Culture

We're roughly halfway through the 2023 summer transfer window with Europe's top five leagues all having to conclude their business by 11 p.m. GMT on Friday, September 1. Declan Rice has already become the most expensive English player ever after his $130 million switch from West Ham to Arsenal, and Jude Bellingham's $115 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid is the window's other piece of gargantuan business.

On the surface there's only one battle at the 2023 World Cup — the battle to see who lifts the trophy at Stadium Australia in Sydney on August 20. But we all know there are various subplots to follow: Golden Boot, Golden Ball, records to be broken and — one that's raging currently — who gets the best custom tailored threads for the event.

The World Cup travel suit has become an emblematic symbol of sport's most prestigious and distinguished event, and a few squads have already set themselves apart in this department. 

The first team to capture my eye was Brazil.

With an expanded 32-team tournament and matches across Australia and New Zealand, the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup (beginning with a crowd of over 100,000 for the Matildas opener against Ireland) is going to be the best in the competition's 32-year history.

The USWNT is favored for a three-peat but that's never been done before, and there will be fierce competition from European champions England, two-time world champs Germany and teams looking to take the next step like France and Spain. 

As the confetti fell and thousands of lightbulbs flashed in Lyon, France, on July 7, 2019, USA’s players climbed the podium to celebrate the fulfillment of a dream that had required years of sacrifice, total commitment and a single-minded belief in accomplishing it all.  

A captivated global audience delighted in what these 23 women had achieved — a historic fourth world title for the U.S. — but the players themselves took a moment to immortalize a staff member whose personal journey mirrored their own with the following chant: “Chef! Chef! Chef!”