World Cup won’t be postponed – Fifa

Fifa has rejected claims it is contemplating a postponement of next year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand to secure better broadcast rights arrangements for the tournament in Europe.

According to a report from French newspaper L’Equipe, Fifa has informally sounded out ‘‘several European football leaders’’ to gauge

they are not quite the all-conquering dynasty they once were. Since Germany won the Olympic gold medal in 2016, Euro 2022 marks the their appetite for pushing back the start of the World Cup by several months.

Such a move would see the tournament, which last week celebrated a year to go until the opening match at Eden Park, played in the Australian summer, which is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

The motivation, according to the

first time they have got past the quarterfinals of a tournament.

The key players

Forwards Alexandra Popp and report, is due to lower-than-expected TV rights income from European broadcasters.

However, a Fifa spokesperson has dismissed the reports out of hand and said no postponement was on the cards.

The draw for the 32-team World Cup is set to take place on October 22 in Auckland.

Alessia Russo have made very different contributions. Captain Popp has scored in each of Germany’s five games – a new record – and started all except the opening game against Denmark. Russo has started none but is the ultimate impact substitute.

After missing the 2013 and 2017 European Championships with injuries, Popp is making up for lost time as the joint top scorer with England’s Beth Mead on six goals. Popp has her club team-mates around her as one of five Wolfsburg players in the starting lineup for the 2-1 win over France, when she scored twice.

Popp started out as a fullback at now-defunct FCR Duisburg and won her first European club title aged 18. She studied at a sports-focused high school with a special permission to let her take football classes as the only girl alongside boys from the