The FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 is in full swing! The competition runs from 7th June until 7th July and the games will be played in nine venues across France with 24 teams competing for the chance to lift the trophy. Join us for an exploration of the competition, the venues and the teams as we create all the ingredients for a Women’s World Cup France 2019 EFL lesson!
The Women’s World Cup has broken TV viewing records and has fired up more interest and passion for the women’s game across the world. We’re now into the final week, when we’ll find out who will compete on Sunday to lift the trophy! Read on to find out more about the competition and the locations – and see how you can use these in your Women’s World Cup France 2019 EFL lesson.
Women’s World Cup France 2019 Groups
The Women’s World Cup France 2019 involves 24 national women’s teams, including the automatically qualifying host team (which this year is France). During the competition, there will be a total of 52 matches, which will be played across 9 different venues, located in 9 cities in France.
The Women’s World Cup Final will take place on 7th July at the Stade de Lyon in the city of Lyon. The group stage is the first part of the competition and the the top two winning countries in each group will go through to the knock-out phase.
Here are the groups – which group is your country in?
The Knock-Out Stage
After the group stage, the two highest placed teams in each group advanced to the knock-out stage. This contains the last 12 teams. When the matches play during this stage, the losing team is eliminated from the competition (i.e. ‘knocked out’).
The knock-out stage is incredibly exciting because there is always a winner. If a match ends in a draw, it must always go onto 30 minutes of extra time. If there is still no winner, the match will be decided on penalties.
After this stage we get to the quarter finals (including the last 8 teams), followed by the semi-finals (the last 4 teams) and then the big final on 7th July, which will decide the winner of the Women’s World Cup France 2019!
The competition gives a perfect opportunity to use football vocabulary in an EFL lesson. It is also a great time to explore women’s sport and look at the history of women’s soccer.
For even more footballing vocabulary and phrases, check out our resource for the FA Cup and Women’s Euros, along with our blog about the last men’s football World Cup Russia 2018.
We also have general football vocabulary page for more words and phrases related to the beautiful game.
Cities in the Women’s World Cup 2019
For football fans visiting France for the World Cup, there are some spectacular cities on the itinerary.
Montpellier – Stade de le Mosson
In Montpellier, the matches will be played at the Stade de le Mosson. This is a famous sporting city with stunning architecture and a rich history. Situated just 10km from the Mediterranean, Montpellier has a wonderful climate.
Visitors can enjoy a visit to the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre and the stunning Jardins du Peyrou. Don’t forget to take a tour of the Place de la Comédie with its striking Trois Grâces fountain.
Peyrou Water Castle, Montpellier – image source
Nice – Stade de Nice
The Stade de Nice will host some of the games at the World Cup 2019. Nice is situated close to the Italian border between the sea and the mountains on the Cote d’Azur. A popular tourist spot, there is plenty to see and do, including exploring the cultural delights, the pretty street markets, restaurants and casinos.
The Villa Rothschild and Gardens is perfect for a stroll, while the Musée Matisse is a ust-see for art lovers. Another major attraction in Nice is the Promenade des Anglais with its many museums and monuments.
Nice, Cote dÁzur – image source
Lyon – Stade de Lyon
The Women’s World Cup France 2019 Final will be played at the Stade de Lyon. Located near the Rhone Valley and the Alps, Lyon has always been an important city historically. This is a sophisticated city and a technology hot-spot, strong in finance and equally important in terms of culture.
Visitors will enjoy the famous painted walls, including the mural ‘Fresque des Lyonnais’, along with the city’s Gallo-Roman ruins. Other places of cultural significance include the Place Bellecour, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Place des Terreaux, the Bartholdi fountain and the Theatre des Celestins.
Bridge over the Rhone, Lyon – image source
Grenoble – Stade de Alpes
Grenoble will play host to a number of matches during the Women’s World Cup France 2019. The Stade des Alpes is nestled in this important city, which has in recent years become a leading light in scientific research.
History and culture are also vibrant here with numerous theatres and museums, including the famous Museum of Grenoble. Winter sports enthusiasts also flock to Grenoble due to its strategic location close to the mountains.
Grenoble – image source
Other cities playing host to matches during the Women’s World Cup France 2019 include: Paris, Valenciennes, Reims, Le Havre and Rennes.
FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 EFL Lesson
The tension is mounting as the kick off date approaches for the Women’s World Cup France 2019.
France and USA are joint favourites with the bookmakers to win the competition, followed by England and Germany. Who do you think will win?
There are plenty of ways to bring the Women’s World Cup into the EFL classroom. From commentating on matches and writing newspaper reports about the games to writing essays and reading articles and interviews.
Other areas to explore in an EFL lesson about the Women’s World Cup include the students’ opinions on the history of the competition.
It’s also interesting to explore the cities in France where the matches will be played, the individual players, television coverage of the event, women’s football and sport in general.
Women’s World Cup France 2019 Essay
A FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 essay plan could discuss each of the teams at the World Cup, players, managers, predictions and hopes for the future of the competition. Students could even interview each other, listen to commentary and read match previews to explore new vocabulary and construct new sentences.
For a Women’s World Cup 2019 EFL lesson without such a strong football focus, there are many aspects of the competition that could be useful. You could discuss cities in France and their landmarks, cultural issues and French history.
France is famous for its delicious culinary scene, so you could introduce the food and drink of France, along with the art, history and traditions of the country.
The Louvre, the world’s largest art museum, located in Paris by the River Seine – image source
EFL lessons away from football
An EFL lesson inspired by the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 could also include a look at the football fans who travel to the games, how they plan their route, where they stay and which games they might choose to attend.
There is also much to say about sport in general and coverage of women’s sport in the media.
These areas can all be used to introduce different grammar points and teach new vocabulary.
Introducing and testing Women’s World Cup vocabulary
Options for introducing vocabulary include written and spoken materials on the competition, such as reports, articles, television commentary and radio interviews.
When testing vocabulary you could use gap-fill exercises, short essays, question and answer sessions, quizzes, ‘yes and no’ games, and phrase-matching exercises.
Share your thoughts on the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019
How will you use the Women’s World Cup in the EFL classroom?
Have you visited France? Did you visit any of the cities hosting the World Cup?
Do you have any favourite French food and drink?
Which country are you supporting in the Women’s World Cup France 2019? Did your country qualify?
Let us know your thoughts on the Women’s World Cup, football and visiting France!
Update:
Congratulations to the USA for winning the Women’s World Cup Final! The USA beat the Netherlands in the final to lift the trophy.
After several upsets including numerous contentious VAR (video assistant referee) decisions, the competition has finished. This World Cup has broken viewing figures for women’s football all over the world and the stage is set for further growth in the women’s game at both domestic and international level.
How did you enjoy the action? Leave a reply and let us know!