WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2023
Who is Edina Alves Batista, the referee for Spain vs Sweden at the 2023 Women’s World Cup?
Spain and Sweden meet in the World Cup semi-finals in Auckland, with hosts Australia or England potential opponents in the final.
Referee Edina Alves Batista will take charge of Spain and Sweden’s 2023 Women’s World Cup semi-final on Tuesday, as the nations battle it out for the right to face Australia or England in the final.
La Roja (The Reds) take on Blågult (The Blue and Yellow), at Eden Park in Auckland at 4:00 a.m. ET / 1:00 a.m. PT.
Watch Spain vs Sweden live stream on fubo TV (free trial available)
Who is Edina Alves Batista?
It’s by and large been a Women’s World Cup to forget for Brazil, who were seen as something of a dark horse to win the tournament and were expected to reach the knockout rounds at the very least. As Canarinhas were, however, knocked out in the group stage for the first time since 1995 after a narrow defeat to France and a goalless draw against Jamaica.
One Brazilian has at least taken part in the latter stages of the tournament, though, namely referee Edina Alves Batista, who will be the woman in the middle when Spain take on Sweden in the first of the semi-finals.
The last four clash will be the 42-year-old’s fourth match of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. She was involved on the opening day of the tournament, taking charge of Australia’s 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in Sydney, before overseeing Morocco’s narrow victory against South Korea in Adelaide. Her most recent outing saw her officiate Japan’s round-of-16 triumph over Norway in Wellington 10 days ago.
In her three appearances in the tournament to date, she has generally managed to keep her cards in her pocket, showing only two yellow cards.
Alves Batista’s second Women’s World Cup
Alves Batista has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2016, with her intentional tournament debut coming in the 2018 Copa América Femenina in Chile. She is participating in her second Women’s World Cup after the 2019 edition in France, where she took charge of Spain’s goalless draw against China in the group stage.
In February 2021, she was in the middle for the fifth-placed match at the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup between South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai and Al Duhail of Qatar, becoming the first woman to officiate at a senior men’s FIFA tournament. A month later, she was the first female match official to oversee the men’s São Paulo derby between Corinthians and Palmeiras in Série A in Brazil.
Spain vs Sweden: Alves Batista’s officiating team in full
Alves Batista’s assistant referees will be fellow Brazilians Neuza Back and Leila Moreira da Cruz, and the fourth official will be Melissa Borjas of Honduras.
The video assistant referee (VAR) will be Colombia’s Nicolás Gallo, and the assistant VAR will be the Armando Villarreal from the United States. The offside VAR will be American Felisha Mariscal.