; reviewing OFC Champions League - TribalFootball.com), Gkelias said: “They have good players but don’t have a core base in the country. It’s hard to get teams from one of the top five European leagues to look at their players.”
There is a strong football-playing Persian diaspora, particularly in France, Turkey and Southern California in the States—but the nation has yet to fully utilize this talent base. Gkelias added: “I hope so (that they utilize their diaspora). They need to understand that it will help the team develop and win.”
With the Saudi Arabian Women’s Premier League, Gkelias feels that it is on a bubble, but if it explode in two or three years, it will be a huge blow for women’s football. He added: “The investment figures being reported are extraordinary and could provide a massive boost for women’s football in the region; (however), there is always a risk that such rapid, top-down projects lose momentum if short-term expectations are not met. If the authorities or investors decide to scale back suddenly, it could leave a vacuum and stall the organic growth of the sport, which would be devastating for players and clubs that have come to rely on it. I don’t necessarily think the league will fail, but the model reminds me of situations where heavy spending on importing big names has overshadowed the development of sustainable local structures. That’s where I see the danger: not just financial collapse, but the lack of a solid grassroots and domestic pathway.”
His insights immediately reminded me of the original North American Soccer League, which began in 1968 after two competing teams merged following the 1967 season—trying to leverage the exciting 1966 World Cup in England which was televised in the States. The league brought Pele, Johan Cruff and Franz Beckenbauer but quickly was named “The Elephant’s Graveyard” as a number of imports came for one last payday and disappointed the fans.
I remember Geoff Hurst—one of the heroes of England’s 1966 World Cup winning side—coming to the Seattle Sounders and was routinely booed as he had replaced fourth division forward Johnny Rowlands, who scored prolifically and was one of the leaders in teaching the game locally in the Sounders first two seasons of 1974 and 1975. Hurst famously asked after another underwhelming performance: “And who is this Johnny Rowlands?” Hurst moved back to England and the Sounders made the Soccer Cup Final against Pele in his last league game in Portland, losing an epic final 2-1.
We will do our annual review of the 2025-26 Saudi Arabian league later this year but the question is will top level internationals like Dzsenifer Marozsan of Germany from OL Lyonnes of France who joined Al-Qadsiah, Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria who left Bay FC recently for Al Hilal, Jessica Silva of Portugal who left Gotham FC for Al Hilal, Ghizlane Chebbak of Morocco who left Levante of Spain also for Al Hilal and Tunisian-born iconic French international winger Amel Majri, who left Lyon this summer after 15 years to join Al-Ula (and scored in her first game with the new club. French head coach Fabrice Abriel, who coached Paris St. Germain women in 2024-25, joined NEOM this season as well.
As Gkelias correctly noted: “People are not going there because they care about the history of Saudi Arabian football (which essentially has been developing over the last few seasons); they are going for the money.”
He cautioned that: “The challenge for Saudi Arabia will be to balance the attraction of established stars with building genuine long-term football culture.”
The Saudi Arabian league and their women’s national team is one of the current groundbreaking stories in the game and this column will continue to focus on it.
Stavros Gkelias and his Soccer Generation Sports Agency, after first focusing on assisting players from Central and Eastern Europe, is well-positioned to become a major agency for players from around the world. His dedication and commitment to the sport is readily apparent and his knowledge of the women’s game should make his client players and clubs comfortable with how he understand the women’s game at such a deep level.
2025 Copa America Femenina Review
The 2025 Copa America Femenina ended with a tremendous championship final match, a 4-4 tie between Brazil and Colombia on August 2 in Quito, Ecuador after 120 minutes, with Brazil winning 5-4 on penalties. Unfortunately, the tournament—and particularly organizer CONMEBOL—faced criticism for poor planning, no VAR utilized in group play and low attendances (discussed more below).
