As the excitement from the 2022 World Cup settles down, football fans can start looking forward to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. This upcoming event promises to be a thrilling experience for both players and fans, with an expanded format and matches taking place across Australia and New Zealand. This comprehensive guide will provide you with all the essential details you need to know about the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Australia and New Zealand: Joint Hosts
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, marking the first time either nation has hosted a FIFA World Cup event. The bidding process began in February 2019, with Australia and New Zealand initially putting forward individual bids before joining forces to create a unified proposal. Other countries that participated in the bidding process included Brazil, Colombia, and Japan. In June 2020, the Australia-New Zealand bid won with 22 votes, while Japan received 13 votes.
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Dates
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place between July 20 and August 20, 2023, returning to a summer schedule after the 2022 men’s World Cup’s winter shift. The group stage will begin on July 20, with both host nations playing on the opening day. Following this, three matches will be played daily until July 29. The final group stage matches will occur between July 30 and August 3, with four games held each day. The knockout stages will commence with the round of 16 on August 5, followed by the quarter-finals on August 11 and 12, the semi-finals on August 15 and 16, and the final on August 20.
Watching the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Broadcast Information
While the UK broadcast deal has yet to be announced, viewers in other countries can catch the action through the following channels:
- United States: Fox
- Canada: CTN and TSN
- Australia: Optus Sport and Seven Network
- New Zealand: Prime and Sky Sport
Free Viewing Options
Australian viewers will have access to free-to-air channels for watching the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. For fans in the United States, a seven-day free trial is available on Fubo TV.
Participating Nations and Tournament Format
Qualified Teams
As of now, 29 out of 32 teams have qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup:
- Australia (co-hosts)
- China
- Japan
- Philippines
- South Korea
- Vietnam
- Morocco
- Nigeria
- South Africa
- Zambia
- Canada
- Costa Rica
- Jamaica
- United States
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- New Zealand (co-hosts)
- Denmark
- England
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Republic of Ireland
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Haiti
- Portugal
- Panama
Expanded Format
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will feature 32 teams, an increase from the previous 24-team format. This change mirrors the men’s tournament format, which has been in place since 1998 and is set to expand to 48 teams in the future.
Final Qualification Rounds
The last inter-confederation play-offs to determine the remaining three teams will take place between February 18 and February 23, 2023.
Squad Announcements
Provisional tournament squads are typically released four to six weeks before the competition kicks off. Fans can expect to see the qualified teams announce their squads in June 2023.
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Groups
The participating teams have been divided into the following groups:
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
Kick-off Times and Time Zones
Given the geographic locations of Australia and New Zealand, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup matches will occur across four different time zones: UTC+8, UTC+9.30, UTC+10, and UTC+12. To provide context, during the summer, British Summer Time (BST) is UTC+1, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is UTC-4, and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) is UTC-7.
New Zealand Match Times (UTC+12)
The opening match and all other Group A, Group C, Group E, and Group G games will be held in New Zealand’s UTC+12 time zone. Four knockout matches will also take place in New Zealand. Kick-off times will range between 12 pm and 8 pm (UTC+12).
Australia Match Times (UTC+10, UTC+9.30, and UTC+8)
Matches in Australia will be spread across three time zones: UTC+10, UTC+9.30, and UTC+8. The majority of group-stage matches, as well as several knockout matches, will be held in the UTC+10 time zone, which includes Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Adelaide will host four group-stage games and one round of 16 matches in the UTC+9.30 time zone. Lastly, Perth will be the location for five group-stage games in the UTC+8 time zone.
UK Kick-off Times
For viewers in the UK, there will be 17 different kick-off times for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup matches. Matches will be available to watch at various times ranging from 1 am to 1:30 pm (BST).
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Stadiums
The tournament will take place across the following stadiums in Australia and New Zealand:
- Stadium Australia, Sydney: 83,500 capacity
- Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney: 42,512 capacity
- Lang Park, Brisbane: 52,263 capacity
- Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne: 30,052 capacity
- Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth: 22,225 capacity
- Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide: 16,500 capacity (expanding to 18,435)
- Eden Park, Auckland: 48,276 capacity
- Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington: 39,000 capacity
- Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin: 28,744 capacity
- Waikato Stadium, Hamilton: 25,111 capacity
Ticket Information
Single Match Passes for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup are available through the FIFA website as part of the ‘Last Minute Match Pass’ sale, which began on April 11, 2023.
Official Match Ball: Adidas Oceaunz
In January 2023, Adidas unveiled the Oceaunz, the official match ball for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The design features a blend of blues and greens, inspired by the Australasian landscape, with visuals representing New Zealand’s vast mountains and Australia’s connection to the Indian Ocean. The name “Oceaunz” cleverly incorporates the initials of both Australia and New Zealand.
With this comprehensive guide, you’re now well-equipped to follow the action and excitement of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Whether you’re watching from home or traveling to Australia and New Zealand to support your team in person, this tournament promises to be a memorable experience for all involved.