The Top Lesbian Moments on ‘I Kissed a Girl’
This piece about I Kissed a Girl was originally written when the show aired on the BBC. It’s being republished now that the show is streaming on Hulu.
I can’t believe we’ve already come to the finale of the UK’s first all-girl reality dating show, I Kissed a Girl, or, as I like to think of it, a battle of attrition between a weary group of TV producers and the lesbian urge to merge.
For ten episodes, our couples were inundated with waves of queer women to tempt them from their matches. There was angst, there was consensual wife-swapping, there was a whole lot of nothing to do except dissect everyone’s relationship and maybe some light weightlifting.
While I loved the first few episodes, I did find the season sagged a little in the middle. By the time the third batch of fresh queers arrived I guess it wasn’t so surprising any more, and you really feel like if they wanted to disrupt the couples that much, they could just ask them to assemble some IKEA furniture together.
Fortunately, things really picked up again towards the end, as the remaining pairings were put through their paces when it came to considering whether they had what it takes to keep things going outside The Masseria. The final “chemistry test” asked everyone increasingly challenging questions around trust, relocating, and, pointedly, whether they were falling in love!
The reason things were amping up? The finale brought the most pressure dilemma of all: Would the couples turn and kiss — this time in front of their families! — to declare their intention to take things further? Bringing the cast’s friends and families over was a great way to inject a bit of reality reality into this TV reality, with them all bringing their own opinions of their loved ones’ matches. Of course, the gay panic cuts both ways when you’re preparing to snog in front of your folks — as Priya gleefully said: “Who’s ready to traumatise our parents?”
There were so many great moments throughout the season, I’ve picked out a few of my faves, many that I feel exemplified the totally lesbian behaviour of the show’s cast, regardless of whether they were gay, bi, queer or otherwise identifying. Let me know in the comments what pairings and predicaments you loved best!
Fiorenza is too late to make a move for Amy
Watching Fiorenza’s smooth maneuvering from girl to girl was a highlight for much of the season: from Demi to Meg, to maybe-wanting-Amy, to Beth, to really-wanting-Amy. That flightiness really came back to bite her when new girl Hannah caught Amy’s attention just as Fiorenza got a grip on her own feelings for Amy.
After Amy’s several rejections, it was no surprise that Hannah’s single-minded pursuit of her really appealed, but the agony on Amy’s face was clear when she realised she was going to have to send her closest friend home in order to give things a go with Hannah.
Unsurprisingly, Fiorenza landed on her feet and reported in the reunion show that she’s now happily in a LTR. Plus — in a total lesbian move — she set up her best friend with the very first girl on the show she kissed (and dumped), Demi!
Amy turns around; Hannah doesn’t
As the couple with the shortest runway for the finale, it was always going to be dicey as to whether Amy and Hannah had the time to work out where they really stood. Their chemistry test was more of an experiment in awkwardness as it was clear they weren’t on the same page about pretty much anything!
However, I suspected that Amy would be well up for continuing their relationship because, well, why not! They basically lived next door to each other in London! Hannah on the other hand was too busy second guessing Amy’s feelings and fearing rejection to really think about what she wanted, and missed the golden opportunity to find out.
Meg declares her love for Eva
Another standout moment in the final chemistry test was Meg getting totally swept up in her feelings for Eva and admitting she was falling in love with her, only for Eva to meekly state the opposite. They had a nice chat about it afterwards, with Eva claiming she appreciated how vulnerable Meg was, but you could tell that she was totally spooked and not ready to go there. It was well-signaled (to us at least) that Eva wasn’t going to turn during the final kiss-off, but that made it no less gutting for Meg!
Things worked out OK for Meg though, quickly sliding into Leilah’s DMs after the show ended, with the couple totally loved up on the reunion show sofa!!