The overall takeaway was that CONMEBOL has to step up its standards, after similar organizational snafues at the 2024 Copa Libertadores Femenina late last year in Paraguay (see: The Week in Women's Football: Reviewing 'It’s All Over: The Kiss that Changed Spanish Football'; Marta WC response - TribalFootball.com). Some media sent up of cries of anguish with another CONMEBOL member country (Brazil) hosting the 2027 WWC in two years’ time. However, that will be a FIFA-run event, working with some experienced local organizing committees from the 2014 men’s World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, so I’m less concerned about that. I think the next Women’s World Cup tournament will be a major success and boost the game in Brazil—whether or not it makes FIFA’s revenue goals (see last week’s column: The Week in Women's Football: Bermuda win Island Games; Champions League review; Hera make history - TribalFootball.com) is another question. It is clear that CONMEBOL and a number of associations in South America are indeed holding back the women’s game in their countries, which we will discuss in more detail below.
Copa America Femenina 2025 was the 10th edition of the 10 nation confederation finals which began in 1991, but uniquely did not double as the South American qualification for the Women’s World Cup for the first time. To determine the two teams from CONMEBOL who will join host Brazil directly at the 2027 WWC Finals, CONMEBOL is launching a new qualifying tournament, the CONMEBOL Women’s Nations League.
It begins in October and will run through June of 2026, in which all nine teams (without Brazil) will play each other in a single round robin, with the top two teams qualifying directly to the Finals and the third- and fourth-placed sides advancing to the 10-team intercontinental playoffs for the final three berths at the finals. At least VAR is expected to be used at all of the games, which did not happen for most games at this year’s Copa.
The 2025 Copa America Femenina did decide two teams for the next Summer Olympics Games Finals in Los Angeles in 2028—Brazil and Colombia—as well as three teams for the 2027 Pan American Games Finals in Lima along with host side Peru—Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Organizational Issues at the 2025 Copa America Femenina
The tournament’s logistics and organizational snafus received international media attention and overshadowed an amazing final match between Brazil and Colombia, which was unexpected based on their dour 0-0 tie in the group stage, with Colombia unable to capitalize on Brazil’s ten players for over an hour, after goalkeeper Lorena received a red card in the 24th minute—the final was so different in so many ways, which we will discuss in more detail below.
On the logistics issues, Brazil’s players posted on their social media accounts about how bad they were, showing pictures and videos of their pregame warm-ups indoors against Bolivia in a limited space rather than on the playing field, with CONMEBOL explaining that it was done to prevent damage to the pitch, which hosted two matches a day during the group stage.
Manchester City’s Brazil forward Kerolin reflected on the difference with the Women’s EURO in Switzerland when as she wrote on her X social media account: “While at the EUROs, they are breaking records in technology; we are warming up in a room with a maximum of 20 square metres, smelling of paint.”
Orlando Pride’s Marta told Brazilian sports media site Globo Esporte: “It’s been a long-time since I played in a tournament here in South America, and we’re saddened by these situations. (CONMEBOL) demand performance from the athletes and a high level of work, but we also demand a high level of organization. We have the right to demand organization… This situation is really disruptive. There wasn’t enough space for both teams, but both wanted to be there to prepare. I really don’t understand why we can’t warm up on the field. This is still a problem for us because it’s very hot here, with the altitude. We hope CONMEBOL reverses some of the issues and improves things.”
Brazil midfielder Ary Borges asked of CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez, why the men’s and women’s continental championships were handled so differently: “Even amateur matches are better organised than what we have here. Ask Alejandro if he could warm-up in a space measuring five or 10 metres and smelling of paint.”
Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges of Racing Louisville wondered why there was a lack of a video assistant referee (VAR) system in the group stage, with the tournament’s refereeing overall rated quite poor. Borja also commented on the pre-game training restrictions when she said: “We are playing in a competition that counts for a place in the Olympics… and we don’t have VAR in the games. We can’t step onto the pitch in a game against Venezuela without knowing what the pitch (is) like. Worst of all, (we are) warming up on a synthetic pitch, (over) cement, within a space of 10, 15 meters, stinking of paint, because it looks like they painted the stadium there two days, one day before. So, it’s very difficult, because last year we had a men’s Copa América (in the U.S.) at good times, in good stadiums and we see… this disregard for women’s football, and it’s a shame.”
