Some 31 days and 63 matches later, the 2023 Women's World Cup is now complete with Spain emerging triumphant after beating England by a single goal in the final.
Once combined, the group and knockout phase of the tournament produced a total of 163 goals at an average of 2.56 goals per match, down slightly from the 2.81 goals per match average we that was witnessed at the 2019 finals.
Despite Japan's quarterfinal exit at the hands of Sweden, Hinata Miyazawa ended the World Cup as the competition's top goal scorer and therefore lays claim to the Golden Boot award.
Miyazawa scored 5 goals overall --- four in Japan's opening three games and then one more in the round of 16 -- to lead the Golden Boot race from the group stage onward with no other player able to usurp the 23-year-old midfielder.
Miyazawa will have to wait to have her picture taken with the trophy, as she had already left for home before the final.
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The 2023 Golden Boot contenders
Miyazawa of Japan finishes top of the scoring table at the 2023 Women's World Cup with 5 goals, one goal clear of her closest rivals.
Four players managed to score 4 goals during the tournament in Kadidiatou Diani of France, Alexandra Popp of Germany, Jill Roord of Netherlands and Amanda Ilestedt of Sweden.
Illestedt was afforded one more opportunity to equal Miyazawa's tally when Sweden faced co-hosts Australia in Saturday's third-place playoff though the defender was unable to find the target in her country's 2-0 victory over the co-hosts.
No less than 13 players ended the World Cup with 3 goals to their name including Lauren Hemp, Lauren James and Alessia Russo of England, and Aitana Bonmatí, Jennifer Hermoso, Alba Redondo and Olga Carmona of Spain. Indeed, Carmona's third goal of the tournament just so happened to be the most important, i.e. her World Cup-winning strike against the Lionesses in the grand final in Sydney.
The Golden Boot race didn't require a tie breaker to settle though it's perhaps worth noting that the assist table also saw a three-way tie at the top with Lauren James, Kadidiatou Diani and Mina Tanaka all ending the World Cup with 3 assists apiece.
How Golden Boot award is decided
As always, the Golden Boot award is bestowed upon the individual player who scores the most goals at the 2023 Women's World Cup. If multiple players had finished level at the top of the standings, the award would be decided using tiebreakers.
Should two or more players finish with the same number of goals, the Golden Boot goes to the player with the most assists. If that still isn't enough to separate them, the award goes to the player with the lowest total minutes on the pitch (ergo, the highest goals-per-minute rate).
Any goals scored in penalty shootouts do not count toward the total.
Women's World Cup Golden Boot history
The Golden Boot was first awarded at the inaugural 1991 Women's World Cup in China, where USWNT forward Michelle Akers scored 10 goals to take the plaudits with an impressive tally that has never been bettered at a Women's World Cup.
Megan Rapinoe of the United States is the reigning Women's World Cup Golden Boot winner after scoring six goals as the USWNT emerged triumphant at the 2019 tournament in France. Her teammate Alex Morgan also scored six goals at the 2019 World Cup and also equalled Rapinoe's assist count of three, so Rapinoe was ultimately awarded the Golden Boot because she had spent less time on the pitch (428 minutes, to Morgan's 490).
Rapinoe claiming the award also meant that the U.S. joined Brazil and Germany as the only nations to have had their players win Golden Boots at two different Women's World Cups.
The only time the award has been shared was in 1999, when Brazil's Sissi and China's Sun Wen both scored seven times. Sun's goals powered China to the final, and she scored in the penalty shootout after that match ended 0-0, but the host United States emerged victorious.
Women's World Cup player trophies
The 2023 Women's World Cup Golden Boot trophy itself is a lifelike cast of a football boot in silver metal with a thin golden coating, affixed to a sturdy frosted glass base. There are also silver and bronze versions given to the second- and third-highest-scoring players at the tournament, respectively.
As well as the Golden Boot, a number of other individual awards will be handed out at the conclusion of the World Cup.
The Golden Ball is awarded to the best overall player of the tournament, as decided by media representatives selecting from a shortlist drawn up by the FIFA technical committee, as well as the Silver and Bronze Ball for the second- and third-best players on show.
Rapinoe also took this prize home in 2019, with teammate Rose Lavelle coming third in the vote behind England's Lucy Bronze. Unsurprisingly, Rapinoe ended the year by winning the Ballon d'Or, too.
The Golden Glove award is also awarded to the best overall goalkeeper at the tournament, and is decided by FIFA's Technical Study Group. By winning this prize at both the 2011 and 2015 tournaments, former U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo is the only player to win twice in any individual award category at a Women's World Cup.