The world governing body of football, FIFA yestday announced that five cities in Australia and four in New Zealand will host matches in Women’s World Cup in 2023.
The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino announced on 31 March, that the opening match of the tournament that will include teams from 32 nations, will be held in Auckland and the final will be held at the soon-to-be-completed Stadium Australia is Sydney.
“The appointment of the nine host cities represents a major milestone for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, as well as for players and football fans across Australia, New Zealand and around the world,” said Mr Infantino said in Zurich, Switzerland.
In Melbourne, AAMI park is set to host several games in a tournament that is to be held for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere.
READ MORE: ‘World Cup a dream come true,’ says Greek rising star Sofia Sakalis
The chair of Football Australia, Chris Nikou said: “The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be the biggest sporting event on Australian soil since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, showcasing Australia and New Zealand to a global audience of over one billion people.”
“Today’s announcement of the match venues is a major milestone in the build-up to the next FIFA Women’s World Cup – a tournament that will provide our game with the perfect platform to grow over the coming years.”
In a press statement Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Jala Pulford said: “The tournament is forecast to deliver record-breaking crowds across 64 games in a five-week period in July/August 2023, building on a total broadcast audience of more than 1 billion at France 2019. Schedules and draws will be set closer to the start of the tournament.”
“Melbourne is Australia’s sporting capital and we are delighted to have been named among the host cities for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said Ms Pulford. “It will be fantastic to watch our stars, led by Sam Kerr, in action against players of the same standing from around the world – in particular for youngsters just starting out in the game.”
The other Australian cities to host matches are Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth. Dunedin, Hamilton and Wellington will also host matches in New Zealand along with Auckland.
According to MSN, the decision on where each game will be played will be reached after an eight-month review process. The full tournament will be announced later this. Australia and New Zealand are to host a semi-final game each.
“”Today’s announcement of the Host Cities and match venues for the tournament is a major milestone in the build-up to the next FIFA Women’s World Cup – a tournament that will unite nations, inspire generations, and provide our diverse and multicultural game with the perfect platform to grow over the coming years,” said Mr Nikou.