2019 was certainly a historic year for women’s football, both in terms of impact and volume of football betting. In March, the Wanda Metropolitano was the scene of one of the biggest milestones football, bringing together more than 60,000 spectators to experience the Iberdrola League match between Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona, breaking the attendance record for a women’s football match worldwide.
In May, Barça became the first club to play in the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the most prestigious international women’s football tournament at club level. In the summer, nearly one billion people watched at least one minute of the World Cup in France, according to data compiled by FIFA. A World Cup in which reached the Round of 16 for the first time in its history, and challenged the United States, who won their fourth World Cup.
All these figures reflect the undisputed rise of women’s football, as well as the media interest and the increase in audiences for the matches. Despite its take-off in 2019, women’s football is still struggling to become a reality with personality and a future beyond the Santander League. Especially since the addition of Real Madrid femenino to the list of professional clubs.
La Liga Iberdrola: the top division of women’s football
Women’s football is growing at an unstoppable rate, as can be seen in the Primera División Femenina. Top women’s football competition has climbed to third place among the countries in the UEFA coefficient ranking with a total of 30,000 points, behind only Germany (33,000 points) and France (40,000).
Europe’s top leagues
Division 1 Féminine, the top division of women’s football in France, is rated as the best women’s league in Europe by UEFA. The 2020/2021 season of the French competition started on 5 September and is scheduled to end on 5 June 2021. A total of 12 teams compete in Division 1 Féminine.
Olympique Lyon are the reigning champions, having won the title for the last 14 consecutive seasons. The club is also the dominant force in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, having won seven titles, including five in a row since 2016. Ada Hegerberg (Olympique Lyon), the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League, Amandine Henry (Olympique Lyon) and Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyon) are among the top stars of the French women’s top flight.
Germany has been, alongside France, the leading player in women’s football since its inception. The 2020/2021 season of the women’s Bundesliga, the biggest competition among women’s football teams in Germany, kicked off on 4 September. The competition is made up of 12 clubs.
Women’s EURO 2022 on the horizon
The UEFA European Women’s Championship 2022, to be held in England from 6 to 31 July 2022, is on the horizon for women’s football betting. England (hosts), the Netherlands (reigning champions), Denmark, Norway, Germany and Sweden have qualified for the finals. The women’s national football team is unbeaten in European Championship qualifying, with four wins and one draw, and is second in Group D with 13 points. Poland lead Group D with 14 points, although they have two games in hand on ‘La Roja’.
