The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has announced the nine cities and 10 stadiums in Australia and New Zealand that will host matches for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The tournament will be the first-ever co-hosted FIFA Women’s World Cup and the first edition to feature 32 teams – up from 24.
The host cities and stadiums for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 are
- Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
- Eden Park, Auckland
- Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
- Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin
- Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
- Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne
- Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
- Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
- Wellington Stadium, Wellington
FIFA also announced that Eden Park in Auckland will host the opening match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, with Stadium Australia in Sydney selected to host the final.
Both Australia and New Zealand will also host one semi-final each with the full match schedule for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to be announced later this year.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “The appointment of the nine host cities represents a major milestone for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, as well as for players and football fans across Australia, New Zealand and around the world.
“Building on the incredible success of France 2019 both on and off the pitch, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and nine host cities across Australia and New Zealand will not only showcase the world’s very best players, but will also provide a powerful platform to unite and inspire people, transform lives and create a lasting legacy for women’s football in Australia and New Zealand and around the world.”
Football Australia president Chris Nikou said: “The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be the biggest sporting event on Australian soil since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, showcasing Australia and New Zealand to a global audience of over one billion people.”
“[The] announcement of the host cities and match venues for the tournament is a major milestone in the build-up to the next FIFA Women’s World Cup – a tournament that will unite nations, inspire generations and provide our diverse and multicultural game with the perfect platform to grow over the coming years.”
Johanna Wood, president of New Zealand Football, said: “It is a privilege to co-host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 with Australia, and we look forward to welcoming the world’s best athletes and their supporters to Aotearoa New Zealand.
“We have and will continue to work with our partners to deliver the biggest, most exciting and best tournament to date.
“The legacy of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 starts now and will go on to leave a lasting impression on women’s sport across both countries and the wider Asia-Pacific region.”
The selection of the host cities and stadiums follows a thorough and comprehensive process over the last eight months conducted by FIFA, together with the two host associations.
The selection process included a series of virtual workshops and one-to-one workshops with all candidate host cities and stadiums, as well as an in-depth analysis of the host city and stadium infrastructure and facilities, training sites and accommodation.
Featured image source: iStock/stellalevi
