It’s been a whirlwind of 36 games in just under two weeks, filled with upsets, late comebacks, and a lot of really fun soccer. This year’s World Cup has set new records in viewership in a number of countries and brought to light the stories of remarkable women across the world, many of who found success despite sexism and a lack of investment in women’s programs by a number of federations.
The end of the group stage brought the elimination of eight of the initial 24 teams, with the remaining 16 — including all four countries that the Thorns are representing — advancing to the knockout round.