Brazil’s World Cup women run riot over Panama and make broadcasting history

The Brazilian national team got its Women’s World Cup 2023 campaign off to a superb start this Monday morning, with a commanding 4-0 victory over Panama in Adelaide, as closing the first round of Group F matches. But beyond the result on the pitch, the match signaled a huge achievement in terms of popularity of the women’s sport in Brazil, reaching important broadcasting records.

The victory was never in doubt for Brazil’s women’s side, dominating their Panamanian opponents from the first whistle. Midfielder Ary Borges, playing her first ever World Cup match, was the undisputed star of the show, scoring three times and providing a sublime backheel assist for her former Palmeiras team-mate Bia Zaneratto to score what is bound to be one of the best team goals of the tournament.

With the match kicking off at 8am in most of Brazil, there were fears that audiences on TV and streaming platforms would be underwhelming, with the game being played right at the start of the working week. 

But those concerns were unfounded, as major TV network Globo saw its audience double compared to the last four Monday mornings, and popular streaming personality Casimiro saw his YouTube channel hit more than 1 million simultaneous viewers during his live feed of the match — a YouTube record for a women’s football match.

Meanwhile, in Adelaide, there were raucous cheers as Brazilian football legend Marta was brought off the bench in the match’s second half, meaning the 36-year-old has now taken part in six Women’s World Cups.

Widely regarded as the greatest woman ever to play the game, Marta is also the all-time top goalscorer in the World Cup history, man or woman. A goal at this tournament would see her break more records, scoring at an unprecedented six editions of the biggest competition in international football.

Brazil continues their Group F campaign on Saturday, taking on France in Brisbane. A win would ensure qualification and all but guarantee top spot in the group, theoretically providing an easier path in the knockout rounds.

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