The ninth edition of the Fifa Women's World Cup kicked off on July 20 with joint hosts New Zealand and Australia opening with wins.
The 32-team tournament is the biggest event in female football history.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2023 Women's World Cup.
What is it?
The Fifa Women's World Cup is an international football tournament hosted every four years and involves national teams from around the world. The 2023 edition will feature 32 teams, making it the largest tournament in women's football history, having expanded from 24 teams.
Where is it?
The 2023 tournament will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. It is the first time the Women's World Cup has had more than one host nation. It is also the first time any World Cup, female or male, has been co-hosted by two nations from different federations. Australia is part of the Asian Football Federation, while New Zealand is in the Oceania Football Confederation.
What are the dates?
The 2023 Women's World Cup will begin on July 20 with the opening match between hosts New Zealand and Norway at Eden Park, Auckland. The final will take place on August 20 and will be held at Stadium Australia in Sydney Olympic Park.
What is the format?
Given the expansion of the tournament to 32 teams, the format will be the same as the men's 32-team World Cups (until that changes in 2026 with its latest expansion). There will be eight groups comprising four teams each, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout rounds, starting with the Round of 16. In all there will be 64 matches played at the 2023 tournament.
What are the venues?
There are 10 stadiums which will host matches at the 2023 Women's World Cup, six in Australia and four in New Zealand. The stadiums in Australia are: Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Brisbane's Lang Park, the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, the Perth Rectangular Stadium, and Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide.
In New Zealand, Auckland's Eden Park, the Wellington Regional Stadium, Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium, and the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton will stage games.
Stadium Australia is by far the largest stadium at this World Cup, with a capacity of 83,500. The next biggest is Lang Park with a capacity of 52,263.
Which teams are playing?
Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
Group B: Australia Republic of Ireland, Nigeria, Canada
Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan
Group D: England, Haiti, Denmark, China
Group E: United States, Vietnam, Netherlands, Portugal
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Panama
Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
Group H: Germany, Morocco, Colombia, South Korea
Results
July 20: New Zealand 1-0 Norway | Australia 1-0 Republic of Ireland
July 21: Nigeria 0-0 Canada | Philippines 0-2 Switzerland | Spain 3-0 Costa Rica
July 22: USA 3-0 Vietnam | Zambia 0-5 Japan | England 1-0 Haiti | Denmark 1-0 China
July 23: Sweden 2-1 South Africa | Netherlands 1-0 Portugal | France 0-0 Jamaica
July 24: Italy 1-0 Argentina | Germany 6-0 Morocco | Brazil 4-0 Panama
July 25: Colombia 2-0 South Korea | New Zealand 0-1 Philippines | Switzerland 0-0 Norway
July 26: Japan 2-0 Costa Rica | Spain 5-0 Zambia | Canada 2-1 Republic of Ireland
July 27: USA 1-1 Netherlands | Portugal 2-0 Vietnam | Australia 2-3 Nigeria
July 28: Argentina 2-2 South Africa | England 1-0 Denmark | China 1-0 Haiti
July 29: Sweden 5-0 Italy | France 2-1 Brazil | Panama 0-1 Jamaica
July 30: South Korea 0-1 Morocco | Norway 6-0 Philippines | Switzerland 0-0 New Zealand | Germany 1-2 Colombia
July 31: Japan 4-0 Spain | Costa Rica 1-3 Zambia | Republic of Ireland v Nigeria | Canada v Australia
August 1: Vietnam 0-7 Netherlands | Portugal 0-0 USA | China v England | Haiti v Denmark
August 2: Argentina 0-2 Sweden | South Africa 3-2 Italy | Panama 3-6 France | Jamaica 0-0 Brazil
August 3: Morocco 1-0 Colombia | Germany 1-1 South Korea
Last 16
August 5: Switzerland 1 Spain 5 | Japan 3 Norway 1
August 6: Netherlands 2-0 South Africa | Sweden 0(5)-0(4) USA
August 7: England 0(4)-0(2) Nigeria | Australia 2-0 Denmark
August 8: Colombia 1-0 Jamaica | France 4-0 Morocco
Quarter-finals
August 11: Spain 2-1 Netherlands | Japan 1-2 Sweden
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The official logo of the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup is displayed during the opening ceremony ahead of the Group A match between New Zealand and Norway at Eden Park in Auckland on July 20, 2023. AFP -
Members of the Tjarutja Dance Theatre Collective take part in the opening ceremony. AFP -
Fireworks explode during the opening ceremony ahead of the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup. AFP -
Dancers perform during the opening ceremony. Getty Images -
General view during the opening ceremony. Reuters -
Dancers perform during the opening ceremony at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. Getty Images -
Performers create a rainbow serpent, left, and a whai, or sting ray, designed with Maori and First Nation artists. AFP -
General view during the opening ceremony before the match. Reuters -
Dancers perform during the opening ceremony ahead of the Women's World Cup match between New Zealand and Norway in Auckland, New Zealand. AP Photo -
General view during the opening ceremony before the match. Reuters -
New Zealand singer and songwriter Benee performs during the opening ceremony. AFP -
Performers during the opening ceremony of the Women's World Cup. EPA
Which teams are title contenders?
The United States are considered the leading contenders to win the tournament and successfully defend their title. They are the most successful team in Women's World Cup history having won four of the eight previous editions, including at France 2019 when they defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the final.
However, the US are expected to face stiff competition from European champions England, although the Lionesses will be without three key players – Fran Kirby, Beth Mead and Leah Williamson – due to injury. Meanwhile Spain, Germany, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands have title ambitions of their own, and co-hosts Australia are being backed to have a successful tournament.
What is the prize money?
Fifa has increased the total prize pool from $80 million in 2019 to $110m in 2023, distributing prize money to both participating member associations and to players.
For teams who finish in the group stage, their allocation is $1.56m; Round of 16 teams get $1.87m; quarter-finalists will receive $2.18m; the fourth-placed team gets $2.455m; third place $2.61m; runners-up $3.015m, and the champions $4.29m.
The player allocation will be: $30,000 for each player whose teams are eliminated in the group stage; $60,000 at the Round of 16; $90,000 for the quarter-finalists; $165,000 for fourth place; $180,000 for third place; $195,000 for the runners-up; and $270,000 for the champions.
Where to watch the tournament?
The 2023 Women's World Cup will be broadcast in the UAE and throughout the Mena region on beIN Sports.
For more information about the tournament and the complete schedule, visit the Fifa Women's World Cup website.