Cara and Georgia fail to process and fail to survive
I was both dismayed and baffled as to where things went wrong for this OG couple! After appearing to be inseparable for most of the show, we had some tension injected into Cara and Georgia’s relationship around their lack of communication. It seemed like one of those situations that mostly existed to manufacture some drama for us, and there was no doubt they’d stick with each other in the final kiss-off. But in the reunion show, Cara brought a gorgeous new hairdo…but no Georgia! The pro footballer was at a cup final match, which is on brand, and makes you wonder if her sporting priorities got the better of them? Who knows? Boooo!
Lisha & Abby are voted off by Priya and Naee
Another OG couple thwarted by alleged communication issues, Lisha and Abby got a raw deal when a minor tiff led to them shockingly getting voted off for having the weakest connection, despite the fact several other couples had been together only a handful of hours!
Pretty sweet revenge then that Lisha and Abby defiantly declared that they’re still going strong eight months later! They joked about kids and marriage! But also were very real about what the next steps were for them, and generally came across like a great pair keeping things steady. Love may not be a lie after all!
Of course, there’s bountiful irony here, because not only are Abby and Lisha the only OG couple that actually stayed together after the show, it was allegedly the couple with the strongest connection that voted them off, which leads us to…
Priya leaves The Masseria and immediately gets married…TO HER EX
Did any of us think the Chekhov’s gun planted right back in episode one would come back with such a bang? Priya brought up her previous relationship at the start of the show, as an example of extremely gay behaviour: meeting online and getting engaged to a woman in a different country after two months without ever having met in person. Pretty standard, right?
When Priya and Naee sat down on the reunion show sofa you could tell things were a bit off with the two of them, and Naee rushed to grumpily tell us why: After spending some time with each other after the show, Priya suddenly checked out of the relationship, flew off to the US to meet her ex-GF, then two weeks later got married!!!
This really did leave me open-mouthed that things soured so incredibly quickly for the show’s golden couple. As miffed as I was on Naee’s behalf, I was mostly worried about Naee’s mum who deserves only happiness! Moral of the story: Never underestimate ex-appeal!
The inevitable group chat
Throughout the show, it was clear that most of the girls were getting on far better as friends than anything more. (Remember the chemistry test where they just kept picking their mates to stare into each others’ eyes?!) So it should be no surprise that despite their many romantic configurations, the bunch of them are now swapping dating dramas on the group chat. Am I disappointed we didn’t get a few more true shots from Cupid’s arrow? Maybe a little, but seeing a group of queer women live, laugh, love, and lesbian their way to the end was a reward in itself. And here’s hoping it’s back soon for another season!
Good news for American viewers without VPN blockers! I Kissed a Girl is coming soon to Hulu.
I Watched New Reality Show ‘I Kissed a Girl’ and I Liked It
This piece about I Kissed a Girl was originally written when the show aired on the BBC. It’s being republished now that the show is streaming on Hulu.
Last year, when the BBC launched I Kissed a Boy, a show claiming to be the UK’s first dating show featuring all queer men, I did a bit of a double take. Kissed a boy? Had they really misheard the second-most queerbaiting song in pop history* so badly they’d gender flipped it?
Fortunately, the follow-up series is putting things right, and for the first time on British TV we are getting a reality dating show providing 100% guaranteed lesbian drama, because its cast is 100% queer women!
As the title suggests, I Kissed A Girl follows a very snog-centric format: Ten women are matched into couples, with the central gimmick being that the first time they meet, they must greet each other tongue-first! As a viewer, we get a whole thirty seconds or so of the couple walking through the sun-drenched Italian countryside while they reveal the deep, critical details they find attractive in a partner, such as “edgy” or “cheeky.” Finally, they meet poolside at The Masseria**, for an artful smooch to a soundtrack of Sam Smith, Tegan and Sara, etc. before moving onto fripperies such as discovering each others’ name and picking a date for their wedding.
