Tag Archives: FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

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Full line-up of 32 teams confirmed for the FIFA Women’s WC Australia & NZ 2023

The line-up for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is now complete with Haiti, Portugal, and Panama booking their spots at this year’s tournament in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand following success at the inaugural Play-Off Tournament.

Qualification means Haiti and Panama will head to Australia in July to complete Group D and F respectively, while Portugal will make their way back to Aotearoa New Zealand to join defending FIFA Women’s World Cup champions USA in Group E.

Football fans in Aotearoa New Zealand were given a taste of what’s to come at the FIFA Women’s World Cup with passionate fans turning out to see their national teams put on a display of world-class football.

Local and international fans of the qualified nations are being encouraged to visit FIFA.com/Tickets to purchase Single Match Passes to watch their heroes in action at the final Tournament.

FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said: “I am delighted to welcome Haiti, Portugal, and Panama to the final line up of teams who will play at the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. All three teams will bring colour and excitement to the Tournament which will capture the imagination of fans around the world as women’s football goes Beyond Greatness in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand this July and August.”

Attention now turns to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 with additional single match passes for Australia’s showpiece opening Group B match against Republic of Ireland to go on sale on Friday 24 February 2023 at FIFA.com/Tickets. Sales will commence at midday AEDT / 14:00 NZDT / 02:00 CET.

Friday 3 March will see the second sales phase of tickets conclude, with the Last-Minute Sales Phase commencing on Tuesday 11 April – 100 days prior to the opening matchday.

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FIFA Women’s WC 2023 targets over 100,000 fans for epic opening matchday

The first match to take place in Australia of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be an even bigger celebration, with co-host country Australia now facing the Republic of Ireland at the tournament’s largest venue, Stadium Australia in Sydney/Gadigal.

Stadium Australia was due to host knockout matches only, but given the significant interest in tickets, FIFA has taken the decision to move Australia’s first match to Sydney’s largest Stadium.

The kick-off time and date of the Australia v. Republic of Ireland match will still be on Thursday, 20 July at 20:00(AEST). Earlier on that day, the opening ceremony and opening match between Aotearoa New Zealand and Norway will take place at Eden Park in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 (NZST).

The change of venue for the first match in Australia was agreed due to a desire to ensure that as many fans as possible can attend the fixture, in line with FIFA’s commitment to organise a Women’s World Cup that goes Beyond Greatness™.

The decision follows a thorough assessment of the competition and operational implications, as well as a comprehensive consultation process and agreement with key stakeholders.

“FIFA’s mission is to organise the biggest and best Women’s World Cup in history this year, and fans, those who bring colour, passion, and atmosphere to Stadiums will be such an integral part of the tournament’s success,” said FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura.

“With this in mind, we have taken a decision that will enable over 100,000 fans to attend the opening matchday, providing more opportunities for supporters to engage with the FIFA Women’s World Cup as a month of football we will never forget gets underway.”

Fans who have already purchased tickets to Australia’s inaugural match will be notified by email that the match has been relocated and their tickets will remain valid at Stadium Australia.

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Official Match Ball for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 unveiled by adidas

OCEAUNZ, the official match ball of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 has been launched in spectacular fashion in Sydney / Gadigal, Australia, travelling over the iconic Sydney skyline by helicopter before arriving at Marks Park overlooking Bondi Beach.

The ninth successive football produced by adidas for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, OCEAUNZ’s design is inspired by the unique natural landscapes of the two host nations, with visuals nodding to the vast mountains of Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia’s connection with the Indian Ocean.

The ball is a celebration of the cultures of both host countries and features designs by Aboriginal artist, Chern’ee Sutton, and Māori artist, Fiona Collis. Their art is also part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 brand identity, Beyond Greatness.

Speaking about the launch of OCEAUNZ, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said:

“adidas has created an iconic Official Match Ball for the FIFA Women’s World Cup that reflects diversity, inclusivity and togetherness, fitting themes for the first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup to be co-hosted by two different countries from different confederations. This edition of the tournament will be extremely special and the rich cultures of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, as evoked on OCEAUNZ, are certain to take the experience of visiting fans and teams #BeyondGreatness.”

