England’s perfect start to World Cup qualifying: Women’s Football Weekly

17:14Tom Garry:You are now mind king. A couple of notable results elsewhere. The Republic of Ireland suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands. Serbia held Sweden to a draw. Germany put four past Norway and Slovenia defeated Austria by a goal to nil. Right, that's it for part one of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. In part two, we're going to look at how some of the other nations fared in qualifying and catch up on all things Asian Cup and WAFCON.

17:48Suzy Wrack:Chicago, 2011. A cop is murdered. Police and prosecutors swear they have the trigger man. He swears he didn't do it. How far will each side go to prove their right? Like it's just one bombshell after another. You know, you're like, what? The story of a PlayStation, a brain-eating amoeba, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Off Duty, coming soon. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

18:20Anton Toloui:Scotland has natural beauty in abundance but beyond the stunning landscapes it's a fertile ground to build, grow and succeed filled with people who are ready to push boundaries in the pursuit of breakthrough ideas That's why today Scotland is a dynamic hub of opportunity across growth sectors from clean energy and life sciences to digital technology and space innovation Scotland for the head, heart and the spirit Discover more at theguardian.com forward slash brand Scotland. This message was paid for by Brand Scotland.

18:59Tom Garry:Welcome back to part two of the Guardian Women's Football Weekly. Right, some big news coming out of Australia over the last 48 hours and it concerns the Iranian women's team and some serious fears around their safety. On the last pod, we covered that the national team had stayed silent during the Iranian national anthem in their Asian Cup opener. Following that, the team were labeled traitors by Iranian state television, raising concerns around their safety when they returned. After their final group game against the Philippines and their departure from the tournament, their team bus was crowded by supporters.

19:34While there was a standoff at the team hotel on Monday as they prepared to return to Iran.

19:40Tom Garry:It was then reported that five players had escaped their minders amid speculation. Some of them would be trying to seek asylum and were being protected by Australian police. They were granted temporary humanitarian visas by the Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Tuesday morning. Protesters surrounded the bus again as the rest arrived at Gold Coast Airport as they started to begin their journey back under surveillance by their minders. This is what a FIFA spokesperson has told The Guardian. The safety and security of Iran's women's national team is FIFA's priority, and we therefore remain in close contact with the relevant Australian authorities, including Football Australia, in relation to the team's situation.

20:25Tom Garry:It is a really fluid situation at the moment, so what you're hearing right now may be slightly out of date by the time you hear it, but it is really concerning, Susie, what we're hearing. What are your thoughts?

20:36Suzy Wrack:Yeah, and there's actually a fantastic Guardian podcast that went up in the early hours, Full Story, which has Sam Lewis on it, who has been leading a lot of our coverage of the competition in Australia. And it's a really interesting like 20 minute listen with a lot of detail about what's been taking place. But yeah, it's a horrific situation. The reality is, is that the players face a pretty unimaginable choice if they are actually able to make it even because they're being so reportedly so controlled by their minders to the extent of which there's even allegedly been a member of the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a part of the staff around the team.

21:21Suzy Wrack:and that's officially labelled a terrorist organisation and reportedly some members that were applied for as part of the team delegation were rejected on that basis but this one has slipped through the net and has been facing a lot of verbal abuse from fans who have recognised him amongst their party. So it's a really horrific, controlled situation that the players are in and they've got a really, really tough decision if they can escape that, which five have somehow got away from the hotel They were managed to claim asylum. But, you know, obviously we saw that they were dubbed wartime traitors and it was the pinnacle of dishonour to not sing the national anthem in the opening game.

22:00Suzy Wrack:But it also, that same commentator called for them to be dealt with more severely. And there's also been reports that their families back home are being threatened if they don't return. You know, some of these, the youngest player's 18. Some of these players are very young. And that's a really difficult position to be put in. Go home and face potentially devastating consequences. or put your family in a really vulnerable position or your teammates or your club teammates, whatever it may be. So it's a really, really difficult situation. Apparently, according to some of the reporting from Australia, it's been something that the Australian government have been working on for some time, potentially even from the start of the team arriving in Australia.