I must editorialize a bit here that the men’s Copa America last year in America organizationally had some problems with crowd control at some venues and difficult media credentialing policies, with numerous complaints from colleagues at western U.S. venues. The CONCACAF Gold Cup was held this summer again in Phoenix and other cities and they do a very competent job with organizational issues. The first Copa America held in the States was in 2016 and CONCACAF did all the organizing and that was probably the best ever soccer event in Phoenix—there is such a gulf between the two confederations in treatment of fans, media and players.
Brazil WNT head coach Arthur Elias said: “Unfortunately, we are in a competition where the teams don’t warm-up on the field. That is, they don’t warm-up football, they warm-up other movements. … It’s more or less the size of this room. We can only warm up the starters. We can’t even warm up the reserves… These are not gestures that are part of the game. There’s not much exchange of passes; there’s no intensity that you can achieve because the space is small, so they don’t warm-up as the football player has to warm-up to practice… The warm-up issue really worries me. We had a player who, at the end of the warm-up, felt what was maybe be a muscle issue. We tested her (and she played), but if we had needed to replace her, it would have been with a player who hadn’t warmed-up because there wasn’t enough space for all 20 players.”
This was partly why Kerolin was not in the starting lineup for the tournament opener against Venezuela. Kerolin was the NWSL’s Most Valuable Player in 2023 while with the North Carolina Courage and scored a hat-trick in Brazil’s 6-0 win over Bolivia.
Chilean international defender Fernanda Pinilla (31) of Club Leon in Mexico also questioned why VAR was only used for the semi-finals and final, speaking after Chile’s crucial 2-1 defeat to Argentina on July 18 (Chile finished third in Group A with six points, one behind Uruguay with seven points and six points behind group winners Argentina with 12 points), saying: “I think VAR can work for you or against you, but it gets us closer to fairness. It would be really important that, in such a major tournament like the Copa América (Femenina), it could be used. We still need to improve the tournament, the format, everything, and one of these improvements would be to have VAR from the group stage.”
CONMEBOL backed off on the warmup issue, no doubt due to the complaints they were receiving from players and the negative attention from the global media, including from the Guardian in the U.K. and outlets in America. They subsequently provided access to the fields for pre-game warmups but did not add VAR.
CONMEBOL issued a memo stating: “From now on, in addition to the goalkeepers, who already had a warm-up period on the field for 15 minutes, the possibility will be enabled so that the field players can also warm up on the field of play during the same period of time. After an extensive evaluation of the state of the playing fields of the competition stadiums so far and also considering the feedback received from some participating teams, CONMEBOL has decided to implement an adjustment in the pre-match operations.”
Uruguay’s WNT possible boycott and historical problems with federation and league officials
The 2025 Copa América Femenine had conflict even before the tournament as, three days prior to their opening game against host side Ecuador on July 11, the Uruguayan national team refused to train and threatened to boycott the tournament, specifically wanting improvements in: the use of the men’s national-team training center—Complejo Celeste, better training conditions and clothing, improved daily allowances for national and international duty, and reclassification from a “development team” to full national-team status.
The latter issue is truly puzzling since Uruguay have put together teams for major tournaments—including eight Copa America Femenina tournaments since 1998, though they have never hosted the event—and qualification for every Women’s World Cup since the 1999 tournament in the States and even hosted the FIFA U-17 WWC in 2018. Just how long can Uruguay consider its women’s national team a development side? It’s been over a quarter of a decade and the federation hasn’t thought to change that designation?
Iran, for whom women’s players were prevented from playing outdoors for decades because of sharia law edicts, is in the Asian Championship Finals and has hopes to qualify for their first Women’s World Cup. Uruguay’s lack to respect to women’s football is definitely holding the game back. These resource shortages that the Uruguayan WNT players are upset about are truly a problem though for women’s teams throughout the continent.
The Uruguayan players posted on Instagram: “We are not training today because we still have not received a favourable response to our demand of better conditions. We want to represent Uruguay in the Copa America (Femenina), but we also deserve fair treatment for our efforts and dedication.”