The Official Match Ball’s name reflects the coming together of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand as host nations of the tournament.

OCEAUNZ features the same connected ball technology as was seen in Qatar at the FIFA World Cup 2022. This provides precise ball data, which will be made available to Video Match Officials in real-time.

Combined with player position data and by applying artificial intelligence, the innovative connected ball technology contributes to FIFA’s semi-automated offside technology and offers Video Assistant Referees instantaneous information to help optimise decision-making.

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Over half-a-million tickets sold for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

The tournament moved past 500,000 ticket sales last week, with the most sought-after match of the tournament being the 20 August final at Stadium Australia in Sydney/Gadigal.

The opening match and opening ceremony for the first-ever co-hosted women’s tournament will take place on 20 July 2023 at Aotearoa New Zealand’s Eden Park in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau. Stadium Australia in Sydney/Gadigal has been selected to host the final a month later on 20 August.

The first-ever 32-team FIFA Women’s World Cup will be a truly global celebration of football and welcome teams qualified for the first time ever in their history from Morocco, Zambia, Philippines, Vietnam and the Republic of Ireland.

Speaking about the excitement building ahead of the competition FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said: “Ticket sales for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 are off to a great start and it’s not just home fans in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand purchasing tickets! Fans residing in the United States of America, England, Qatar, Germany, China PR, Canada, the Republic of Ireland and France are the top 10 purchasers of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 tickets so far. This highlights the fantastic pull of the female game and the passion it evokes among the global football fandom, who want to be part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and see the event reach #BeyondGreatness.”

The first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament takes place 17-23 February at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton/Kirikiriroa and North Harbour Stadium in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Play-Off Tournament will feature 10 nations: Portugal, Cameroon, Thailand, Chile, Haiti, Senegal, Chinese Taipei, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Panama, competing for the final three spots in the tournament proper, in addition to three friendlies featuring New Zealand’s Football Ferns.

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33 referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials appointed for FIFA Women’s WC 2023

The FIFA Referees Committee on Monday  announced the names of the match officials selected for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

A total of 33 referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials (VMOs) will form FIFA Team One and have been chosen in close cooperation with the six confederations, based on the officials’ quality and the performances delivered at FIFA tournaments as well as at other international and domestic competitions in recent years. For the first time in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, six female VMOs have also been selected.

“As always, the criteria we have used is ‘quality first’ and the selected on-field match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide,” said the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina. “We all remember the very successful FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France. The high standard of refereeing contributed significantly to that success. The aim for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 is to repeat that success and to convince again with excellent referees’ performances.”

The “Road to Australia & New Zealand” project started back in 2020, with more than 170 candidate match officials going through intensive preparation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, this preparation was anything, but easy as in-presence activities were suspended for a long period.

“Even though the pandemic affected our activities, we had enough time to provide the candidates with good preparation. As we did for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, we are announcing these selections well in advance to be able to work in a purposeful and focused manner with all those who have been appointed for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, monitoring them over the coming months. From the selected referees, we expect a rigorous and focused preparation for the Women’s World Cup, a competition that FIFA and its president hold in the highest of regards,” said Collina.

Kari Seitz, FIFA’s Head of Women Refereeing, stressed that the match officials will continue to receive all necessary support from FIFA, as their preparation is paramount.

“With critical time lost due to the pandemic in preparation for the Women’s World Cup, we developed some new programmes to accelerate our referee development, such as our very effective Tracking & Support programme, where each referee candidate was assigned a FIFA coach who provided feedback on their matches each month. This programme will continue to be critical in the final phase of preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

The FIFA’s women’s refereeing programme has ensured high-level and targeted preparation in the whole preparation phase so far, with referees participating in important and demanding competitions to showcase their skills and use those matches to prepare themselves mentally, physically and technically. In addition to the U-17 Women’s World Cup, the U-20 Women’s World Cup and the Algarve Cup, FIFA also created a new partnership with the Maurice Revello Tournament, a U-20 men’s national-team competition, to further the candidates’ preparation. More recently, a historic milestone was reached when six female officials were appointed for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. By officiating the group-stage match between Costa Rica and Germany, Stéphanie Frappart, Karen Diaz and Neuza Back made history as they were the first female match officials to take charge of a game at the FIFA World Cup™. Kathryn Nesbitt also acted as an assistant referee for the round-of-16 game between England and Senegal.

