Women’s World Cup 2023: Five of the best players Down Under

Best players at the Women’s World Cup: 5 standout players

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup came to a close with Spain securing the top prize with a 1-0 win against England in Sydney.

A month’s worth of action saw a tournament packed with plenty of standout players from different countries.

Here, we look at five star players who shone the brightest during the competition.

Linda Caicedo (Colombia)

The 18-year-old had a breakout tournament and her two goals and an assist played an important role in Colombia advancing to the quarter-finals. Her stunning strike against Germany will no doubt be a contender for goal of the tournament.

Amanda Ilestedt (Sweden)

Centre-back Ilestedt was an unlikely top scorer for her nation this summer having netted an impressive four goals from Sweden’s dominant set-pieces which helped her side reach the semi-finals. Her performances earned her the Bronze Ball Award at the end of the tournament.

Lauren Hemp (England)

Hemp scored important goals at crucial times for Sarina Wiegman’s England, including an equaliser in the Lionesses’ quarter-final victory over Colombia and putting them back in front against Australia in the semi-final.

The Manchester City forward had England’s best chance of the final against Spain, rattling the crossbar in the first half.

Hinata Miyazawa (Japan)

Miyazawa won the Golden Boot with five goals and was at the forefront of Japan’s free-flowing attacking football which dominated the early stages before they fell to Sweden in the quarter-finals.

Lauren James (England)

James shone in the early stages of the tournament and gained plaudits for her memorable display against China. The Chelsea winger scored three goals and provided three assists in total before seeing red in England’s last-16 victory over Nigeria but returned from suspension as a substitute in the second half of Sunday’s final.