LGBTQ+ football players make their mark on Women’s World Cup
England’s Lionesses football team went head-to-head against Spain on Sunday in the final of the Women’s World Cup in Sydney, where two-thirds of the squads have featured openly LGBTQ+ players.
The high levels of LGBTQ+ representation at the tournament highlight a trend in top-level women’s sport that contrasts with the relative absence of openly gay or bisexual men in elite male sporting competition.
Here’s what you need to know: How many openly gay or bi female footballers are there? At least 96 of the more than 730 players who have competed in 2023 Women’s World Cup identify as LGBTQ+, according to research from sports site Outsports – up from 41 during the last tournament in 2019.
This weekend’s final will see eight LGBTQ+ women taking part across both sides, including Spanish captain Ivana Andrés, who married her wife last year.