In January and February, the selected match officials will participate in preparatory seminars (in Doha and Montevideo), reviewing and analysing video clips of real match situations and taking part in practical training sessions with players, which will be filmed to enable participants to receive instant feedback from instructors.

The VAR system was implemented with resounding success at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™. Four years later, a team of 19 video match officials (VMOs) will operate in Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand, including, for the first time ever, six female VMOs.

“The development of female VARs has been vital for FIFA as part of the Road to Australia & New Zealand project, and we are pleased to have achieved this result. With only a few women’s competitions using VARs, the role of FIFA has been to provide international game experience to women in the U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cups as well as to encourage member associations using VARs to certify their women referees in this role and appoint them for matches as often as possible. While significant progress has been made, more work is still necessary,” concluded Collina.

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Fans from 100 nations secure seats as FIFA Women’s World Cup passes go on open sale

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Following a successful Visa pre-sale window that saw fans from precisely 100 countries of residence snap up seats for the first-ever 32-nation FIFA Women’s World Cup, all supporters can now secure single match passes to next year’s global women’s football showpiece to be co-hosted by Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

At the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Draw in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau, fans of the qualified teams found out who and where their teams will play in July and August 2023.

And in the days that followed the Draw, supporters from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally locked in passes, ensuring that they will be part of history when the ninth, unmissable edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is contested in 2023.

The breadth of global interest in next year’s celebration of women’s football is highlighted by sales to fans living all over the globe. Fans residing in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, United States of America, England, China PR, Canada, Qatar, Germany, Republic of Ireland, and France are the top 10 purchasers of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 passes so far.

Commenting on it, FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, said: “So far fans from exactly 100 different countries of residence have secured passes for this once-in-a-lifetime event, highlighting the passion and excitement that exists around the world for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

“We’re witnessing strong demand for many fixtures, so I urge everyone to get in quickly during this new sales phase. Join us in making history in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand by adding to the crowd, culture, and colour of the biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup ever,” Samoura added.

Kicking off on 20 July 2023, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will feature 32 teams competing in 64 matches across nine extraordinary host cities. 29 of the 32 competing nations are locked in, with the final three teams to be determined at the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament in February 2023.

The current ticket sales phase will remain open until 3 March 2023. A final ticket sales phase will open in April 2023, before the tournament (including opening ceremony) kicks off at Eden Park in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau on 20 July 2023. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ Final will be held at Stadium Australia in Sydney/Gadigal on 20 August 2023.

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Australia, New Zealand host cities unite to mark One Year To Go for FIFA Women’s World Cup

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Celebrations marking ‘One Year To Go’ until the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 kicked off with a cultural lighting ceremony at dawn in Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, New Zealand, followed by the unveiling of a Unity Pitch in Sydney/Gadigal, Australia and coordinated evening light shows across the tournament’s nine Host Cities.

A Unity Pitch located on Barangaroo Reserve in Sydney/Gadigal, was unveiled by FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura to mark the milestone date on the road to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. Created with the tournament’s colourful livery in mind, it will be open to the public and local football groups until 24 July, before touring each of the tournament’s nine Host Cities over the next year.

A Unity Pitch will be gifted to both Host Countries, Australia and New Zealand, as part of FIFA’s commitment to leave a lasting legacy in the region.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Unity Pitch FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said: “Today is a great day in the build up to the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The excitement at the lighting ceremony in Hamilton/Kirikiriroa and the enthusiasm around women’s football here at Barangaroo Reserve for unveiling of the Unity Pitch, is wonderful and this support and passion will make the FIFA Women’s World Cup truly unforgettable. This competition will provide a platform to inspire and unite through the power of women’s football and FIFA, together with the host countries, looks forward to welcoming players and fans from around the world and going Beyond Greatness together in 2023.”

FIFA also announced today that tickets for the FIFA Women’s World Cup will go on sale online from 6 October with tickets starting from $20 for adults and $10 for children.

FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman said: “Today is a hugely exciting milestone and with qualifications taking place around the world for the competition, more community spaces for women and girls to play football, and tickets about to be released, FIFA is hugely excited to see women’s football go Beyond Greatness in 2023.”

