{"id":27528,"date":"2020-06-25T23:45:55","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T03:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsoccer.com\/?p=27528"},"modified":"2020-06-25T23:45:55","modified_gmt":"2020-06-26T03:45:55","slug":"the-2023-fifa-womens-world-cup-hosts-are-australia-and-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2020\/06\/25\/the-2023-fifa-womens-world-cup-hosts-are-australia-and-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Hosts are Australia and New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is official, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hosts will be Australia and New Zealand according to mlssoccer.com<\/a>. This is the first time that the two countries are co-hosting the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup. It is also the first time that two countries from different FIFA Confederations are hosting the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

The \u201cMatildas\u201d (formerly known as the Female Socceroos) Australian women\u2019s soccer team and the \u201cFootball Ferns\u201d New Zealand women\u2019s soccer team also had some success in the World Cup and the Olympics.<\/p>\n

Both Australia and New Zealand played in the Asian Confederation before the first-ever Oceania cup was played in 1983. In the mid-2000\u2019s Australia moved back to the AFC confederation from OFC. Both co-host nations of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup have been to three Summer Olympics. They are both set to make their fourth Olympic appearance in the Tokyo Olympics.<\/p>\n

The 2023 FIFA World Cup Hosts: Australia and New Zealand<\/h2>\n

Australia<\/h3>\n

The Australians are the highest-ranked team from Asia. According to the current FIFA rankings<\/a>, they are ranked seventh in the world. \u00a0They have made seven appearances in the Oceania Cup, winning it three times in 1994, 1998, and 2003. The Australians moved back to Asia in 2006.<\/p>\n

That same year they hosted the 2006 AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup, where they lost to the Chinese women\u2019s soccer team in the final via penalty kicks. However, the Australians would win their first AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup against North Korea via penalties in 2010.<\/p>\n

Australia and Japan have now established themselves as the two best teams in Asia. Japan has defeated Australia in the last two AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup. They also won one AFF Women\u2019s Championship in 2008, which is part of the ASEAN Football Federation. This tournament was contested by national teams of nations in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

The Australians did not qualify for the inaugural 1991 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup. However, since 1995, they have made seven straight FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup appearances. The \u201cMatildas\u201d made the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup quarterfinals in 2007, 2011, and 2015. This includes losing to rivals Japan in the 2015 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Lastly, the \u201cMatildas\u201d made three appearances in the Olympics. Their first Olympic appearance in 2000 was held in Sydney, Australia, which made the \u201cMatildas\u201d the host nation. They finished last in the group stage in 2000.<\/p>\n

Their best performance in the Olympics was in 2004 and 2016. On both occasions, the Australians got past the group stage and made the quarterfinals. However, Australia lost both times in the quarterfinals. This includes a tough loss to the 2016 Summer Olympics host Brazil in penalties. A noticeable player who plays for Australia is Samantha Kerr.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QYYOpLAtwgY<\/p>\n

New Zealand<\/h3>\n

New Zealand will be the other host nation in the 2023 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup. According to FIFA.com<\/a>, they are ranked 23rd <\/sup>in the world. The team currently called the \u201cFootball Ferns\u201d has a deep and rooted history in women\u2019s soccer. At one point, New Zealand had a better national team than Australia. In 1975, New Zealand won the first-ever AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup (then known as the AFC Women’s Championship).<\/p>\n

They were also the first-ever winners of the OFC Women\u2019s Nation Cup in 1983. New Zealand also won the 1991 OFC Women\u2019s Nation\u2019s Cup. This allowed New Zealand to enter the first-ever FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup in 1991. They would not make it to the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup again until 2007, mainly due to Australia. Since 2007, New Zealand has made four appearances in the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

The \u201cFootball Ferns\u201d have not won a game so far in the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup. Their highest position in the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup was 11th<\/sup> in the 1991 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

However, they have proven they can win against quality opponents in the Summer Olympics. In 2012, where they made the quarterfinals, they defeated Cameroon in the group stage. They would also win another group stage game in 2016, defeating Colombia. New Zealand has made three Olympic appearances including their first-ever appearance in 2008. They will be looking to do the same in the 2023 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup and get their first-ever win at FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

They have produced some quality players. One noticeable player who plays for New Zealand is Hannah Wilkinson.<\/p>\n