FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: How the World is Searching

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's football championship contested by women's national teams and organized by FIFA. The tournament, which is taking place from 20 July to 20 August 2023, is jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.[1][2]

It is the first FIFA Women's World Cup with more than one host nation, as well as the first World Cup to be held across multiple confederations, as Australia is in the Asian confederation, while New Zealand is in the Oceanian confederation. In addition, this tournament is the first to feature the expanded format of 32 teams from the previous 24, replicating the same format used for the men's World Cup from 1998 to 2022.[1]

The opening match was contested between New Zealand and Norway at Eden Park in Auckland on 20 July 2023. The final will take place on 20 August 2023 at Stadium Australia in Sydney.[3] The United States are the two-time defending champions, having won the previous editions in 2015 and 2019.[4]

Overview

The FIFA Women's World Cup is a professional association football tournament contested by senior women's national football teams, organised by FIFA.[5] The tournament, held every four years and one year after the men's World Cup, was first played in 1991 in China, and has since been expanded to 32 teams following the 2023 edition. The tournament is contested with eight round-robin groups followed by a knockout round for 16 teams. The defending champions are the United States, who defeated the Netherlands 2–0 in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup final.[6][7] The event is scheduled to take place over a period of a month, from 20 July to 20 August in Australia and New Zealand. This Women's World Cup is the first co-hosted tournament, and also the first seniors World Cup to be held across multiple confederations. In addition, it is the first seniors tournament to be held in Oceania, the first Women's World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere, and the third to be held in the Asia-Pacific region.

Schedule

The match schedule was announced by FIFA on 1 December 2021,[8][9] with kick-off times confirmed on 24 October 2022, two days after the final draw.[10][11]

The opening match of the tournament, with co-hosts New Zealand vs. Norway, was played on 20 July at Eden Park. The inaugural match in Australia, with co-hosts Australia vs. Republic of Ireland, took place on the same day at Stadium Australia, after a venue change due to strong ticketing demand.[12]

The group stage fixtures are split between the co-hosts, with New Zealand hosting Groups A, C, E and G, and Australia for Groups B, D, F and H.[13] The third-place match will be played at Lang Park on 19 August, with the final to be played at Stadium Australia on 20 August.[13]

Prize money

In June 2023, FIFA announced the prizes for all participating nations. This edition's total prize pool is US$110 million, US$80 million greater than the prize pool of the previous tournament.[14]

At previous tournaments, as well as in the men's competition, FIFA have paid total prize money to the national associations, but for the 2023 Women's World Cup will give prize payments directly to players as well as the associations. This came as a result of reports in the women's game that a number of national associations were withholding competition prize money from players and/or not paying them at all.[14] In March 2023, global player union FIFPRO sent a letter signed by players from around the world to FIFA, challenging FIFA to make prize money in the men's and women's tournaments equal and to ensure at least 30% of prize money in the women's tournament made it to the players. While FIFA did not match the prize money of the men's tournament, it did significantly increase it, with more than half set to be paid to players directly.[15]

Just before the tournament, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that the player payments would still be paid to the associations, and that FIFA planned to audit the associations to make sure the money got to the players. Football administrator Lise Klaveness expressed concern over what she felt sounded like reneging on the promise, both for the players and for FIFA's credibility.[16]

Place Teams Amount (USD)

Per association Per player Total

Champions 1 $4,290,000 $270,000 $10,500,000

Runners-up 1 $3,015,000 $195,000 $7,500,000

Third place 1 $2,610,000 $180,000 $6,750,000

Fourth place 1 $2,455,000 $165,000 $6,250,000

5th–8th place (quarter-finals) 4 $2,180,000 $90,000 $17,000,000

9th–16th place (round of 16) 8 $1,870,000 $60,000 $26,000,000

17th–32nd place (group stage) 16 $1,560,000 $30,000 $36,000,000

Total 32 $110,000,000

Host selection

Main articles: 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup bids and Australia–New Zealand 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup bid

Bidding began for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on 19 February 2019.[17] Member associations interested in hosting the tournament had to submit a declaration of interest by 15 March, and provide the completed bidding registration by 16 April. However, FIFA revised the bidding timeline as the tournament expanded to 32 teams on 31 July.[18] Other member associations interested in hosting the tournament then had until 16 August to submit a declaration of interest, while the completed bidding registration of new member associations and re-confirmation of prior bidders was due by 2 September.[19]

Nine countries initially indicated interest in hosting the events: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, South Korea (with interest in a joint bid with North Korea), New Zealand and South Africa.[20] Belgium expressed interest in hosting the tournament following the new deadline but later dropped out, as did Bolivia, in September 2019.[21][22] Australia and New Zealand later announced they would merge their bids in a joint submission.[23] Brazil, Colombia, and Japan joined them in submitting their bid books to FIFA by 13 December.[24] However, both Brazil and Japan later withdrew their bids in June 2020 before the final voting.[25][26]

On 25 June 2020, Australia and New Zealand won the bid to host the Women's World Cup.[27] The decision came after a vote by the FIFA Council, with the winning bid earning 22 votes, while Colombia earned 13.[28] Neither country had previously hosted a senior FIFA tournament. This will be the first Women's World Cup to be hosted in multiple countries, and only the second World Cup tournament to do so, following the 2002 FIFA World Cup, held in Japan and South Korea. It is also the first FIFA Women's World Cup to be held in the Southern Hemisphere, the first senior FIFA tournament to be held in Oceania, and the first FIFA tournament to be hosted across multiple confederations (with Australia in the AFC and New Zealand in the OFC). Australia is the second association from the AFC to host the Women's World Cup, after China in both 1991 and 2007.[29]

2023 FIFA WWC bidding

Bidding nation(s) Votes

Round 1

Australia & New Zealand 22

Colombia 13

Recused 2

Total votes 35

Majority required 18