FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 : expats supporting their home country all the way

32 teams have been competing at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand since its launch on 20th July. The final will take place on 20th August at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Expats in Mauritius are experiencing the excitement of this world cup and are looking forward to seeing their home country win the final.

Marwa Kablaoui: “I hope the Moroccan women’s team will follow in the footsteps of the men’s team”

Originally from Casablanca, Marwa is a new expat. The young woman settled in Mauritius only seven months ago. For her, life is very positive in Mauritius. “It is a very beautiful and safe place to live,” she tells. However, the Moroccan expat confides that the only downside of life in Mauritius is the high cost of living.

“Mauritius is very expensive compared to my country. In Morocco for example a 10kg water melon is sold for only Rs100 but in Mauritius I find it to be very expensive. In fact, all fruits in Mauritius are expensive. In addition to this, there are some food ingredients that we have in Morocco but which we cannot find in the local market,” she declares. However, Marwa still appreciates the many other benefits Mauritius offers. “Mauritius is such a small island compared with my birth country but I love it very much. I love the sandy beaches. Here it is like paradise and the water is so clear and clean.” 

Despite missing her life back in Morocco, she shares that she enjoys the island life. “I definitely miss my country so much, I miss my life in Morocco, my family, my house, my room, and also the Moroccan food tagine, the couscous. But I plan to continue enjoy the good side of life in Mauritius,” she shares.

The Morrocan woman is a huge football fan. Speaking about the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Marwa shares that she has a true passion for the sport. “I love watching football matches, especially when Morocco is playing,” she utters. She underlines that she finds the women’s teams playing tactics and skills fascinating. “Less than a year after the semi-final in Qatar of their male counterparts, the Moroccan women football team is shining in Australia and New Zealand. They are really talented and I admire them.”

Marwa declares that the Moroccan team has made an admirable progress since the beginning of the World Cup. “This World Cup is very interesting by the simple fact that there are so many talented women from various nationalities playing. Nouhaila Benzina who plays in the Moroccan team has made history. Last Sunday she became the first veiled player to play in a Women’s World Cup match,” she states. 

The woman expat is looking forward for her home team to make history again following their winning against Colombia on Thursday 3rd August. “Morocco became the first Arab team to qualify for the Women’s World Cup following their match against Colombia. I am really proud of my home country and of these women players. I really hope the Moroccan women’s team will follow in the footsteps of the men’s team, which surprised the world at the end of last year, when it became the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup, which was the first tournament of its kind held in an Arab country, Qatar,” she declares.

Lucie: “I wish France would win the World Cup, and going by their performances, I think they can”

The young 26-year-old French woman is in Mauritius since 2019. Working as Digital Marketing Consultant, Lucie shares that she does go to France from time to time but she lives nine months a year in Mauritius. She decided to settle in as she fell in love with the island. “Actually, I was looking for working abroad after my studies in 2019, so I came to Mauritius in order to find a 6 months job and then go back to France. But you know the story, we all fall in love with Mauritius, so I stayed,” she utters. 

Regarding adaptation, Lucie says that it was an easy process for her as she can adapt very easily anywhere. “The Mauritian culture is very open so I think it helped a lot. Today, 80% of my friends are Mauritian, I almost think I’m Mauritian too.” She adds that Mauritius has indeed a lot to offer to those wanting to settle in. “Mauritius has definitely been a land of opportunity for me! From November 2019 to May 2021, I had several jobs opportunity with different types of companies: retail, startups, and Hospitality. I think I’ve been very lucky to find different jobs at a time when companies were afraid to hire.” The French expats says that she is in love with her life in Mauritius. “I am very well surrounded. Life is peaceful for me. People are amazing. Some people say that the grass isn’t greener elsewhere, for me it is. I feel great on this Island.” 

When it comes to football, Lucie confides that she is actually becoming a fan of the sport. “I am becoming a football fan actually. Not a deep fan, but I love to watch World Cups. It’s a whole atmosphere, watching games at bars with friends. Love it!” she utters. Regarding the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, she declares that she’s been following the matches. “I’ve been watching some of the matches, which I think are really interesting to see!”

She trusts that the French team is playing well since the beginning of the World Cup matches. “France is evolving just great! I think they won almost all their matches, the game is really nice to watch, it’s just like a Men’s World Cup,” she says. However, regarding the interest of people in Mauritius for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Lucie shares that she has not seen a great enthusiasm.  “I haven’t heard many people watching the game or bars playing the game in their places. I can understand because the National team isn’t playing, so it might be less interesting. However, on a larger scale, I can see that more and more people are generally more interested in the Women’s World Cup.”

The French women is of the opinion that this World Cup is even more interesting. “People have talked a lot more about this World Cup than the previous ones, especially on social media. More people want to see women fighting for their country through a football game! So, it’s different from the other World Cups because it’s getting more engagement,” she asserts. Which team do you think will make it to the finale? Lucie obviously supports France and hopes the French team will win the World Cup. “Very objectively, France. I wish they would win the World Cup, and going by their performances, I think they can,” she utters.