This format left me with a few questions. TV shoots are not exactly quick — did they really snog just the once? Or were there a lot of retakes while the producers found the right shot? Although I was weirded out for the first couple of kisses (I usually like a bit more build-up, you know?), by snog #4 I was totally desensitised and up for more!
Before I delve into the details of our couples, I should point out that because I Kissed a Girl is made for the BBC, there are a few things to take into account. Chiefly, because this queer snogfest is essentially funded by the British taxpayer, there’s a baseline expectation that we’ll be getting not completely terrible representation, and there’s zero prize money or anything like that on offer. Literally, the only thing anyone on this show is looking to win is a girlfriend. Generally, that means we will have more people that seem like real humans, and fewer people that appear to have been dredged from the bowels of hell for the sole purpose of riling up everyone they come into contact with. I view this as a superior approach to reality TV, and there is definitely far less shrieking on I Kissed a Girl than I had come to expect from these kinds of shows.
So, who are the fearless sapphics so desperate for love that they are happy for their friends and family to see them lock lips with strangers on national TV? Repeatedly? Like, literally dozens of times per episode?
Priya & Naee
Priya is a South Asian South Welsh femme who likes mascs. Naee is a masc Londoner from a Jamaican family, who likes femmes. You can immediately see the incredible lengths the producers have gone to in order to match these enigmatic sapphics! There appears to be a spark between these two initially, but fallout from other couples presents Naee with another opportunity, causing a bit of drama, and a lot of consternation for Priya over the first few episodes.
Amy & Meg
Amy lives in Surrey, has a complex about being posh, and is femme for femme. Meg, from a small town in Yorkshire, is a fire-breathing femme (yes, really), up for anyone that can match her high energy. Of all the cast, Amy is the one it takes me longest to warm to, because of the amount of insecurities she radiates. However! Stick with her and her madcap personality really starts to shine through. Meg isn’t so fussed on the sticking with her part though, and it’s pretty clear that one of the other girls has caught her eye, which leads us to…
Fiorenza & Demi
Fiorenza is reality TV gold — a soft butch Scottish charmer claiming in her intro that she’s a “big softie” and not at all a player, before instantly approaching several girls to tell them she’s a drummer — in a band — with an irresistible twinkle in her eye. The most difficult challenge in each episode is not working out who Fiorenza is going to go after this time, but reining in your awe while she does so. Her initial match, Demi, is completely lovely and seeking her first ever girlfriend, but she is left with quite a bit of work to make that happen!
Lisha & Abby
Easy-going tomboy Lisha and fun-loving femme Abby seem like a great match, and spend the first few episodes in such close contact that you wonder if it’s like in ice dancing where they will get penalised for not touching each other. However, their clinginess may come back to haunt them when the couples are forced to confront their red flags!
Cara & Georgia
Cara is a tattoo-laden Northern Irish femme who likes a sporty girl. Georgia has all the swagger you’d expect for a football player, and likes a femme with an edge. Within two seconds of their kiss, this couple have glommed onto each other so hard, you suspect the producers will have to break out forceps to remove them from each others’ grasp.
Overall, I was fairly happy with the representation on I Kissed a Girl, especially the ratio of masc-leaning to femme-presenting women on the show. Most contestants come from smaller towns, across the whole of the UK, and it’s great that the show-makers have not taken the easy option to just dip into the typical queer hotspots like London and Brighton. That said, body diversity is what you’d expect for a dating show: basically non-existent. And while there’s a decent mix of those who identify as queer, bi, gay and “big fat lesbian,” I was surprised that the show chose only cis women to take part, although at this halfway point perhaps it’s too early to cement judgement.
As reality shows go, I Kissed a Girl is pretty light on structure, with the bulk of each episode focused on the girls sitting around The Masseria, gossiping about who fancies each other and the state of everyone’s relationship. This is all great, actually. If you’re the kind of person that enjoys spending the morning after a big night dissecting everything that happened, more than you enjoyed the night itself, you will get a lot out of this show.
