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Women’s World Cup 2023 to Be Held in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand will host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the FIFA Council has announced.

This means that the tournament will be held in the southern hemisphere for the first time.

Women’s World Cup to Be Held in Australia and New Zealand

 

One Other Candidate

Colombia and a joint submission from Australia and New Zealand were the only two bids left in the process going into the online meeting.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup competition will be the first to feature 32 countries, growing from 24 in 2019.

Benefits

Both Australia and New Zealand have lots of experience of hosting major international sporting events. They also boast large stadia and plenty of modern facilities to accommodate fans on a large scale.

Women’s football is growing in Australia, with Football Federation Australia (FFA) setting a goal of reaching a 50:50 split in registered male and female players by 2027.

Drawbacks

There will be a lot of travelling involved for players and fans. There is a significant distance between some of the venues and a time difference to contend with, four hours at its maximum.

The competition taking place in the southern hemisphere means it is inconvenient viewing for the northern teams’ fans. A 6pm kick-off in Perth will air at 11am in England and 6am in Washington, DC.

Reaction

Chelsea Women star Sam Kerr, from Australia, could not hide her delight at the news her country would be hosting the tournament.

 

Here’s how those involved with the bid reacted.

 

The scenes when three members of the New Zealand team discovered the news.

 

Main Photo

Embed from Getty Images

Beth Pritchard

Beth Pritchard

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