22:40Suzy Wrack:And, you know, they've been given temporary humanitarian visas, which gives a pathway to permanent residency. But yeah, it's a horrific situation, hugely troubling. And you just hope that those that are out and those that head back are given enough. There's enough publicity around it that there's a degree of protection. But I seriously doubt that there will be for those that do have to go back.

23:04Anton Toloui:Just following on from what Cease was saying that obviously I am half Iranian. My family fled from Iran decades ago. And I think one thing that has been lost in the conflict and what's happened over the last sort of week is the human cost and the repression that's been taking place in Iran. It's been ratcheted up over the last few months as well, but especially over the last few decades. And it's horrendous. And I think that we're actually talking about the human cost of this now, which is so important. It's horrendous that these people are having to go through this situation of just wanting to go to a football tournament, the world changing, and then not knowing what the rest of their lives are going to look like.

23:45Anton Toloui:The situation is that other sports people face this every time they leave Iran to go and represent their country. And we will talk about it going into the Men's World Cup. We talked about it at the previous Men's World Cup, but it's not just footballers' effects. There's anybody that is basically made to represent the Islamic Republic of Iran. And it's a terrifying time in that country, but it's also a terrifying time for anybody that just wants to play sport and they have to put a certain crest on their chest and then therefore they have to represent a bunch of values they probably have nothing to do with.

24:18Anton Toloui:So I'm really pleased that the Australian government has stepped in and kind of offered what they can. And the fact that there's talk that this was potentially going to be sort of a situation they were going to look at before the tournament is really positive. And I really hope that's taken into consideration by other sports organisations of any international event going forward.

24:38Tom Garry:Yeah, absolutely. And we will keep you updated on all the latest situation and hopefully the protection of these players. On the pitch, the group stage comes to an end this morning. So at the time of recording, Australia, North Korea, China, Korea Republic, Japan and Uzbekistan have progressed to the quarters. Two teams left to be decided. We'll talk about the hosts. Australia, they finished second in their group. They had a three-all draw against Korea Republic. Needed a 98th-minute equaliser from Alana Kennedy, actually, to seal that point. But it's not really been a convincing start to the tournament from Joe Montemuro's side, Anton.

25:16Tom Garry:How concerned should Matilda's fans be? They have North Korea next. And actually, North Korea have been in particularly impressive form at the start.

25:24Anton Toloui:Yeah, they have. And I think, you know, obviously, I think it's just welcome to tournament football, the chaos of tournament football. You know, we were all out there in the summer and we all saw what tournament football can do to a team. You don't have to be the best team throughout. You just have to be the best team for a few minutes and get through. And I think that's what Australia fans are finding out right now. I think Joe Montemore is taking a little bit of criticism and a little bit of sort of reflection about the team he's selecting. It's a little conservative in some of the players he's picking, especially in the midfield areas.

25:55Anton Toloui:It's very, very experienced, the team he's picking as well. So there are going to be some sort of difficult decisions, I think, for him going forward because conceding three goals at home in front of 60 ,000 of your own fans to Korea Republic, that was not supposed to happen. So they can't go in looking so defensively fragile. Entering Tom Gary's mind palace, I think you look at the tournament brackets now and you think, well, actually, this isn't necessarily a bad thing finishing second in the group because I think they potentially avoid Japan unless they get to the final. Yeah, Tom Gary's nodding at me, so there you go.

26:30Anton Toloui:I've successfully navigated his tournament bracket.

26:32Tom Garry:Maybe there is method in Montemuro madness. Exactly.

26:35Anton Toloui:That was lovely to hear. So, yeah, I think there are benefits to finishing second in the group because Japan just look magnificent in this tournament. And the fact that they've got, at the time of recording, three players that have scored three goals, individually already suggests that they are a threat from anywhere in the pitch as well. So the fact that Australia avoid them to the final is a positive. But yeah, I think Australia really need to just figure out their best starting XI and not necessarily have to rely on Alana Kennedy and Vibes just to get them through because they're a better team than that.

27:07Tom Garry:Finally on this, Tom, we know this isn't just about winning a trophy. It's qualification for the World Cup. That's the important thing at stake. So the four semi-finalists are going to book their spot at next year's tournament automatically. And the four losing quarter-finalists will have to be involved in playoffs to decide the remaining two places. That's right, isn't it? So stakes pretty high.