Whether it’s because it’s all queer women, or as I mentioned earlier, the cast skews towards regular people, everyone on I Kissed a Girl just seems so good natured about it all. They joke about wife swapping! They fess up quickly to their current partner when they like someone else! They celebrate each others’ sluttiness! There’s also a decent amount of people opening up and getting vulnerable about all kinds of aspects of their queerness and intersectionality, which is excellent to see on TV. As one of the girls so articulately puts it: “Being here is quite good for that being gay thing.”
Of course, the producers can’t just let them all be so evolved, and frequently introduce elements of chaos to shake up proceedings. Chief among them is The Kiss Off. This is not the competitive smooch marathon that you may expect from the name, but rather the main method by which contestants get eliminated. At the end of every other day, everyone decides whether they want to keep kissing their current match, or say they’re after someone else — in the hope they want them back. Anyone left unkissed at the end is sent home from The Masseria. Sadly, any kind of triad or polycule does not seem to be an option, or at least no-one’s tried their luck so far!
With ten girls, you might think it would be easy enough for any rejected girls to get together. But things get very interesting when we start getting new girls introduced! Just as the initial pairings were very intentionally matched, so are the newbies clearly hand-picked to set a cat among the sapphic pigeons. I love the fact that not only do they bring in another professional footballer to test out Cara’s fledgeling feelings for Georgia, they find someone that plays Georgia’s exact same position. Do they have a reserve cast of lesbians for every single football position? It seems entirely plausible!
With episodes dropping more frequently than Fiorenza’s jaw at a passing femme, we’re already at the halfway mark of the show, and it’s fair to say I am thoroughly addicted. Let me know in the comments if you’ve been watching, what you think so far, and how long it took you to Google wtf is a masseria!
*The most queerbaiting song in pop history is definitely Tatu’s “All The Things She Said”
**A masseria is a kind of 16th century fortified farmhouse specific to the Puglia region of Italy. The word is mentioned about a hundred times per episode like we should all know what it means!!
It’s the 2023 A+ Trivia Quiz of the Year!
The 13 Days of A+ is upon us!
Have you been paying attention to all things queer this year? If so, then you will have an excellent time doing this quiz! If not, then I believe your chances of getting 100% with completely random answers is roughly 1 in a nonillion, which seems like pretty good odds?
If you find that this quiz skews towards vapid fluff, it’s because I’m a firm believer that trying to identify celesbian couples by their hands is a humbling and equalizing experience. Please report in the comments with how humble and/or boastful you feel in the aftermath!
2023 A+ Trivia Quiz
Shockers, Standouts & Snogs: 2023 World Cup Group Stage Round-Up
2023 gay World Cup feature image photos: Photo by Aitor Alcalde – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images // DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Image // Hannah Peters – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
It’s the gayest World Cup in history, so it should surprise absolutely no-one that the group stages of this year’s tournament have been filled with unprecedented levels of chaos.
Expanding the tournament to 32 teams was always going to inject a healthy amount of uncertainty into proceedings, but I’m not sure anyone could have imagined the upsets we’ve seen – or the unbridled joy of underestimated nations after unexpected, yet fully deserved triumphs.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest shocks, standout performers and obvs plenty of gay stuff from the group stages!
The Pace-Setters
After a quiet few years that saw them slip firmly out of the world’s top ten, Japan came into the tournament perhaps a little overlooked (or else I just didn’t pay them any attention because there are no out gays on their team). Where other top-ranked teams struggled for goals, Japan have had no trouble taking their chances, even while rotating a good part of their squad each game. While far from a David-and-Goliath situation like some of the other surprise results we’ve seen, I was totally blown away by the way Japan dismantled Spain 4-0. With their combination of meticulous preparation and clinical finishing, while still possessing plenty of flair, Japan look like a really formidable outfit.
