Shaken by a mass shooting and set against record crowds, the Women’s World Cup opened on Thursday with matches featuring the co-hosts New Zealand and Australia that showcased the growth and promise of women’s soccer but also some of the sport’s persistent challenges.
New Zealand went first, beating Norway, 1-0, on a bitter cold night at Eden Park, the home of the country’s famed All Blacks men’s rugby team, and in front of the biggest crowd ever to see a women’s soccer game in the country. Australia followed with a 1-0 victory over Ireland despite the untimely absence of its biggest star, Sam Kerr.