27:30Faye Carruthers:If you lose your quarter-final, I believe it's being phrased as a play-in where you play other losing quarter-finalists. And then if you win that, you're through to Brazil as well. And then if you lose that, then you head into the inter-confederational playoff. I hope that's the right name. Inter-galactic play game match fixture thing. But in summary, yeah, it adds a lot of extra benefit to winning your quarterfinal because this tournament's sort of doubling up as a qualification campaign. And if you were to lose your quarterfinal, you might have quite a long wait to know whether you were going to go to Brazil, which for a nation such as Australia, who will want to be really competitive in that World Cup, then qualifying automatically by winning this quarterfinal against North Korea is going to be essential.

28:20Faye Carruthers:I'm with Antoine. I think there's advantages to being the other half of the draw. I don't think they'll be too disappointed with that to avoid Japan's great. But what's probably more concerning is how, yeah, unconvincing that they've been so far. But yeah, as we know in tournament football, just get through and then see what happens. And I think Japan looked great. So I think we spoke before the tournament started, didn't we, about who looked strong. And Japan, to me, remained the favourite. So let's see.

28:45Tom Garry:Well, that means that they're not going to win then, doesn't it? Because as we know on the Guardian Women's Football Weekly, our predictions are terrible. So thank you for cursing them. Japanese fans everywhere. Delighted with you there, Tom Gary. Listen, we mentioned the chaos surrounding Wafcon 2026 last week. We do now know that the tournament's been officially postponed until the 25th of July. That announcement came just 12 days before the original kickoff was due to take place. Nigeria's Ashley Plumptree, just one of the players, criticising that decision. This is what she had to say. Just wouldn't happen for other tournaments in women's football and especially in men's football.

29:22Tom Garry:Last WAFCON wasn't less important than this one just because it wasn't a qualification for a World Cup. This is the first time it's the edition where there are 16 teams, all of which are going to want to be able to go and qualify for the World Cup. And this is a big deal for many teams. And look, we discussed this at length, Susie, last week. So not much more to add apart from the fact that, you know, utter chaos, all planning out of the window and just pour all round, really.

29:47Suzy Wrack:Honestly, the thing that gets me is that the line in the statement that it's due to unforeseen circumstances. now I'm not being funny but we've been talking about this for the last month so the idea that it's then postponed so so close to the start of the tournament is absurd like those unforeseen circumstances presumably haven't gone away they were foreseen they were very much foreseen and you kind of think you know you take that decision early if it's absolutely necessary and you kind of save the chaos of kind of going through this window trying to prepare for a tournament that you don't know whether or not it's going to be happening or you find a way to make it happen and the fact that we've reached this point where it's called off so soon before and pushed back till July is just so poor and you wouldn't see it in any major men's tournament and you wouldn't see it in most major women's tournaments now either so it's particularly disappointing.

30:46Faye Carruthers:I agree with the thing Susie said but like if this was UEFA and women's Euros had been postponed. We would be expecting Shefferin or Nadine Kessler or both to resign. The media would be demanding that from all across Europe because of the shambles. So we need to see that pressure on CAF. People need to resign.

31:03Tom Garry:Very good point. Let's divert our attention quickly back to domestic football. It's the first chance of silverware in England up for grabs this weekend. It always catches me off guard, the League Cup. Always. I'm like, oh no, it's March. How's that happened? How are we already fighting for a trophy. Chelsea and Manchester United meeting at Ashton Gate in the Subway League Cup final. Sunday afternoon it is and actually it feels like quite a while ago now. The last time these two sides played was against each other in the FA Cup fifth round and Chelsea came through that 2-1 in extra time. Are you expecting any differences or is it going to be much the same Susie?

31:41Tom Garry:It's a tricky

31:42Suzy Wrack:one. I think it's going to be probably their most closely fought contest in recent time obviously that FA Cup fifth round match was was pretty tight but the stakes here in a final that little bit higher it could totally go either way for me but I would never bet against Chelsea in a cup final ever.

32:00Tom Garry:Well you can't can you but Manchester United playing really well Chelsea missing Ellie Carpenter and Sam Kerr Manchester United without Hinata Miyazawa with all three still involved in the Asian Cup I mean that could have an impact how much of an impact though will the absentees have on both sides, Tom?