Sweden have looked super professional ever since coming from behind to win their opener, before steam-rollering an Italian side who must have been expecting to do a lot better. Fortune has dealt them an extremely tricky route forward, and much depend on which side of the bed Team USA gets out of for their last 16 match on Sunday.
Colombia have to rank as the biggest sensations of the tournament so far, with stunning wins against higher ranked South Korea and Germany, before a loss to Morocco that incredibly dumped the #2 ranked German team right out of the competition. 18-year old Linda Caicedo made her debut for the national side aged 14, only to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer a year later. Barely a year since she finished chemotherapy, she’s scored two incredible goals to propel Colombia into the knockout stages for only the second time in their history, and there’s no doubt she’s the story of the tournament so far.
Africa Rising
A record four African nations competed in the group stages in this year’s edition, with Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco all advancing to the knockout rounds. Morocco have just kept making history: the first North African and Arab nation to make it to the World Cup Finals, the first team to field a player wearing a hijab, the lowest ranked nation – at 72 – to progress to knockout stages. South Africa too have escaped their group for the first time with some solid performances, and Nigeria particularly excelled with both defensive rigour and flashes of attacking brilliance from Asisat Oshoala that might see them go even further.
Valiant Debutantes and Battling Minnows
I was desperately hoping that the expansion to 32 teams didn’t throw up lop-sided results and heavy defeat’s like USA’s infamous 13-0 drubbing of Thailand in 2019. My prayers have been answered ten times over, with the competitive level the highest I’ve ever seen it on this global stage. Even debutantes that didn’t make seismic shockwaves like Morocco have a lot to be proud of, with Zambia picking up a win, Ireland grabbing a goal and Haiti pushing their opponents to the wire despite not managing to notch a point.
Changing of the Guard
Of course, the surprising advances of less experienced nations have come at the expense of a number of higher-ranked teams that failed to fire on all cylinders. I’m sure most football fans would have loved to see legends of the games Marta and Christine Sinclair extend their records further, but it wasn’t to be, with both Canada and Brazil turning out pretty flat performances. For me, the stony look of disappointment as Marta watched her team’s demise on the bench was offset by the unbridled joy rippling through the Jamaican team. For a side shut-down twice in the last fifteen years for lack of funding, Jamaica’s progression will have an immense effect on the future of the team. The bitter pill to swallow is that Canada and Brazil’s own struggles for recognition will undoubtedly be set back following their unexpectedly poor showing.
Looking Ahead to the Knockout Rounds
Prior to the group stages, it looked like Australia’s side of the draw would be a hell of a lot tougher when it got to the knockout stages. However, with Germany, Canada and Brazil all going out, it’s a lot more open for the host nation, with only England and France the remaining sides ranked in the top ten. With both England and Australia moving up a gear in the final group games I’m taking a punt on those two making it to the semis, but there are a lot of wildcards along the way.
The other half of the draw is shaping up to be hyper-competitive. The USA’s damp squib of a group stage has left them with a tricky route; usually I’d expect the negative media to get them fired up to prove everyone wrong, but that may be tough with a coach that doesn’t even know which players to send out. With Sweden, Japan, the Netherlands and Spain all lurking, whoever makes it to the final will definitely deserve to be there. I’m tipping Japan to continue their form and unpick each team they encounter.
Top 2023 World Cup Gay Moments
Statistically it would be impossible for gays not be dominating this competition, and sure enough, a whopping 20 of the 36 goal-scorers so far are playing for the rainbow team! This makes it a real challenge to pick out top gay moments, but here’s a few highlights:
3. Ruesha Littlejohn refuses to shake Caitlin Foord’s hand because she went on holiday with her ex
Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images
I am personally thrilled that this storyline ripped straight from a lesbian soccer romance novel has made it onto the global stage.