To add fuel to the situation, the Uruguayan FA’s president, Ignacio Alonso, was criticized for his post on social media celebrating the growth of the women’s game under his leadership since 2019, highlighting: “more players, more divisions, and broadcasts”. Unfortunately this lack of concern/insensitivity/tone-deafness/stupidity (pick an adjective) for women’s players by FA executive officials just follows on from the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) officials acting like fawning sheep when backing former Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales after he kissed Jenni Hermoso after the Final, deemed by the courts later as sexual assault.
Defensor Sporting’s midfielder Camila Friciello (29) replied to the Alonso’s post with the following: “Alonso, women’s football in Uruguay is completely amateur. We went from playing in stadiums to playing on training grounds. From games broadcast on TV to streaming. We play with terrible balls. There are no salaries. No medical assistance… Two weeks ago, the national team didn’t train because they didn’t have proper conditions.”
On July 9, the Uruguayan player’s union MUFP and the Uruguay Football Association AUF settled the dispute, at least temporarily (sic), after what were described as “intense negotiations,” with MUFP Secretary General Mitchell Duarte telling FIFPRO—the international Football Players Union—that: “While there is still a lot of room for improvement, we are in a process of continuous improvement. There was a very good working relationship in this instance, and both parties were satisfied with the agreements reached. We understand that there is now a commitment to generate agreements similar to those being made by other national teams with other federations, seeking continuous improvement. This is the most important thing to come out of this instance, which was tough but strengthened everyone. There is a conviction that this is the way to continue growing and improving working conditions.”
The Uruguay team thus traveled to Ecuador, with the host side scoring two goals in the last 20 minutes for a 2-2 tie. Despite the stress of their dispute with their federation, Las Celestes had a very good tournament and qualified for the next Pan American Games (see below).
Unfortunately, Uruguay’s women players have had public disagreement with local football officials before. In July of 2023, 300 women’s players—including players from first and second division teams as well as youth team players—congregated at their national player association—Mutual Uruguaya de Futbolistas Profesionales (MUFP)—offices in Montevideo and signed a proclamation demanding: “equal opportunities and access to adequate facilities, better resources and financial support” from the Uruguayan league. Goalkeeper Catia Gomez, MUFP’s Head of Women’s Football, told FIFPRO: “We wanted to make the proclamation visible and also mark a before and after (point) in the struggle. We wanted all women’s players to know where we are going, but also publicly inform the rest of the decision-makers that we are looking for changes.”
Danubio defender Lucero Morandi, one of the speakers, added: “There aren’t just 10 or 15 of us getting together to talk; even players from teams like Nacional de Montevideo, who have the best training conditions and some contracts that reach the minimum, said that there was a change in how everything was being conceived.” The proclamation was shared with the AUF, clubs, media and sponsors.
The proclamation had a series of requests that the women’s football players, who act as professionals but are not recognized as such, wanted addressed, including:
Training in deplorable conditions, or in public squares or gardens;
Using dressing rooms without minimum infrastructure and hygienic conditions;
Clubs providing them with clothing that were discarded from men’s football teams;
Footballers had to pay to play, for their transport and, in some cases, even for their managers and clothing;
Clubs do not pay for medical expenses in case of injury;
The total lack of visibility of the Uruguayan league in the media and, in some cases, in the social networks of the clubs themselves.
Nautico players, for instance, decided not to participate in the competition because they could not reach an agreement with the club to access certain facilities; they were asked to pay for their own clothing, for example. Other examples cited were that women’s fields had very little grass and were mostly dirt, there was no water for showers in the dressing rooms, teams had to warm-up in car parks, players missed some road games due to work or school because they are designated as amateurs, and second division teams had to play two matches in a day and a half.
Morandi added: “These conditions have been going on for a long time and we are used to these things happening. But we managed to say, ‘This needs to stop.’ I don’t want to have to leave the country to continue developing. Together, we have to fight for the development of women’s football.” Morandi (25) had been playing for six years and 2023 was the first year that she has been able to train every day and in the mornings, explaining that: “At night you arrive with the last of your energy,” but now she has flexible hours in her job as a physical education teacher. She is also studying for a master’s degree and is the head coach of a men’s team at a social level.
