FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023

New Zealand and Australia are co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup from 20 July to 20 August 2023. Find out about our successful bid, which teams have qualified, the match schedule, the Draw and the first ever Play-Off Tournament.

Successful Trans-Tasman bid

In an incredible moment for our country and for women’s sport, on 26 June 2020, FIFA announced that New Zealand and Australia had won a joint bid to co-host the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ (FIFA WWC 2023™).

Following a successful Trans-Tasman #AsOne bid, New Zealand and Australia won the co-hosting rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™. This presents an incredible opportunity to deliver a tournament that is going through exceptional growth and at a time when there has never been greater focus on women in sport.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ will be one of the most significant events New Zealand has ever hosted. It will also be the largest women’s World Cup ever, involving 32 teams for the first time – meaning it will have the same number of teams as the men’s tournament. These matches will be unlike anything New Zealand has ever been a part of, with the world’s best female footballers showcasing their skills and talent.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ will round off an amazing two years where New Zealand will be at the heart of women’s sport internationally. We have also hosted the Rugby World Cup, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup and the International Working Group World Conference on Women and Sport in 2022. These were all huge milestones in raising the value and visibility of women’s sport, growing female participation, and creating new female sporting heroes and leaders.

The New Zealand Government has set aside up to $45 million to support the co-hosting of the event. This includes a $19 million investment towards upgrades at 30 sporting facilities across the country. This will ensure a seamless, “AsOne” tournament is delivered and help to leverage the event at home – in particular, supporting and growing the involvement of women and girls in all aspects of sport.

FIFA Women’s World Cup legacy kicks off – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment(external link)

Qualified teams

The following teams have qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™.

Argentina, Australia (host), Brazil, Canada, China PR, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Haiti, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea Republic, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand (host), Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Vietnam and Zambia.

Match schedule for Aotearoa New Zealand

In December 2021, FIFA announced the match schedule for Australia and New Zealand including that Aotearoa is set to host the opening ceremony for the world’s biggest women’s sporting event, which is a real coup.

Eden Park will be the venue for the opening ceremony and opening game – providing a phenomenal opportunity to showcase Aotearoa New Zealand’s culture to the world.

Aotearoa will host 16 teams, the much-anticipated opening game, two quarter-finals and a semi-final – a total of 24 group matches and five knock-out matches.

One quarter-final will be held in Wellington/Te Whanganui-a-Tara and a quarter-final and a semi-final will be held in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau.

The Host Cities and stadia for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ in Aotearoa are:

Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau – Eden Park
Dunedin/Ōtepoti – Dunedin Stadium
Hamilton/Kirikiriroa – Waikato Stadium
Wellington/Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Wellington Stadium

Hosting this tournament continues our track record of successfully hosting major international sporting events and showcases our commitment to women’s sport. Events like FIFA WWC 2023™ bring wide-ranging benefits including economic impact, international profile, national pride and they bring our communities together. The tournament is expected to attract a huge global broadcast audience, with the 2019 tournament in France reaching 1.12 billion people.

Find out more about the match schedule for the tournament:

Match schedule: FIFA Women’s World Cup [PDF, 102KB] – FIFA(external link)

Team Base Camps

For the first time in FIFA Women’s World Cup™ history, teams competing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will use dedicated Team Base Camps in next year’s tournament. A Team Base Camp is a ‘home away from home’ for teams and includes a training site and accommodation.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, 15 Team Base Camps have been confirmed across the four Host Cities and three regional centres (Tauranga, Palmerston North and Christchurch) for the 15 qualified teams that will play group matches in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The teams that will be based in Aotearoa New Zealand for the group stage of the tournament are: Argentina, Costa Rica, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Vietnam and, Zambia.

Information about the Team Base Camps, including where each team will be based can be found on FIFA’s website(external link)

FIFA Fan Festivals

During the FIFA Women’s World Cup (20 July – 20 August) there will be a FIFA Fan Festival in each Host City. The events at each venue will be tailored to the local climate, matchdays and kick-off times.

All FIFA Fan Festivals will be free to enter and will provide a vibrant destination to celebrate the global game and experience the best in football, music, entertainment, local culture, food and games. Fans will also be able to watch matches on big screens at each venue.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the FIFA Fan Festivals will be located at the following venues:

Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau – The Cloud
Hamilton/Kirikiriroa – Claudelands Event Centre
Wellington/Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Shed 6
Dunedin/Ōtepoti – Dunedin Town Hall & Glenroy Auditorium

More information about the FIFA Fan Festivals will be made available at a later date.

Upgraded sporting facilities

In September 2022, the Government announced a $19 investment towards upgrades at 30 of the 32 potential sporting facilities earmarked for the tournament, including Team Base Camps. The upgrades involve pitch, lighting and facility enhancements, and gender-neutral changing spaces.

This was the first example of how hosting the world’s largest women’s sporting event will leave a lasting legacy for our country.

Media release: Upgrades for sporting facilities ahead of FIFA Women’s World Cup(external link)

Play-Off Tournament

Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium and Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium hosted the first ever FIFA Women's World Cup Play-Off Tournament from 17 to 23 February 2023. The Play-Off Tournament was an exciting new competition introduced by FIFA that saw 10 teams compete for the final three qualifying spots for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™.

The final three teams to qualify for the Play-Off Tournament were Haiti, Panama and Portugal.

Teams involved in the Play-Off Tournament:

Cameroon, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Haiti, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Portugal, Senegal and Thailand.

Find out more about the FIFA Women's World Cup Play-Off Tournament - FIFA(external link)

The Draw

Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland hosted the Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ at the Aotea Centre on 22 October 2022.

The Draw revealed the match fixtures for the 32 teams competing in next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup and which host-country they will be based in for their group-stage matches. It also included cultural performances and promoted the four Aotearoa New Zealand and five Australian host cities that will welcome teams and fans during the tournament.

To officially welcome the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ to Aotearoa New Zealand ahead of the Draw, a pōwhiri was held at Karanga Plaza in Tāmaki Makaurau. At the pōwhiri, representatives from FIFA and the 39 qualified teams for the tournament and Play-Off Tournament were welcomed by local iwi Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

Watch the pōwhiri on the FIFA website:

Māori welcome greets FIFA Women’s World Cup – FIFA(external link)

Find out more about the Draw:

Watch the Draw on FIFA Plus – FIFA(external link)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Draw made in Auckland – FIFA(external link)

Draw announcement media release – FIFA(external link)

New Zealand to host FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ Draw – MBIE(external link)