2. Alba Redondo snogs girlfriend in crowd
Photo by Hannah Peters – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
We’ve become accustomed to the televised victory snog after the World Cup final, pioneered by Abby Wambach in 2015, supplemented by both Kelly O’Hara and Megan Rapinoe in 2019. Not content to wait that long, Alba Redondo planted a substantial smacker on her girlfriend after a routine group stage win (admittedly she did grab two goals). I don’t fancy Spain to make it to the final, but if Alba + gf are this passionate this early, I definitely would be curious to see how things escalate if Spain win the whole damn thing.
1. Linda Caicedo dedicates her incredible goal against Germany to her girlfriend
Has anyone had enough of watching Linda’s amazing golazo yet? Please can someone fly her gf out to Australia so she can celebrate Alba Redondo-style, instead of settling for heart-shaped gestures!
Who have you been enjoying watching so far, and who do you fancy to make it through the knockout stages?
The Best and Gayest Teams in the 2023 Women’s World Cup
Women’s World Cup feature photo by Justin Setterfield – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
As we have established, The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup looks set to be the gayest ever, but this post is to remind you that also football is being played and it is very much time for sports queers queers across the globe to rejoice at getting up at weird times for the next month, all for the love of the beautiful game.
While many editions of yore have centred on dubious conditions of the event, it feels like the struggles in the run-up to this year’s competition have been to do with the state of women’s football globally. Yes, FIFA still can’t bring itself to let players outwardly support the gays, and there was a standoff over European TV rights, but it seems a far cry from the hobbling astroturf pitches of Canada 2015.
What we have seen in the four years since the last World Cup, though, is women’s teams around the globe fighting for equal pay, fair treatment, and even just basic recognition of their status as elites athletes. Think the USWNT landmark collective bargaining agreement, England’s lionesses using their Euro’s victory to force equal access for girls to play football at school, Spain’s players boycotting the national team because of sub-par standards, France’s stand-off with their bullying coach, Canada’s strikes, Nigeria and South Africa’s squads not even getting paid.
The message is clear: women and non-binary footballers have had enough of this shit. The tournament will undoubtedly showcase the world’s best footballing talent, but the value of a deep run goes beyond the sporting plaudits for every team competing. It’s about making a statement that women’s sport is here to stay and ready for the recognition it deserves.
Perhaps feeling the heat the most will be the hosting nations, Australia and New Zealand. The Aussies in particular will have a point to prove; in a sports-mad country where soccer has to compete with other football codes, the Matildas’ golden generation of players have an equally golden opportunity to elevate the status of women’s soccer at home. Without doubt, both hosting nations will be putting on a spectacular show, and hopefully the most successful World Cup to date.
Who will triumph in this greatest (and gayest) of sporting events? I’m going to pick out my teams to watch, and I have every faith that you will shout at me in the comments with dissenting opinions!
Australia
My top pick for the tournament, and only partly because they have the largest number of out players in their squad! If they can cope with the pressure of competing at home, there’s every chance the Aussie’s can ride a wave of home support to the final. With an exceptionally talented squad anchored by star striker Sam Kerr, the Aussie’s have been hitting peak form in the run-up to the tournament, with victories over higher-ranking England, Spain and France this year. Beyond Kerr is a sparkling starting lineup, with players that have been lighting up England’s WSL in particular. They haven’t been handed the kindest draw, with a tricky group including Olympic champs Canada, and a likely last 16 match-up of England or Denmark. If they can get a convincing win on the board early, I hope the Matildas gather the confidence to go all the way.
USA
USA look like a team that’s been forced to transition to a new crop of talent perhaps a tad earlier than they’d have liked, owing to injuries to a number of established stars, Mallory Swanson probably the biggest hit. I don’t read too much into their historic three-game losing streak to European opponents at the end of last year. That’s partly because when I watched them play England I was absolutely terrified whenever Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman got on the ball.
Who cares if Vlatko has no idea what the best midfield lineup is? History has shown that Team USA can triumph in pretty much any circumstance , and there are enough experienced players on the squad to guide the youngsters, lot least Gay Aunty Megan. With an arguably easier ride in their half of the draw, it would really be a massive shock if they weren’t in the final.
