This is what it's all about: the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy.
10. Hear it from the experts. Former national team players Clare Rustad and Kara Lang will be commenting for the CBC and Rogers Sportsnet, respectively. Lang is also contributing to cbcsports.ca.
9. Newcomers. This is the first World Cup appearance for both Colombia and Equatorial Guinea, and the world will be watching to see what they can do on the international stage. Supporters for underdogs Equatorial Guinea (ranked 61st by FIFA, and chosen from a population of less than 700,000), are growing (from 6 to 119 in the last week), according to their dedicated Facebook page. In the 2003 World Cup, three teams - South Korea, Argentina and France - made their World Cup debut only to leave at the end of the group stage. There were no new teams at the 2007 World Cup in China.
On an individual level, several up-and-coming players are expected to take the spotlight. Jonelle Foligno, Canada's 20-year-old striker is touted as the country's next great goal scorer, after a stellar performance at the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers last fall.
Germany's goal-scorer Alexandra Prop, Columbia's playmaker Yoreli Rincon and the United States' poised Alex Morgan are also players to watch.
8. Group of Death. Group A is pegged to be the hardest group, with three teams ranked in FIFA's top ten. Germany is ranked 2nd, Canada 6th and France 7th coming into the tournament. The last country in the mix, Nigeria, has topped the African continent for years and could turn a few heads this tournament with their mix of athleticism and drive.
7. Follow the players on and off the field. Many of this year's world cup players are embedded in social media, blogging for various media outlets on their own personal websites, and tweeting to their fans about their 2011 World Cup experience. Amoung others, you can follow Canadian players Kaylyn Kyle (@kaylynkyle), Rhian Wilkinson (@rhirhi8), Mary-Eve Nault (@menault20), Carmelina Moscato (@cmoscato4), Jonelle Filigno (@jfiligno), Emily Zurrer (@emme_z), Christine Sinclair (@sincy12) and Karina LeBlanc (@karinaleblanc).
6. Down with the Dirty. There's rough play in women's soccer, but don't expect the theatrical diving and rolling-around-in-agony of the men's game. These girls are tough and will play on.
5. Controversy. Everyone likes a little controversy and this World Cup is already brimming with it. From the Nigerian coach expelling players for being lesbians to Equatorial Guinea's players being accused of being men, it's enough to get Germany's activists on their feet. In fact they are marching to celebrate diversity today during Berlin's Gay Pride Parade.
4. No vuvuzelas. Although, I've seen Germany's own version of the cheap plastic horns in shops [see my photo essay], there's talk on the streets that the noisemakers won't be allowed into the stadiums.
3. The technical game. Between Marta's fancy footwork and Christine Sinclair's perfect first touch, this World Cup is set to show how much the woman's game has grown over the last years. As Canadian keeper Karina LeBlanc says, under coach Carolina Morace, her team has gone from being "athletes who knew the game" to having a "deeper, tactical awareness of the game." It also makes for exciting soccer.
2. The Big Opener. The Canadian team is the strongest it's been in history, coming off a very successful run of results. They are up against the hosts and two-time World Cup champs Germany, in front of approximately 73,000 fans on Sunday (Noon ET). Germany's oracle octopuses are split on who could win: three predict Germany, two predict Canada and three say it will be a tie. It will be an exciting game.
1. Did I mention no vuvuzelas?
Follow Anjali Nayar on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/anjalinayar
