Australia, New Zealand to host 2023 Women’s World Cup

FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura (L) and FIFA President Gianni Infantino pose next to the Women’s World Cup Trophy after the announcement that Australia/New-Zealand are the winning hosts for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 (FWWV23) during a virtual FIFA Council Meeting held behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic at the Home of FIFA on June 25, 2020 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)

Australia and New Zealand will host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Fifa has announced.

BBC reports that the joint bid got the nod ahead of Colombia, which was the only other rival in the running after Brazil and Japan dropped out of the race earlier in June.

The 2023 version will be the first in the women’s game to feature 32 sides – up from the current 24.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said: “The bidding process was highly competitive. We would like to thank both of the bidders for their remarkable work. It was really, really well prepared.”

Australia and New Zealand bid received 22 of the 35 votes cast by the Fifa Council members, with Colombia getting 13 votes. English Football Association chairman Greg Clarke voted for Colombia.

Infantino also announced a funding boost for the sport.

“We have decided to award $1bn (£805m) to the development of women’s football in the coming four years,” he said.

“We experienced last year in France a fantastic Women’s World Cup. It broke all records. It brought women’s football to a truly global stage.”

The joint bid from Australia and New Zealand promised “an unprecedented level of investment” in the tournament.

This will be the first World Cup hosted across two of football’s continental confederations (Australia are in the Asia confederation, while New Zealand is part of Oceania).

Chris Nikou, president of Football Federation Australia (FFA) said the forthcoming competition will be “ground-breaking”.

He added: “Not only will it be the first-ever co-confederation hosted Fifa World Cup and the first-ever Fifa Women’s World Cup in the Asia-Pacific region, but we will unlock the huge potential for growth in women’s football in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The president of New Zealand Football, Johanna Wood, said: “We believe we have been given a treasure, and we will look after that treasure.

“We will work towards putting women’s football even more front and centre on the world stage.”

The countries have proposed to stage matches at up to eight grounds in Australia.