Women’s Copa America criticised after Euros success

The women’s Copa America has suffered in stark contrast to the record-setting summer of Euro 2025, which was capped by England’s triumph and record-breaking attendances.

Brazil and Colombia’s matchup against Ecuador has drawn criticism for poor organization, low attendance, and subpar refereeing as they prepare for Sunday’s final.

After experiencing issues similar to those at the Copa Libertadores Femenina in Paraguay, it was anticipated that Conmebol would raise its standards and game for the 2027 World Cup.

Marta, the legendary Brazil player and six-time Fifa Player of the Year, has been vocal about her criticism of organisers for allowing teams to warm up inside rather than on the pitch.

Before her country’s dominant Group B victory over Bolivia, images of players from both teams warming up side by side in a small area of the Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda Stadium were shared on social media.

The 39-year-old Marta, who retired after the Olympics last year, was “saddened by these circumstances” because the decision was taken to prevent damage to the pitch, which hosted two matches in a day during the group stage.

There were more lows at the Copa America as the Euros rose.

657 and 291 people attended the women’s European Championship, breaking a new record for the number of games that averaged over 20 000 for the first time.

Numerous players had praised the organization of the tournament both on and off the pitch even before England won the title by defeating world champions Spain in the final.

Ecuador has not experienced that.

Brazilian journalist Julia Belas cited “structural issues” as a reason for the Copa America’s coverage of the event, telling BBC Sport: “The Copa America has been heavily criticized by the players, staff from the teams, and the federations, especially because of the structure and lack of structure they have provided to the participating teams.

For instance, since they only used two stadiums in the group stage, the pitch quality wasn’t great because all of the games were played in just two, for example.

After the success of the previous two Euros and the women’s World Cup in 2023, South America will host its first women’s World Cup.

The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations was attended by thousands of people, with 150, 000 people reportedly purchasing tickets as Nigeria won the trophy.

When questioned about whether the Copa America represented a good investment for the continent, Belas replied, “No, not at all.

The bid for the Women’s World Cup was based on the fact that Brazil had two enormous stadiums that were used for the men’s World Cup 11 years ago, and it is the first time the tournament is taking place there.

Because of the incredible World Cup that is taking place in Australia, Conmebol really needs to increase the pace. We’ve seen stadiums with sizable crowds at the Euros in Switzerland and the Africa Cup of Nations in Switzerland.

We don’t even know how many fans are present at each game in the Copa America. It’s currently challenging to compare to other continents. They really need to step up with only two years until the World Cup is over.