Ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, players from across the world were invited to capture behind-the-scenes content by Goal Click. Some elected to share stories of their lives, their communities, or from their training camps as they prepared for the tournament. Many did so, not even knowing if they would make the final cut of their respective squad.

The storytelling can be often emotionally raw, and invariably powerful. As per Jamaica’s Yazmeen Jamieson who captured this photo pre-tournament and explained the following: “Within the Black community, hairstyles have been a way for us to express ourselves, differentiate tribes, send messages, and exude beauty. My mom always says to me “Your hair is your crown, wear it proudly”. It is inspiring to see Locs, different curl patterns, a range of braid styles, and Afros worn daily on our team. To be part of a team where I can ask and trust someone to braid my hair and they can relate to or understand my texture is a language that many people will never understand.” FIFA supported the team from Goal Click to contact a number of the 32 participating teams. From Australia to the US Women’s National Team, players picked up a camera, and explained in their own words, the stories behind the images.

Click here to find out more from the 'photographers': Naomi Girma (USA), Yazmeen Jamieson (Jamaica), Kathellen Sousa Feitoza (Brazil), Charli Grant (Australia), Rikke Sevecke (Denmark), Jéssica Silva (Portugal), Erika Hernández (Panama), Luana Bühler (Switzerland), Rebecka Blomqvist (Sweden), Kerstin Casparij (Netherlands), Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa), Claudia Bunge (New Zealand), Coumba Sow (Switzerland), Valentina Giacinti (Italy), Cloé Lacasse (Canada) and Lee Geum-min (South Korea).