The Women's World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will grant team captains the opportunity to wear FIFA armbands to raise awareness of social causes. FIFA's decision comes after confirming that players will not be allowed to wear rainbow armbands in solidarity with the LGBTQ community during the tournament.
With an anticipated global television audience of two billion viewers, FIFA aims to spotlight various social issues, ranging from gender equality to combating domestic violence.
Captains will have three options for their armbands: wearing a "Football Unites the World" armband for the entire tournament, selecting an armband corresponding to a theme of their choice, or wearing an armband aligned with the theme of the specific match day.
FIFA's intention is to avoid a repetition of the controversy surrounding the "OneLove" rainbow armbands during the 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar.
Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, stated, "After some very open talks with stakeholders, including member associations and players, we have decided to highlight a series of social causes - from inclusion to gender equality, from peace to ending hunger, from education to tackling domestic violence - during all 64 matches at the FIFA Women's World Cup."
Hassan Al-Thawadi, Qatar's World Cup chief, revealed that European national teams wishing to wear the "OneLove" captain's armband at the 2022 World Cup were perceived as sending a "divisive message."
The Women's World Cup, the largest women's sporting event, commences on July 20th with the opening ceremony at Eden Park. The final will be held at Stadium Australia in Sydney on August 20th.
England boss Sarina Wiegman expressed confidence in finding a positive solution regarding the armbands highlighting social issues at the Women's World Cup. England midfielder Georgia Stanway confirmed that Wiegman fully supports the players' decision to wear the armbands in Australia for this summer's tournament. Stanway emphasized, "I feel that we are at a place where everybody can have their individual opinion and we are able to fight for what we believe in. Sarina is with us 100%. Whatever we want to do, she backs us. We make the final decision, and Sarina comes with us."