Next year is the return of the Women’s World Cup, with the FIFA showpiece heading Down Under for its ninth edition – one that promises to be the biggest yet.
Twenty-one teams have already qualified, but there are still plenty of places up for grabs; the tournament will be expanded from 24 teams (in 2019) to 32 teams for the first time, as a sign of the increase in population and the growth the women’s game has experienced in recent times.
Another first in 2023 is that the tournament will be jointly organized by two countries for the first time. Read all about that – and more – below.
When is it?
The 2023 Women’s World Cup will take place from July 20 to August 20, 2023. Scroll down for more information, but reports stating the tournament could follow the men and deviate from its traditional summer slot have been quashed by FIFA.
Where is it?
The tournament will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, who defeated Colombia to win the vote. Venues include those that will be well known to rugby fans, such as Eden Park (Auckland), Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) and Stadium Australia (Sydney).
Which teams have qualified?
England have not yet qualified for the tournament, with two games remaining in their qualifying group. However, the Lionesses are currently at the top of their group table.
Neither Ireland nor Wales can qualify automatically, but they both still stand a chance of a place in the play-offs. Scotland is assured of a play-off spot, which will take place in October.
The following teams have already qualified for the main draw: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China PR, Philippines, Vietnam, Sweden, Spain, France, Denmark, United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Zambia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Colombia, Brazil.
How to watch?
Broadcasting rights to the tournament have not yet been announced, but the 2019 edition was screened exclusively by the BBC.
How to get tickets?
Tickets are not on sale yet, no release date has been set yet, but fans can register interest on the official tournament website.
Who are the defending champions?
The US are the defending champions after beating the Netherlands in Lyon in 2019.
How has England done before?
England have qualified five times for the Women’s World Cup. They have reached the quarterfinals three times and the semifinals twice, most recently in 2019 when they were eliminated by the eventual winners the USA.
Latest news
by Tom Garry, Women’s Football Reporter
FIFA discussed postponing next year’s Women’s World Cup, it has emerged.
With less than a year to go until the competition starts in Australia and New Zealand, organizers are insisting that the dates for the women’s 2023 World Cup be not changed after it emerged that informal talks had taken place this month about postponing the match. next summer’s tournament by a few months.
Telegraph Sport understands that, as revealed by L’EquipeFor the past two weeks, senior officials of FIFA’s world governing body have reportedly been informally mulling the idea of rearranging the event in talks.
Three separate sources at three of Europe’s largest national associations have confirmed talks of the feasibility of moving the event to October or November, rather than the current schedule from July 20 to August 20. However, all of these sources emphasized that the idea was never a formal proposal and their feedback was that it was far too late to launch the competition, which will be in the 2023 calendar year.
The idea of changing the dates is not expected to be further elaborated at this time.
On Friday morning, a FIFA spokesperson told Telegraph Sport: “Following a successful ‘One Year to Go’ event, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is slated to start on July 20, 2023. No changes to the dates of the competition are foreseen. . “
Similarly, statements from the national FAs of the co-hosts in both Australia and New Zealand said they did not expect any changes, with the New Zealand FA adding: “Our preparations continue for the tournament kick-off at Eden Park on July 20, 2023.”
The men’s World Cup, which will take place later this year, has been moved from the traditional June-July days and will be played from November 21 to December 18, 2022, in a decision taken in 2018 so that it would not be played in the heat of the day. the Middle East. temperatures.
The weather was also touted by one source as one of the reasons informal talks were being held about possibly rescheduling the women’s event in 2023, which will take place in winter weather for the host countries down under. Others said the issue was related to concerns from a small number of international broadcasters that August dates were not optimal for the tournament, shortly after a number of broadcast rights were put out to tender. However, Telegraph Sport understands that many of the broadcasting rights elsewhere in the world have already been negotiated for significantly improved terms compared to the 2019 World Cup.
The topic of the international women’s calendar is currently a source of much debate, with a schedule for international windows not yet fully confirmed beyond the end of 2023. One date in the agenda for 2024 is the Olympic Games, when women’s soccer teams can play their games. pick the strongest, senior sides as opposed to the men’s teams, and it was announced on Thursday that for the first time in the history of football competitions at the Olympics, the women’s gold medal contest will close the event instead of the men’s, in Paris. The Olympic football tournaments will run from July 24 to August 10, 2024.