Can You Really Tell the Difference Between Men's & Women's Soccer?

Women's soccer can fairly be viewed as equal to the men's game in terms of on-field product, as displayed by a recent ad, which backs up earlier studies.

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The 2023 Women’s World Cup begins on July 20, with the United States Women’s National Team aiming to secure a third straight world title.

A highly publicized battle for equal pay and equity between the United States Soccer Federation and the United States Women’s National Team has played out over the past decade, with the women eventually winning their battle. Of course, the prize money pool vastly differs between the Women’s World Cup and the Men’s World Cup, with the men’s event considerably larger.

The game of soccer has continued to rise in popularity, with attention on the English Premier League leading the way. While the Women’s World Cup has gained acclaim, its popularity worldwide is dwarfed by the Men’s World Cup. An estimated 1.5 billion viewers worldwide watched the 2022 Men’s World Cup final, and five billion people engaged with the tournament as a whole (according to FIFA).

The 2019 Women’s World Cup had 260 million views worldwide, with 1.12 billion viewer engagements. The women’s game is rising in popularity but is still a distant second to the men.

A recent video from France with advanced editing techniques showed several highlight plays from the men’s French National Team. (Spoiler alert!)

The twist at the end of the video revealed that the video had been edited and the plays had actually been made by the Women’s French National Team with the men edited into the footage.

The video begs the question, outside of noticeable physical differences, can viewers tell the difference between men’s and women’s soccer?

Men’s and Women’s Soccer: What’s the Same?

Unlike basketball, baseball, and softball, men and women use the same ball in soccer. The ball for both genders, beginning at age 15, is a standard size five ball. The time of the game is also the same. Both men and women play 90 minutes plus any stoppage time. Again, this contrasts other sports like tennis, where men will play five sets, and women will play the best of three sets. The field size is the same as well. Soccer is governed by the “Laws of the Game,” and there is only one set for men and women.

The most recent Men’s World Cup (2022) saw a record 172 goals scored in 64 matches. That was an average of 2.68 goals per game. The 2019 Women’s World Cup was played with an average of 2.81 goals per game. Again, the two are incredibly similar. 

The video from advertising agency Orange aligns with a recent study published in Sports Management Review. Individuals were shown videos of elite soccer players of both genders. The videos with men’s players were rated higher than those with women’s. Once the genders were obscured, the two groups were rated equally.

The study’s authors wrote, “Whether one looks at revenue, investment or coverage, men’s sports do better than women’s. The existence of stereotypes should alert us that gender information might influence perceived quality.”

Men’s and Women’s Soccer: Differences

There are visible differences between the two games. The players look physically different, and the men have biological advantages in strength and speed that factor into how the game is played. Men play with a bit more pace, and the game tends to have a bit more of a physical nature than the women’s game as a result.

That absolutely does not mean the women’s game is less entertaining or inferior. Some seasoned observers and experts believe the women’s game to be more technical, smoother, and more free-flowing. 

Can You Really Tell the Difference?

Women’s soccer can fairly be viewed as equal to the men’s game in terms of on-field product. The differences come off the field. Things like revenue, wages, viewership ratings, and television coverage tip the scales toward the men’s side. However, as the gap in those items lessens, so does the gap between men’s and women’s soccer. Because once the players walk on the field and the whistle blows to begin the game, the average viewer probably can’t tell the difference between the two.

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