The 2023 Women’s World Cup starts on Thursday when co-hosts New Zealand face Norway in the tournament opener at Eden Park in Auckland.
Thirty-two teams will battle it out over 32 days for the ultimate prize, but who will be crowned champions at Stadium Australia in Sydney on 20 August?
The Fifa Women’s World Cup will be the ninth official global tournament to be held with Australia and New Zealand hosting the event in July and August.
England are looking to win their first tournament and coach Sarina Wiegman’s will fancy their chances this year after their success at Euro 2022 when they defeated Germany in the final at Wembley.
USA are the current holders of the competition after they defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the 2019 final.
In total, 32 teams, split across eight different groups will soon compete for the trophy.
When does the Women’s World Cup start?
The World Cup starts on Thursday, 20 July with opening matches involving hosts Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand face former winners Norway at Eden Park in Auckland. Co-hosts Australia start their campaign against the Republic of Ireland at the Sydney Stadium in Australia.
The final will be held in Sydney on Sunday, 20 August.
How many teams are in the Women’s World Cup?
This edition of the World Cup has been expanded from 24 teams to 32.
There are eight groups of four teams who play each other in a round-robin format.
The top two teams from each group advance to the last 16, known as the knockout stages, with the winners progressing to the quarter-finals, then semi-finals and the final.
There will be 64 games in total.
Eight teams are making their debut at the Women’s World Cup – Haiti, Morocco, Panama, the Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Vietnam and Zambia.
Which venues are being used?
There are 10 venues across both countries – six in Australia and four in New Zealand.
In Australia: Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Brisbane Stadium, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Perth Rectangular Stadium and Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide.
In New Zealand: Eden Park in Auckland, Wellington Regional Stadium, Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin and Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.
Who are the favourites?
The United States are ranked number one in the world and are chasing a fifth World Cup title – and a third in a row, which would be a new record.
They are favourites to go all the way but face competition from Euro 2022 finalists Germany, who are the only other nation to win two consecutive World Cups and are ranked second in the world.
European champions England are also considered one of the favourites despite injuries to key players, while Canada won Olympic gold at Tokyo in 2021, beating world number three Sweden in the final.
Spain’s squad boasts several of Barcelona’s Champions League winners, including Alexia Putellas who is widely considered the best player in the world, and will be strong contenders despite a player dispute with the federation.
France are under new management but have a talented squad, while the Netherlands were beaten finalists in 2019 and Euro 2017 winners so cannot be written off.
South American giants Brazil are ranked ninth in the world and could be a threat, alongside joint-hosts Australia who are spearheaded by Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr.
Who are the previous winners
There have only been four winners of the Women’s World Cup
United States: 1991, 1999, 2015, 2019
Germany: 2003, 2007
Norway: 1995
Japan: 2011
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
Credit: bbc.com
