Alex Morgan, the striker for the USA, believes that the upcoming Women’s World Cup will be the most exciting one yet. The increase in the number of teams from 24 to 32 will make the competition more competitive and attract more viewers.
The United States will begin their quest for a third consecutive title and fifth overall against Vietnam at Eden Park on July 22. They will also face Netherlands and Portugal in the tournament, which is being co-hosted by Australia.
Morgan expressed that arriving in the host country for a World Cup evokes a combination of nervousness, anticipation, and enthusiasm. She also mentioned that while there are many similarities with previous editions, this particular one is expected to be the most exceptional.
“We have 32 teams in the World Cup like never before, so it’s just going to be very competitive; it’s going to be the most watched World Cup,” she added at their first training session in Auckland.
In January, the United States organized a training camp in New Zealand where they won two matches against the co-hosts in Wellington and Auckland. Morgan is optimistic that the American team will be embraced by the local fans as their second-favorite team, right after the ‘Football Ferns’.
The 34-year-old, who is appearing at a fourth World Cup, hoped for “a little bit of a home crowd feeling, a lot of people cheering for us, against us”.
Megan Rapinoe, who has won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards in 2019 and will be participating in her fourth World Cup, admitted that the tournament still makes her feel nervous.
“There’s nothing quite like that and only comes every four years so it’s a nice little treat every time,” she added.