A little over a month before, Uruguayan women’s football went on strike for the first time. They had considered a strike in July of 2023 as well but decided on the protest and statement instead. Morandi explained: “It’s a measure we don’t want to take, but at some point we have been tempted to take it. At that point, the advice of the MUFP was key to taking the right steps towards a better fighting stance.” Gomez added: “After a productive joint dialogue, we came to the logical conclusion that the strike is our biggest and most radical union measure that we can take. Therefore, we must use it correctly.”
To assist on the dissemination of information on women’s football in the country, this column is committed to cover Uruguay women’s football more in the future, beyond their club and national team’s participation in CONMEBOL championships and this reporter pledges to do that in the future.
2025 Copa America Femenina Results
In Group A, Argentina won the group with four consecutive wins for 12 points, with Uruguay second on 7 points; both teams made the semifinals. Chile finished in third with 6 points to earn a berth in the fifth place match. Host nation Ecuador (4 points) and Peru (0 points) were eliminated after group play.
In Group B, Brazil won the group with three wins and one tie for 10 points, while Colombia was also undefeated with two wins and two ties for 8 points; the two sides made the semifinals. Paraguay advanced to the fifth place match with 6 points, while Venezuela (4 points) and Boliva (0 points) were eliminated from the tournament.
In the knockout stage, Brazil blasted Uruguay 5-1 in one semifinal while Colombia advanced over Argentina on penalties 5-4 after a 0-0 tie.
In the fifth place playoff, Paraguay surprised two time WWC Finals side Chile 1-0 to qualify for the Pan American Games Finals in 2027; Chile needs to do a re-think ahead of 2027 WWC qualifiers or they could find themselves missing from the World Cup party in less than two years’ time—for the second consecutive time in a row, after making the finals in 2019 in France for the first time ever.
Argentina captured third with a 5-4 penalty kick win over Uruguay following a 2-2 tie. Uruguay, despite all of the player/federation conflict, should be very pleased with their fourth place finish, which was their second-best Copa America Femenina showing ever, after finishing third in 2006. Their federation and league needs to support the women’s side (see above) much better ahead of the 2027 WWC Qualifiers as Las Celestes could be a serious contender for one of the three direct spots or through the Intercontinental Playoffs.
In the final, Brazil won a tremendous match 5-4 on penalties after a 4-4 tie following 120 minutes, while Colombian attackers Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid in Spain) and Mayra Ramirez (Chelsea in England) were stellar to watch. However, Marta came on in the 82nd minute when the teams were deadlocked at 2-2 and scored two goals for Brazil, including a strike from outside the box in the last second of stoppage time, sending the match into extra time. She scored again late in the first half of extra time (the 105th minute), putting Brazil ahead for the first time in the match. Washington Spirit’s Leicy Santos knotted the scores again off a set piece in the 115th minute for Colombia to make the score 4-4.
Colombia will regret that Jorelyn Carabali (26) of Brighton and Hove Albion in the WSL petulantly head-butted Brazilian forward Gio Garbelini (Atletico Madrid) inside the box, gifting Brazil a penalty, with Angelina (Orlando Pride) scoring from the spot and tying the game (1-1) just before half time, against the run of play. The teams had seven rounds of penalty kicks before Brazil won 5-4. Brazil has never missed a Copa final since the tournament began in 1991 and lost only to Argentina in 2006.
Colombia has made three of the last four WWC Finals and finished runners-up in four of the last five Women’s Copa America Femenina tournaments. Las Cafeteras will be a strong favorite to qualify for their fourth WWC Finals tournament since 2011 in Germany, making the quarterfinals in Australia/New Zealand in 2023.
Brazil legend and six-time FIFA Player of the Year Marta was a major factor in Brazil’s comeback; she unretired earlier this year after stepping away from the national team following the 2024 Olympic Finals, when they finished second to the U.S. (see our column reviewing the Olympic Games Finals last summer: The Week in Women's Football: Olympics review; is it the end?; Marsch intervention in Canada drone storm - TribalFootball.com). We will discuss her status for the 2027 Finals at home in more detail below.