32:20Faye Carruthers:I don't think too much. Obviously, they're losses, but I still think both teams have got really strong starting 11s that can cope with those absentees. I think this is the moment when we need to see Manchester United kind of come of age in these big matches. They competed well against Chelsea recently in the FA Cup, but sort of when it came down to the final margin, just didn't quite have enough in those small moments. They've been slowly gaining more experience in sort of big games. But I think now as a neutral, I want to see them step up and make this a really, really competitive final. And I do think Man Utd already, it's about some of these players who we've seen developing and kicking on, trying to become sort of senior players and stepping up in a big final like this.

33:06Faye Carruthers:And can we see somebody like Jess Park thrive on a stage like this? Can we see players such as Mère Letizia perform to their absolute best, as we have seen her do so well consistently in the league games? And there's also now the likes of Rolfo, who has been in so many finals across her whole career, who can bring in that experience and potentially make the difference. So I think it's really finely poised.

33:31Tom Garry:It feels like make or break, actually, for Chelsea's season, which I feel like we've said a few times actually in the pods, Anton, for United a chance to make history again. Who do you think the win is more important for as we end the business end of the season?

33:45Anton Toloui:This is gut check time for Chelsea. It is because they've been synonymous with over the last 10 years. It doesn't matter how well they're playing. They will dig deep into the depths of their big bags of determination and pull something out. Well, they haven't been able to do that this season. They haven't been able to win games when they're playing poorly. So they are synonymous with winning titles. They're synonymous with doing whatever it takes to beat anyone in English football. They're probably going to have to do that this weekend because they aren't clicking. They aren't playing a brand of football that we saw a year, 18 months ago under Sonia Bonpastor when she first came in.

34:23Anton Toloui:So they might just need to be stronger, more experienced. They know they're going to have to play really, really, really smart football over the next few weeks. to save their season. So they go out, win a trophy and just say, do you know what? Manchester United have been playing some brilliant stuff this season. We're talking about how fluid they are. We're talking about all their attacking options. And do you know what? We just kiboshed that. We just made sure we put that to the side and we just Chelsea'd them. Well, they need to do that again. They might need to do that for the rest of the season.

34:52Anton Toloui:And the best place to start that is on Sunday at Bristol City.

34:56Tom Garry:Listen, I want to touch on some horrendous news that we heard at the weekend with the announcement that 15-year-old Amelia Applin, an Oxford United Academy player, died after collapsing during a fixture against Fulham. This is the statement from Oxford United. It's with immense sadness that we announce the passing of 15-year-old Academy player Amelia Applin. The thoughts and sincere condolences from everyone at Oxford United are with Amelia's family, friends, teammates and coaches. We'd like to place on record our appreciation for the efforts of the medical staff at Oxford United and Fulham Football Club, along with the emergency services.

35:33Tom Garry:The club will offer support to Amelia's family, players, coaches and staff impacted by this tragic event. We would ask that the family's privacy is respected at this incredibly difficult time. And listen, it's really devastating news. There's nothing we can add to it apart from our thoughts are with all of Amelia's family and friends at this awful, awful time. and this feels like the weirdest junction into a listener email but we have had one from Chris Plowman regarding scheduling which is something we've discussed before but actually this is slightly different. This is the email. I just want to have a bit of a rant about the decision to schedule the last day of the WSL2 on the same day as the men's championship season ends.

36:21Tom Garry:For my team, Ipswich Town, we have a home men's game at 12.30 against QPR, where as things stand, we'll confirm our position in the top two or in the playoffs. And then the women's home game against Sunderland at home at three o 'clock, where we'll hopefully confirm our position in the WSL 2 for next season. Both games likely to be massively important, games that fans will want to attend both of. Ipswich women playing Colchester, so the likelihood of making that journey after the end of the men's game and getting there before half time at the earliest. It's very slim, especially after the pitch invasion as we go up to the Premier League.

36:55Tom Garry:Very positive. Seven of the 12 teams in the WSL2 have men's teams in the Championship, so they're going to face similar scenarios. I've failed to see any logic in moving the games from the usual 2pm on Sunday that's worked perfectly well for seasons up to this point, and the WSL seem to have not provided any explanation. Hopefully you can get some answers for us. Anyone know a little bit more on this? We had an answer yet.

