Spain stunned England 1-0 in Australia to win their first-ever Women's World Cup title on August 20
The conclusion of the tournament saw the start of the 2023 Women's Ballon d'Or debate
Alexia Putellas is the reigning award holder but will not be running for the 2023 vote
Aitana Bonmati leads the list of the 30 nominees for the award

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A first-half strike from Olga Carmona was enough to help Spain beat England in the Women's World Cup final on August 20.

The Lionesses were on the back foot for the better part of the game as Jorge Vilda marshalled his troops to stun the European champions.

Women's World Cup, Aitana Bonmati, Spain, Fridolina Rolfo, Lauren Hemp — Spain lift the 2023 Women's World Cup. Photo by Maddie Meyer.
Source: Getty Images

It was the second time in a row that England's coach, Sarina Wiegman, was on the losing side of a World Cup final, four years after losing with her native the Netherlands.

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The World Cup will hold considerable weight on who will succeed Alexia Putellas on October 30.

The men's race is expected to be down to either Lionel Messi or Erling Haaland in a year where the FIFA World Cup will greatly influence both sets of votes.

Sports Brief takes a look at the favourites for the female award.

1. Fridolina Rolfo (Sweden and Barcelona)

There has always been some disquiet about Rolfo's performances for the national team. Many of her naysayers often feel she does not perform to the desired levels as she turns out for her club.

However, she brought her A-game at this year's World Cup, bagging three goals as Sweden finished third.

The bronze medal, coupled with the La Liga and Champions League titles she won with the club, plus her 26 goal involvements, will put her in good standing.

2. Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg and Germany)

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The striker does not need a second invitation to pop in with goals. Germany's early exit from the World Cup will definitely hurt her chances, but she had another strong domestic campaign with Wolfsburg.

She scored 31 goals as they won the DFP-Pokal. Popp added a further four goals in the World Cup despite their shock group stage exit.

3. Kadidiatou Diani (PSG and France)

After another decent season in front of goal, the prolific forward has just dumped Paris Saint-Germain for their rivals, Lyon.

She took full advantage of Marie-Antoinette Katoto's long-term injury to register 42 goal involvements, also scoring four times and providing three assists Down Under as Herve Renard's French side reached the quarter-finals.

4. Aitana Bonmati

She will be many people's favourite to succeed her teammate at club and international level. Pep Guardiola, arguably the best coach of this generation, has even lauded her and dubbed her the 'Andres Iniesta of the women's game'.

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The 25-year-old produced 19 goals and 21 assists as Barcelona won three cups, including the Champions League, where she was also voted the tournament's best player.

She then headed Down Under and got three goals and two assists, plus running the show in the final. Guess what? Bonmati won the Golden Ball at the World Cup as well.

The midfielder capped it off by winning UEFA's Best Women's Player of the Year.