Attendances and top scorers at the 2025 Copa America Femenina
The tournament final at the La Casa Blanca in Quito, Ecuador drew 23,798 fans in a stadium that holds 41,575—albeit for two excellent teams but with the home side eliminated in the group stage—and really typified the low attendances, for which CONMEBOL kept attendance figures under wrap and this reporter could not find any fan counts on a game-by-game basis or overall, for the tournament. The tournament opener between Ecuador and Uruguay only drew 2,679 fans for an exciting match, though it was announced as 6,000. One report said that a first round game only had 30 fans.
CONMEBOL was criticized for starting ticket sales very late, only eight days before the start of the tournament. This was the third time that Ecuador had hosted the women’s continual finals after 2010 and 2014 (when they finished third) and they also hosted some games in 2003 along with Peru and Argentina. The nation has never hosted a FIFA U-17 or U-20 Women’s World Cup Finals. Playing all the games in three stadiums in Quito seemed logistically to be a solid plan, but spreading some games into other cities, including the lowlands, could have helped attendance and grown the game and taken it beyond a local Quito tournament. Unfortunately, hosting the 2025 Women’s Copa was a lost opportunity for Ecuador and CONMEBOL.
Paraguayan forward Claudia Martinez (17) of Club Olimpia in Paraguay was a true revelation of the tournament, becoming the tournament’s youngest ever goal scorer, tallying a hat-trick against Bolivia (4-0 win on July 13) and her side’s only goals against Colombia on July 16 and Brazil on July 19 (both 4-1 defeats). The teen was a bright spot for fifth-placed Paraguay, which, like Argentina and Uruguay, qualified for the 2027 Pan American Games. Martinez tied for the Golden Boot with Brazil’s Amanda Gutierres (24) of Palmeiras. Gutierres spent one season in France with Bordeaux. I think we will see both players moving to clubs outside of their home nations quite soon—in the case of Martinez, likely as soon as she turns 18 to comply with FIFA rules restricting youth players changing nations before that age.
Will Marta come back for the 2027 WWC?
Marta, the six-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year and legendary world class player, became the first player in world football to score in five Women’s World Cups during the 2019 tournament, having made her competition debut in 2003. This feat has only been matched by two other players: Christine Sinclair and Cristiano Ronaldo—iconic company indeed. She retired from the international game after the Paris Olympic Finals last summer. This reporter asked her about possibly returning to the national team last November during the NWSL Final, as she had extended her club contract through the end of the 2026 NWSL season (see: The Week in Women's Football: Reviewing 'It’s All Over: The Kiss that Changed Spanish Football'; Marta WC response - TribalFootball.com).
She became emotional with the question and said that she retained a dialogue with coach Arthur. She came back for friendlies less than 6 months later and was a crucial late substitute in the final at the Copa America Femenina. She will be 41 at the time of the WWC but, as she showed in Ecuador, she is a timeless talent and I think she will appear at the games in her home country. Her being on the team—even in a limited role—would be a huge boost to the game locally in building support for the tournament. I think the Brazil 2027 tournament needs Marta to ignite the game and the sport, not just locally but throughout the continent, with the potential to do what England did in 2022 at their Women’s EURO.
She could help in promotion if she wasn’t on the team but it wouldn’t be the same. You don’t need Marta for a friendly against Antigua and Barbuda or Azerbaijan but she is so vital at major finals because she is so incredibly influential, as we saw in the NWSL playoffs last year as Orlando won their first title and with the national team in Ecuador this past summer.
There could be one hitch on her playing in the 2027 Finals however, as she revealed recently. It depends on if she decides to have children before then. She said both fitness and her decision over whether to have a child will dictate whether she will appear in a seventh consecutive World Cup.
In an interview with Globo’s Esporte Espetacular, Marta said: “I don’t know whether I’ll still be playing in 2027 or whether I’ll be fit. It’s too early to say that I’m definitely going to play. I still have a very strong desire to be a mother. So, I might wake up one day and decide to call my doctor to see if it’s still possible. If it is, then bye, I have to go.” We wish her the best on both the playing fronts and her personal life.
Tim Grainey is a contributor to Tribal Football. His latest book Beyond Bend it Like Beckham on the global game of women’s football. Get your copy today. Follow Tim on X: @TimGrainey