With that in mind, we have put together this guide of everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
When and where is it?
The tournament is set to kick off on July 20 and end a month later on August 20. It is being held in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time in its history with Australia and New Zealand also becoming the first co-hosts of the Women’s World Cup.
Matches will be played at 10 different venues across nine cities, including Stadium Australia — where the final will potentially take place in front of 83,500 spectators — along with the Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Land Park in Brisbane and Eden Park in Auckland.
Key dates
Due to co-hosting duties, both Australia and New Zealand will get things started on July 20 with respective group games against the Republic of Ireland and Norway. The group stages will run until August 3, with a two-day gap until the round of 16 takes place from 5-8 August. The quarter-finals are then on 11-12 August with the semi-finals taking place 15-16 August. The final will be held in Sydney on August 20.
Who is taking part?
Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand will be joined by 30 other sides, meaning this is the first Women’s World Cup to feature 32 teams. The Philippines, Vietnam, Morocco, Zambia, Haiti, Panama, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland are all set to make their maiden appearances in the Southern Hemisphere-based tournament.
You can see the full list of participants in their respective groups below.
Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
Group B: Australia, Canada, Nigeria, Republic of Ireland
Group C: Costa Rica, Japan, Spain, Zambia
Group D: China, Denmark, England, Haiti
Group E: Netherlands, Portugal, United States, Vietnam
Group F: Brazil, France, Jamaica, Panama
Group G: Argentina, Italy, South Africa, Sweden
Group H: Colombia, Germany, Morocco, South Korea
Who are the favourites?
The United States are the most successful team in the tournament’s history, winning the first edition in 1991 and again on home soil in 1999 before back-to-back victories in Canada and France in 2015 and 2019 respectively. The Stars and Stripes can become the first team to win three successive tournaments and they are the outright favourites for who will win Women World Cup 2023.
England have reached the semi-finals of the last two renewals of the tournament but ultimately fell short under Mark Sampson and Phil Neville. However, the Lionesses have looked like a different beast under Sarina Wiegman since she took over in 2021, winning their first European Championships last summer and often dismantling teams for fun. They could be serious contenders this time.
Fellow maiden title hunters Spain, who are yet to progress further than the round of 16 as they enter just their third Women’s World Cup, are next in line followed by two-time champions Germany.