Germany
Euro finalists last year, the German team look more than ever set to return to their World Cup winning ways. With a bunch of young players like Lena Oberdorf, Klara Bühl and Jule Brand establishing themselves with a ton of caps already, plus veterans like goal-machine Alex Popp, Germany are looking like a very solid package, despite a recent shock loss to Zambia. Their round of 16 draw looks very tricky against either Brazil or France, followed by a potential grudge rematch versus England in the quarters, so progress is by no means easy for the Germans, but they have to go in as decent favourites.
England
After the euphoria of a Euro win on home soil last year, reality has been biting this year for the England squad, with injury struggles denting what might have been a more confident run-up to the World Cup. The loss of captain Leah Williamson will be felt massively; while there are plenty of defensively excellent players that will take her spot, her passing from the back and exceptional positioning are harder to replace (FYI, as a central defender, Williamson made precisely zero tackles at the Euros, such was her uncanny knack for being in the right place!). Just as tough are the absences of attackers Beth Mead and Fran Kirby, and you feel that England have gone from being a team with excellent strength in depth to perhaps not having so many of the options available that made them such a potent force last year. I fully expect them to get out of a relatively straightforward group, but with Australia or Canada as their likely last-16 opponents, then potentially Germany in the quarter-finals, they really will have to find their best form again to build on their European triumph.
Spain
It’s hard to gauge exactly where Spain are at the moment, after a tumultuous year that’s seen walkouts by players, demands for better conditions, and ultimately little change after long-time under-achieving coach Jorge Vilda retained the support of the Spanish federation. While some of the players that withdrew in protest have returned to the squad, many off the back of Champions League victory with Barcelona, several haven’t. Sadly, this includes Mapi León and her very gay hair. Most significantly, captain and Ballon D’or winner Alexia Putellas is in the squad after recovering from an ACL injury, although it remains to be seen if she’s back to full fitness. On paper, Spain should be one of the strongest teams in the tournament, and being in the “easy” side of the draw, this could be the time for them to make good on their promise.
France
I feel like France have for so long been the under-achievers of women’s football, especially considering how packed their squad is with multiple Champion’s League winning players. It looked like they’d reached peak implosion earlier this year when captain Wendie Renard, plus star forwards Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto withdrew from the squad because of the toxic environment conjured by coach Corinne Diacre. As opposed to several other federations that backed their dodgy coaches, the French actually heeded their players, sacked Diacre and brought in Hervé Renard, fresh off a decent showing as Saudia Arabia coach at the 2022 Men’s World Cup. Initial signs are good that Renard has got the team back on board, and if he can finally get the best out of an undoubtedly talented group of players, they can beat any team on their day.
Brazil
In a changing-of-the-guard moment, Marta will be playing in her final World Cup, and there’s no doubt that Debinha will be stepping up as the new talisman for the Seleção. Coach Pia Sundhage has had four years to get the squad into shape, and there are good signs they have the potential with their new generation to get back to the form that took them to multiple World Cup and Olympic finals. Women’s leagues in Brazil are just starting to get momentum, and a big showing in Australia and New Zealand could give them the platform they need to amplify their efforts at home.
Canada
Many of Canada’s Olympic-winning team return for the World Cup, including the apparently immortal Christine Sinclair, back for her sixth tournament and undoubtedly looking to extend her international goal record. Canada’s strength in recent years comes predominantly from their excellent team ethic, and with excellent (and out) head coach Bev Priestman still at the helm, plus fire in their belly from how badly the Canadian federation have treated them, I expect the Canadians will be causing trouble in the knockout rounds, even if their draw makes it tricky to go all the way.
