2023 FIFA WWC starts today,here's all you need to know
The highly anticipated 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is set to kickoff on Thursday, July 20, in Australia and New Zealand. Taking place from July 20 to August 20, 2023, this will be the ninth edition of the tournament and a historic milestone. It is the first Women's World Cup to have two host nations and the first senior World Cup to be held across multiple confederations.
In an exciting development, the 2023 tournament will feature an expanded format of 32 teams, up from the previous 24. This expansion was unanimously voted for by FIFA in 2019, allowing for more teams to participate and ensuring a larger scale of competition. The matches will be played across 10 different venues, totaling 64 matches and making this the biggest Women's World Cup to date.
The final match will take place on Sunday, August 20, 2023, at the Sydney Olympic Stadium in Australia. The United States enters as the defending champions, having won the competition twice in 2015 and 2019. The anticipation is high as fans around the world eagerly look forward to the tournament, with everything you need to know about the participating teams, dates, venues, prize money, and standout players compiled by Beatrice Laryea.
The 32 teams competing in the tournament were selected from six different confederations, with each confederation allocated a specific number of slots. The allocations are as follows:
- AFC (Asia): 6 slots (including co-host Australia)
- CAF (Africa): 4 slots
- CONCACAF (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean): 4 slots
- CONMEBOL (South America): 3 slots
- OFC (Oceania): 1 slot (co-host New Zealand)
- UEFA (Europe): 11 slots
- Inter-confederation play-off tournament: 3 slots
The teams have been divided into eight groups of four, with the group draw taking place on October 22, 2022, in Auckland, New Zealand. Co-hosts New Zealand and Australia were automatically placed in Group A and Group B, respectively.
Here are the groups and the teams in each group:
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: USA, Vietnam, Netherlands, Portugal
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Panama
Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
Group H: Germany, Morocco, Colombia, South Korea
Now, let's take a look at the key dates for the tournament:
- Opening group stage matches: July 20, 2023
- Final group stage matches: August 3, 2023
- Round of 16: August 5-8, 2023
- Quarter-finals: August 11-12, 2023
- Semi-finals: August 15-16, 2023
- Third-place match: August 19, 2023
- Women's World Cup final: August 20, 2023
The tournament will be held in six stadiums across Australia (Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney) and four stadiums in New Zealand (Dunedin, Auckland, Hamilton, and Wellington). The final will be held at Sydney's 81,500-capacity Stadium, marking the culmination of the tournament.
FIFA has announced that the prize money for the 2023 Women's World Cup will be a total of $110 million. Additionally, $31 million has been allocated to teams for preparations, and $11 million will go to clubs for their players' participation. While this is a significant increase compared to previous editions, it is still lower than the total prize money awarded at the men's World Cup in Qatar last year.
The stage is set for an incredible tournament, and it will be thrilling to witness the fierce competition and outstanding performances from the talented players. From Sam Kerr carrying the expectations of Australia to veterans like Marta and Megan Rapinoe bidding farewell to the World Cup stage, there will be no shortage of excitement. Keep an eye out for emerging stars and outstanding players like Alexia Putellas, Ada Hegerberg, Wendie Renard, Pernille Harder, and many others.
Let's celebrate the global showcase of women's football and cheer on these amazing athletes as they battle it out for glory on the world stage! ⚽️🌍