Women’s World Cup 2023: Everything You Need to Know
The Women’s World Cup 2023 is just days away from kicking off in Australia and New Zealand, and excitement is rapidly building for the tournament. Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses will start as one of the favourites for the title following on from their stunning success at Euro 2022 on home soil, but they will face stiff competition from defending champions USA who have won the last two editions of the World Cup. Here is everything you need to know about the tournament Down Under.
When Does the Women’s World Cup Start?
The Women’s World Cup will start on Thursday, July 20. The opening game will see New Zealand take on Norway in Auckland at 8am BST, before Australia face the Republic of Ireland in Sydney at 11am. The tournament will last four weeks and will conclude with the final on Sunday, August 20.
Which Teams Are Taking Part?
A total of 32 teams will contest the World Cup and they have been placed into eight groups. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Round of 16. England have been drawn in Group D alongside Haiti, Denmark and China.
Women’s World Cup Group Stage
Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
Group B: Australia, Republic of Ireland, Nigeria, Canada
Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan
Group D: England, Haiti, Denmark, China
Group E: USA, Vietnam, Netherlands, Portugal
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Panama
Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
Group H: Germany, Morocco, Colombia, South Korea
When Do England Play?
England are currently set to play the following matches:
England vs Haiti (Saturday, July 22, 10.30am BST, Brisbane)
England vs Denmark (Friday, July 28, 9.30am BST, Sydney)
China vs England (Tuesday, August 1, 12pm BST, Adelaide)
Full Fixtures and Schedule
Full fixtures for Women’s World Cup 2023 can be found here.
Which Stadiums Are Being Used?
A total of nine cities will host games throughout the course of the tournament; five in Australia and four in New Zealand. The final will be staged at Stadium Australia in Sydney. The other stadiums being used are:
Adelaide, Australia – Hindmarsh Stadium
Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Stadium
Melbourne, Australia – Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Perth, Australia – Perth Rectangular Stadium
Sydney, Australia – Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium
Auckland, New Zealand – Eden Park
Dunedin, New Zealand – Dunedin Stadium
Hamilton, New Zealand – Waikato Stadium
Wellington, New Zealand – Wellington Regional Stadium
How to Watch on TV
Every game will be shown live either by the BBC or ITV. The action will be shown across the BBC TV channels, website and iPlayer. ITV will have live coverage across ITV 1, ITV 4 and ITVX.
Who Has Won the Women’s World Cup the Most?
The USA are the most successful team in the history of the Women’s World Cup since it first began in 1991. Alongside their victories in 2015 and 2019, they also tasted success in 1991 and 1999. The only other sides to have landed the biggest prize in the game are Germany, with two wins to their name, whilst Japan and Norway have both won it once. England’s best result is the third from 2015 – one better than the fourth-place finish from four years ago.
With excitement rapidly building for the Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand this summer, fans now know all they need to know about the tournament. 32 teams will compete for the title with England looking to go one better than their third-place finish in 2015. Every game will be shown live either by the BBC or ITV so fans can follow their team’s progress throughout the tournament. The USA are the defending champions and most successful team in the history of the Women’s World Cup with four titles to their name. Will they make it five or can England or another team stop them? We’ll find out soon enough!