Following on from the events in Hamilton/Kirikiriroa, New Zealand and Sydney/Gadigal, Australia, iconic locations such as the Harbour Bridge and Sky Tower in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau, and Parliament buildings in Wellington/Te Whanganui-a-Tara, as well as locations in Melbourne/Naarm, Brisbane/Meaanjin, Adelaide/Tarntanya, Perth/Boorloo and Dunedin/ Ōtepoti were lit up to celebrate ‘One Year to Go’ until the biggest competition in women’s football comes to the Southern Hemisphere.

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New Zealand to host first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament

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Waikato Stadium in Hamilton/Kirikiriroa and North Harbour Stadium in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau have been announced as the host cities for the first ever Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 (FWWC2023).

The tournament, which will be hosted in New Zealand from 17-23 February 2023, will involve 10 teams competing for the final three qualifying spots before the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.

Speaking of the announcement, FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman says the new competition will provide an opportunity for more teams to play at the top level.

“The decision in 2019 to expand the FIFA Women’s World Cup from 24 to 32 teams, has already had a significant impact on the wider growth and development of the women’s game. More nations now have the chance to play on the world’s biggest stage and this all starts with the Play-Off Tournament.

“I cannot wait for fans to get their first taste of what to expect later next year when the Play-Off commences before the biggest women’s sporting event in the world kicks-off in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand on 20 July 2023.”

And in a bonus for fans, New Zealand’s Football Ferns will play three friendly matches around the event against the top-seeded team in the tournament and another high-profile guest team which is still to be confirmed.

FWWC2023 New Zealand COO Jane Patterson says Kiwis will look forward to welcoming the 10 qualifying teams and fans from across the globe.

“The Play-Off Tournament and the friendlies will provide fans of all ages the opportunity to watch nations from around the world vie for the final three qualification spots as the excitement continues to build towards FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.”

Patterson added that the Play-Off Tournament would be a key test event for hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup five months later.

“It will provide FIFA, Host Cities, stadiums, training sites and Government the opportunity to test readiness of operations, infrastructure and resources. Organising a competition the size and scale of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is a hugely exciting opportunity, so to host the Play-Off Tournament and test readiness will be a real asset.”

New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell says the tournament is just the first step in a very exciting year for women’s football.

“To have so much international football right here on our doorstep is very exciting for Aotearoa New Zealand and there is more to come.

“With so much top football on display we know Kiwis will get behind our Football Ferns with the global spotlight on them in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.”

The format for the participating teams was first announced in December 2020 and now the full match schedule is available via the following link.

The 10 participating teams in the Play-Off Tournament will come from Asia (two), Africa (two), North and Central America and the Caribbean (two), South America (two), Europe (one) and Oceania (one).

Two nations from Asia – Thailand and Chinese Taipei – have already confirmed their participation with the remaining eight teams to qualify for the Play-off Tournament through their continental tournaments.

Qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 continues to gather pace ahead of the ‘One Year To Go’ milestone on 20 July. Tournaments across four confederations will see teams from Africa, North and Central America, Oceania and South America secure qualification throughout the month of July. Meanwhile in Europe, the remaining qualification will conclude in the September and October windows.

China PR, Japan, Korea Republic, Philippines and Vietnam from Asia and France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark from Europe have already secured their place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and will join the two host nations – Australia and New Zealand.

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FIFA to launch tender process for media rights to Women’s World Cup 2023 in selected territories in Asia

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FIFA has announced that it will launch an invitation to tender (ITT) on 28 April 2022 for the sale of media rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ in selected territories across Asia.

Interested parties will be invited to make an offer in one or more of the following territories: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Korea Republic, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

Further information about the rights being offered, the bid process and the submission of bids will be provided in the ITT.

Issuing a statement, the global body said: “Media companies or organisations wishing to participate in the ITT can submit a request by email to FWWC23-asia-media-rights@fifa.org.”

Notably, since its inception in 1991, the FIFA Women’s World Cup has grown exponentially, becoming the most-watched women’s single-sport event globally. The most recent edition – the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 – attracted a record audience of over 1.1 billion viewers, smashing domestic viewing figures in many territories.