37:21Faye Carruthers:It's understandable frustration from the fans there. One of the things that I think is happening here is that the chance for all the matches to be on a Saturday at three o 'clock I think is noticeable. The league clearly trying to test and learn on whether that boosts attendances on a Saturday afternoon for such important matches. What I would add is that there's a lot of challenges for the league in terms of trying to manoeuvre around the men's football fix to schedule and particularly they're often trying to avoid Premier League clashes and in this case as well we have the Women's Champions League semi-finals on the last weekend in April and the last week last first weekend in May so to a certain degree I was advised that there was perhaps a hope that the Saturday WSL2 finale would not clash with hypothetically two English teams being in the Champions League semi-final second leg on the Sunday.

38:14Faye Carruthers:But that's not a particularly helpful answer. I appreciate for fans who are confused that they've now got a men's game and women's game on the same day. What is, I think, important is that there's no stadia clashes on that day. Everyone has to kick off at the same time on the same day. So you can't even have one single stadium clash issue. I think that's probably been the most difficult consideration for the organisers here is trying to find a slot where they knew that nobody else was going to need any of those stadiums at all. And the more controversial decision, I think, was to put the playoff game on the Saturday 23rd, the same day as the Women's Champions League final.

38:50Faye Carruthers:I completely understand why the playoff game is on that weekend because you couldn't have it the following weekend because of the Women's FA Cup final. And you couldn't have it later than that because then suddenly you'd be into June and the WSL 2 side wouldn't have played for well over a month. So I think it did have to be the weekend that it's on, but I'm not sure why it couldn't have been on either the Sunday or the bank holiday Monday, but that's now going to clash with the Women's Champions League final. So, yeah, difficult decisions all around, but there's no, as we know, it's very congested and there's no easy solutions.

39:19Suzy Wrack:And then you've also got the very frustrating situation that all the games on the 15th are at 11.55 on the Sunday, bar the ones midweek, which is a very random time, not ideal. I know it's done to avoid the Mems Premier League kickoffs and so they can hit broadcasts and stuff. But it's just a very early time for fans to get to games, particularly away games. It's not ideal. There needs to be a whole look at scheduling ahead of next season, I think.

39:50Tom Garry:It's interesting what the psychology of 11.55 versus 12 o 'clock, because we've had lots of 12 o 'clock kick-offs and we actually haven't talked that much about it. It's only five minutes, but for some reason, 11.55 seems so much earlier than a 12 o 'clock kick-off. And you're right, the scheduling does need looking at, which I'm sure is one of many priorities without a doubt. Thank you for that email, Chris, by the way. You've got Tom's mind palace sparkling away. The eyes were shut. The arms were out. Keep having your say. Sending your questions via X. You can email us as well at women's football weekly at theguardian.com as Chris just did.

40:26Tom Garry:This is also your regular reminder to sign up for our biweekly women's football newsletter. All you need to do is search moving the goalposts, sign up. Anton, it's been lovely to have you on. We won't leave it so long next time.

40:38Anton Toloui:Thanks for having me.

40:39Faye Carruthers:I appreciate it.

40:39Tom Garry:Tom Gary, go and exercise that mind palace.

40:42Faye Carruthers:Thank you very much. Have a lovely day, Faith.

40:45Suzy Wrack:Susie Rack, see you very soon. See you soon. I need to channel my inner Tom because that's clearly a decent arm workout, right? Like he's ticked a box for the day. He's killed two birds of one stone. Done his exercise.

40:56Tom Garry:Yeah. Right. The Guardian Women's Football Weekly is produced by Sophie Downey and Holly Fisher. Music composition was by Laura Iredell. Our executive producer is Joel Grove.

41:17Suzy Wrack:This is The Guardian.

41:27Anton Toloui:Scotland has natural beauty in abundance, but beyond the stunning landscapes, it's a fertile ground to build, grow and succeed, filled with people who are ready to push boundaries in the pursuit of breakthrough ideas. That's why today, Scotland is a dynamic hub of opportunity across growth sectors, from clean energy and life sciences to digital technology and space innovation. Scotland, for the head, heart and the spirit. Discover more at theguardian.com forward slash brand Scotland. This message was paid for by Brand Scotland.