- Haley Lynn
- Aug. 26, 2023
The FIFA Women's World Cup, an international women's football competition played every four years by women's national teams and hosted by FIFA, was held for the ninth time in 2023. Australia and New Zealand hosted the event, which took place from 20 July to 20 August 2023.
History of the FIFA Women's World Cup
The United States triumphed in the first competition, which took place in 1991. 12 international teams competed in the final event in both the inaugural match and the 1995 Women's World Cup. In 1999, there were 16 teams, and in 2015, there were 24 teams.
Host Country and Cities
With the announcement of the 9 Host Cities and 10 stadiums in Australia and New Zealand that will host matches during the event, the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023TM took a significant and exciting step forward today.
With less than two years until some of the best players in the world take the field in Australia and New Zealand, the announcement of the Host City marks an important turning point for many soccer fans and players around the world as well as in the planning for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which will be the first tournament to feature 32 teams and be co-hosted for the first time.
Tournament Dates and Schedule
FIFA released the match schedule on December 1st, 2021, and the kickoff times were confirmed on October 24, 2022, two days after the final draw.
On July 20, 2023, at Eden Park, the tournament's first game featured co-hosts New Zealand and Norway. Following a venue change due to high demand for tickets, the first game played in Australia was between Australia and the Republic of Ireland on the same day at Stadium Australia.
Participating Teams
Group Teams
- Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
- Group B: Australia, Canada, Nigeria, Republic of Ireland
- Group C: Costa Rica, Japan, Spain, Zambia
- Group D: People's Republic of China, Denmark, England, Haiti
- Group E: Netherlands, Portugal, United States, Vietnam
- Group F: Brazil, France, Jamaica, Panama
- Group G: Argentina, Italy, South Africa, Sweden
- Group H: Colombia, Germany, Republic of Korea, Morocco
Stadiums and Venues
- Adelaide, Australia – Hind Marsh Stadium
- Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Stadium
- Melbourne, Australia – Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
- Perth, Australia – Perth Rectangular Stadium
- Sydney, Australia – Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium
- Auckland, New Zealand – Eden Park
- Dunedin, New Zealand – Dunedin Stadium
- Hamilton, New Zealand – Waikato Stadium
- Wellington, New Zealand – Wellington Regional Stadium
Key Players to Watch
- Sam Kerr - Australia
- Mart - Brazil
- Alex Morgan - United States
- Khadija Shaw - Jamaica
- Alexia Putellas - Spain
- Ada Herzberg - Norway
- Lena Oberdorf - Germany
- Yui Hasegawa - Japan
- Lucy Bronze - England
- Asisat Oshoal - Nigeria
Champions
In 2023, Spain emerged as the champions of the FIFA Women's World Cup, while England secured the runner-up position. The United States, the previous defending champions, had clinched the title by defeating the Netherlands 2–0 in the 2019 final.
Format and Tournament Structure
Eight groups of four teams made up the group round of the competition, with the top two teams from each group moving on to a knockout round involving 16 teams. Overall, there were 64 games played, up from 52. The competition followed the rules set forth for the men's FIFA World Cup from 1998 to 2022. The two qualified teams from each group were maintained on the same side of the draw in the knockout stage for the first time since the FIFA World Cup in 2002, which means they can face off again in the semifinals. By doing this, travel time between Australia and New Zealand would be reduced, and should either host nation advance to the semifinals, they would stay in their own country.
Official Mascot and Slogan
MASCOT
- On October 19, 2022, the official mascot of the competition was introduced. Tazuni, the mascot's name, is a combination of "Unity" and the Tasman Sea. She is a unique New Zealand tiny penguin (Eudyptula minor).
SLOGAN
- As the countdown to the largest event in women's football begins, the tournament's tagline, "Beyond Greatness," has also been made public.
Ticketing Information
By July 19, 2023, around 1.4 million tickets had been distributed or sold, breaking the previous tournament record. Sponsor Xero gave 20,000 complimentary tickets as a result of slow sales in New Zealand.
Broadcasting and Coverage
The broadcasting rights for the 2023 Women's World Cup were the first Women's World Cup to be sold separately from the Men's World Cup's broadcasting rights and not as a bonus. According to FIFA, there is "huge interest" in the separate bidding process, and the organization is hoping that more regional partners will join.
Sponsors and Partners
FIFA Partners for FIFA World Cup 2023 Sponsors list
- Visa
- Xero
- Cosco
- Globant
- Jacob’s Creek
- Inter Rapidisimo
- Team Global Express
Legacy and Impact
The five-year legacy program comprises regular reports released at the conclusion of the tournament that will monitor and assess a number of key objectives. It also entails engaging with stakeholders to track the evolution of the game.
The program's goal is to assist the AFC, OFC and hosts Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand as they implement legacy initiatives and harness the power of football to advance women's football both on and off the field.
FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Official Song
There were a number of official World Cup 2023 songs. On October 28, 2021, the official insignia and tagline were unveiled along with the release of the theme song, "Unity" by British DJ and music producer Kelly Lee Owens. The official tournament song, "Do It Again" by Australian Singer Mallrat and New Zealand singer Benee, as well as its lyric video, were both published on June 29, 2023. In July 2023, it was confirmed that "Bring It On" by Australian Singer Tones and I, American rapper BIA, and French-Senegalese singer-songwriter was the "official walk-out track" for the matches in the competition.
Fan Engagement and Activities
Since the tournament began on July 20, the FIFA Fan Festivals have served as the main gathering place for thousands of fans who have taken advantage of the opportunity to watch football without having to enter a stadium.
All 64 games were broadcast live over enormous screens, and visitors of all ages were also entertained by well-known musical performers, DJs, and other enjoyable family football events.
Challenges and Controversies
The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was the subject of several controversies, with a particular focus on players from a variety of teams going public with their disagreements with their respective football associations over a number of professional, collective bargaining, and development issues that they felt were not being addressed.
The Role of Women's Football in 2023
The Women's World Cup's partnership between UN Women and FIFA was announced the day before the competition started. The two organizations worked together "to celebrate the skills and achievements of the teams and players, to advance gender equality in football, and to prevent abuse and discrimination on and off the field." As part of the project, a campaign was launched to call for the elimination of violence against women and girls and to raise awareness of gender inequality issues throughout the event.
Cultural and Social Significance
The 2023 event offers a special chance to talk about issues like climate change, prejudice towards Indigenous people, and equality.
Through the immense social force of football, the class of 2023 can also contribute to improving the world around them by promoting multiculturalism, human rights, climate change education, and Indigenous Australian culture and reconciliation.
Post-Tournament Analysis
All of the final World Cup games will be seen by and examined by FIFA's Technical Study group. They'll keep an eye on the issues raised here, and they'll go into more depth about them in their post-tournament report along with all the other developments in Australian and New Zealand trend-making.
In order to ensure the continuing growth of the women's game, their observations and the accompanying statistical analysis will be compared to FIFA Women's World Cup 2019TM and shared with the global public via the FIFA Training Centre.
Conclusion and Celebration of Women's Football
On July 20, 2023, there were two opening ceremonies, one before each of the two kickoff matches. The first was held in Auckland's Eden Park before the competition's first match between New Zealand and Norway. Indigenous greetings, pyrotechnics, dancing, and live music were all featured in both ceremonies before a moment of silence. A shooting that left three people dead, including the shooter, happened in downtown Auckland a few hours prior to the opening ceremony. There was a moment of silence for the attack victims.