The 2023 edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand and will take place in nine Host Cities across ten stadiums from 20 July to 20 August 2023. Following the amazing success of the 2019 event, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be the first edition of the tournament to feature 32 teams, including more Asian teams than ever before.

China PR, Japan, Korea Republic, the Philippines and Vietnam have all already qualified for the final tournament; Thailand and Chinese Taipei still have a chance to qualify in the play-off tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 early next year.

The tender process will allow FIFA to select the media companies that are best placed to achieve FIFA’s overall objectives to deliver high quality, comprehensive coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to help accelerate the growth and development of women’s football.

Bid submissions to FIFA must be received by 10:00 CEST on Tuesday, 7 June 2022.

Through the sale of media rights for its football tournaments, FIFA generates income which is essential to support and develop the game around the world, for instance through the FIFA Forward and FIFA Women’s Development Programme.

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FIFA reveals new brand identity for Women’s World Cup 2023

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FIFA has revealed an exciting and bold new brand identity for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, incorporating a vibrant new visual approach that aims to unite and inspire people around the world through the power of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and women’s football.

The brand identity and emblem incorporate the vibrant local landscapes and rich colours of the two hosts, building a palette based on the rainforests, earth, mountains, cities, and water of the two countries. A radial motif featuring 32 colourful squares – celebrating the new expansion to 32 participating nations, and an element commonly seen across the indigenous cultures of Australia and New Zealand – is a prominent part of the design.

The motif symbolises not only the world’s best teams coming together, but also the spirit and values of the two host countries radiating back out into the world, with football at its core.

Speaking about the new identity for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, Fatma Samoura, FIFA Secretary General, said: “Women’s football continues to grow and Beyond Greatness, the new slogan perfectly captures where FIFA wants to take the female game in the hearts and minds of football fans worldwide- Beyond Greatness. The new brand identity beautifully reflects the expansion of the tournament from 24 to 32 teams and evokes the colours and diversity of the national team strips taking part in the ultimate women’s football competition.”

“We can’t wait for it to begin!,” Samoura added.

The brand identity made its first public appearance in a live show featuring FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer and New Zealander Sarai Bareman, Australian striker Kyah Simon and New Zealand forward Hannah Wilkinson.

During the show, which was broadcast on Optus Sport in Australia and Sky TV in New Zealand, the guests discussed the meaning behind the ambitious new tournament slogan, the dynamic emblem, and the overall look of the brand, which incorporates unique patterns created in collaboration with local indigenous artists.

Speaking during the show, Sarai Bareman was inspired by the vision behind the brand and expressed: “The core purpose of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is to showcase women’s talent. Everything we’re trying to achieve for women in football and women in society will be on display for the world to see in Australia and New Zealand.”

“It’s a movement and we want everyone to be part of it. You’re going to see an amazing display of the best athletes in the world, two beautiful countries, and two amazing cultures. It’s unique, like this emblem. It’s unlike anything you’ve seen before. Get behind it!,” Bareman added.

In addition to the dramatic visuals, a bespoke sonic identity for the tournament entitled Unity, created by renowned electronic musician and producer Kelly Lee Owens, was unveiled. Owens, who made a special guest appearance during the broadcast, explained that the music was inspired by the same ideals and values that lead to the creation of the Official Slogan: Beyond Greatness™.

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 CEO Dave Beeche noted that the launch of the brand is a meaningful milestone in the tournament’s preparations:

“Unveiling this dynamic and innovative brand is a key milestone for the host countries in the journey to 2023.  We are proud to see our Māori and Indigenous Australian cultures play a key role in the creation of this powerful and unique global brand. We believe it’s a fitting symbol of our plans to deliver a tournament that will not only take players and fans Beyond Greatness, but continue the incredible momentum already underway in the growth of women’s sport and gender equality.

“Australians and New Zealanders are looking forward to extending our famous ‘down-under’ hospitality to all visitors, to celebrate the world’s biggest female sporting event in our beautiful countries.“

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will see the world’s top players compete for the greatest prize in women’s football from 20 July to 20 August 2023. The expanded format will feature 32 teams for the first time and is the first to feature hosts from two confederations.