Debutantes and Lower Seeds
With the competition expanding to 32 teams, we’ll be getting to see some exciting new players on the world stage. While much of the media focus will be on the US and European teams, as well as the Aussies, I am totally ready for major upsets to rock the boat!
Debutantes Haiti are rammed with many players that cut their teeth in the US college system. Melchie Dumornay is widely considered their standout player, and I’ll be keeping a keen eye on her in Haiti’s opener with England. Zambia’s star Barbra Banda tore Germany apart in a recent friendly, and could cause an upset in group C. The Philippines may struggle in their group, but we will absolutely be looking forward to out captain Tahnai Annis leading her team.
Returning teams that may cause a stir include Jamaica, with the audaciously free-scoring Bunny Shaw, who narrowly missed taking home the Golden Boot in the WSL this year. Nigeria’s Super Falcons have qualified for every single World Cup, and in a tricky group B I can see several teams taking points from each other that could give them an opening to progress.
Which teams and players are you looking out for? Who will be causing the biggest shock both on and off the pitch? Chime in below!
Picdoku: You, Me, and Nine Different Pride Flags
Editor’s Note: Updated so you can actually solve it now 🥲
Today at 11am PST / 7pm GMT: Get Lost & Delirious with Sally!
See all our 13 Days of A+ Content!
Today is the A+ Watchalong: Lost & Delirious, hosted by Sally Neate
As we nestle cozily into the holigays, what better way to celebrate than with a watchalong to a 20-year-old lesbian classic that is not in any way seasonally adjacent?
There is no good reason why Lost & Delirious is so embedded in queer culture, yet somehow it is. We’ve talked about it, we’ve emulated it, so why not watch the damn thing…together!
I’ll be looking for your most chaotic conversation contributions on the A+ Discord as we attempt to solve such mysteries as “whatever happened to Mischa Barton’s career?” and “Why does Riese insist on excluding this film on her list of dead TV lesbians?”
What’s more, for the first time, this Autostraddle watchalong will be during UK and Europe evening time! Obviously, folks in the US are also welcome to join during their morning/early afternoon – what better way to eat your lunch than to the sound of a shrieking raptor? – Sally
In the UK, this film available for rental through Amazon Prime for the grand sum of 99p (there are two listings for some reason, here’s the cheaper one), or via Google/Apple for £2.49.
We’ve set this watch-along, specifically, to occur 3 hours from now because we know that our European members often have to miss events that are in the middle of the night for them. We hope to see you there!
11am PST / 2pm EST / 7pm GMT / 8pm CET
On the 13 Days of A+ Popup Discord Server!
It’s The Big Queer A+ Trivia Quiz Of The Year!
See all our 13 Days of A+ Content!
One of the best things about any year coming to a close is the various end-of-year quizzes that pop up to remind us how incredibly short our memories are. Obviously, the main problem with such quizzes is that they are way too straight. So, totally on brand for Autostraddle right now, we have our very own gay 2022 quiz, just for A+ members!
There are fifty questions across ten subjects, so make yourself cozy and settle in for the trivia event of the year!
A+ Quiz of the Year 2022
Quiz: Who’s Your Dream Celesbian Couple?
Feature image photos via Getty Images of Stephanie Allyne and Tig Notaro by Phillip Faraone / Stringer; Ariana DeBose and Sue Makkoo by Dia Dipasupil / Staff; Hayley Kiyoko and Becca Tilley by Rich Fury / Stringer; Lauren Morelli and Samira Wiley by Theo Wargo / Staff; Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris by Ira L. Black – Corbis / Contributor; Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor by David Crotty / Contributor; Jessica Betts and Niecy Nash by Taylor Hill / Contributor; Kristen Kish and Bianca Dusic by Paul Morigi / Stringer
One of the first quizzes in the modern era of Austraddle Personality Quizzes was Carmen’s iconic Celebrity Dream Date quiz. Now’s your chance to level up your dream celesbian dating game using this quiz to find not one but TWO whole famous queers to throuple up with!