The Women’s World Cup 2023 will be held in July and August of this year. It is the ninth edition of a tournament that was first staged in 1991.
Back then, 12 nations took part: five from Europe, three from Asia, two from the Americas, one from Africa and one from Oceania. This year’s competition will feature 32 teams for the first time, evidencing the growth of the women’s game over the last three decades.
In our guide to the Women’s World Cup 2023, we have provided you with everything you need to know about the event. We run through the schedule, the hosts, the fixtures, the groups, and plenty more.
With the tournament on the horizon, here is our comprehensive run-down of the Women’s Football World Cup 2023.
Women’s Football World Cup 2023 Schedule
The key Women’s Football World Cup dates you need to remember are July 20 and August 20. Between those two dates, all 64 games will take place in Australia and New Zealand, the first ever co-hosts.
The Women’s World Cup has expanded its horizons this time around. For the first time the tournament will be held in the Southern Hemisphere and Oceania, having previously been staged in North America, Europe and Asia. Australia and New Zealand fought off competition from Colombia to win the hosting rights, which they were awarded in June 2020.
World Cups, both men’s and women’s, are usually held in June and July (the most notable exception, of course, was the 2022 men’s edition which was staged in November and December due to the climatic conditions in Qatar in the summer).
The 2023 tournament starts later than usual and will not finish until August 20. Some believe that is a mistake since the Women’s World Cup will overlap with the start of the men’s European season. However, the delayed start means the Oceanic winter will be coming towards an end by the time of the final.
You can find the full Women’s Football World Cup 2023 schedule below:
| Round | Dates |
| Group Stage, Matchday One | 20 July – 25 July |
| Group Stage, Matchday Two | 25 July – 30 July |
| Group Stage, Matchday Three | 30 July – 3 August |
| Round of 16 | 5 August – 8 August |
| Quarter-Finals | 11 August – 12 August |
| Semi-Finals | 15 August – 16 August |
| Third-Place Play-Off | 19 August |
| Final | 20 August |
Five cities in Australia and four in New Zealand will be used as venues for the tournament. The final selections were announced in 2021. You can find more information about the stadia that will host matches in the table below:
| Stadium | City | Capacity | Group Stage Games | Knockout Stage Games |
| Stadium Australia | Sydney | 83,500 | 1 | 4 |
| Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney | 42,512 | 5 | 1 |
| Lang Park | Brisbane | 52,263 | 5 | 3 |
| Eden Park | Auckland | 48,276 | 6 | 3 |
| Wellington Regional Stadium | Wellington | 39,000 | 7 | 2 |
| Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | Melbourne | 30,052 | 4 | 2 |
| Perth Rectangular Stadium | Perth | 22,225 | 5 | 0 |
| Hindmarsh Stadium | Adelaide | 18,435 | 4 | 1 |
| Forsyth Barr Stadium | Dunedin | 28,744 | 6 | 0 |
| Waikato Stadium | Hamilton | 25,111 | 5 | 0 |
Women’s Football World Cup 2023 Groups
The draw for the group stage of the Women’s World Cup 2023 was held in October 2022, before the inter-confederation play-offs had taken place.
Using the World Rankings, the 32 teams were divided into four different pots to avoid two or more heavyweights being drawn together in the same group.
You can see the full draw below:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| New Zealand | Australia | Spain | England |
| Norway | Republic of Ireland | Costa Rica | Haiti |
| Philippines | Nigeria | Zambia | Denmark |
| Switzerland | Canada | Japan | China |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| USA | France | Sweden | Germany |
| Vietnam | Jamaica | South Africa | Colombia |
| Netherlands | Brazil | Italy | Morocco |
| Portugal | Panama | Argentina | South Korea |
Group A
Norway are the favourites to win Group A, but second spot looks up for grabs. Switzerland are contenders to go through, but home advantage could aid New Zealand. Do not rule out the Philippines, although they are definitely the underdogs in this segment.
Group B
Australia will also hope home advantage propels them into the round of 16, preferably by winning Group B. Canada will likely push them hard for top spot, though, while neither Nigeria or Ireland is likely to advance.
Group C
Spain are the red-hot favourites to progress as Group C winners. Japan are expected to join them in the knockout rounds, while Zambia and Costa Rica will both view their head-to-head clash as their best chance of points.
Group D
England are the reigning European champions and it would be a huge surprise if they did not finish top of Group D. Denmark will expect to finish in the top two as well, while Haiti and China will be aiming to spring a surprise or two.
Group E
The USA are the most successful team in the history of the Women’s World Cup and none of their Group E opponents will relish facing them. The Netherlands are a strong side too, but Vietnam and Portugal could have their work cut out.
Group F
The team to beat in Group F are France, who have one of the most talented squads in the competition. Brazil look in decent shape to make the knockout phase, but third place is probably the height of Panama and Jamaica’s ambitions.
Group G
Sweden have been tipped as potential dark horses at the upcoming tournament, so they should get out of Group G without too much difficulty. Italy could compete with them for top spot, with Argentina and South Africa battling it out for third.
Group H
Nine points from nine will be the target for Germany in Group H. Colombia and South Korea are the main candidates to finish as runners-up, while Morocco are the outsiders in their first appearance at the tournament.
Women’s Football World Cup 2023 Fixtures
There will be a total of 64 Women’s Football World Cup 2023 fixtures at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. This represents an increase of 12 games compared to 2019, when 24 rather than 32 nations took part.
No fewer than eight sides are making their World Cup debuts this year. Portugal, Panama, Haiti, the Philippines, Vietnam, Morocco, Zambia and the Republic of Ireland will all be appearing for the first time. Meanwhile 20 of the 32 sides qualified four years ago, while four are back after missing out on 2019.
Unsurprisingly, Europe dominates the Women’s World Cup 2023 with a total of 12 representatives. The CONCACAF region, covering North America, Central America and the Caribbean, has supplied six sides.
There are also six teams from Asia, including co-hosts Australia (they moved from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation in the 2000s). New Zealand are flying the flag for Oceania, while four African teams and three South American nations will be present in July.
You can find the full Women’s Football World Cup 2023 fixtures for the group stage below:
Group A
- New Zealand vs Norway, July 20
- Philippines vs Switzerland, July 21
- New Zealand vs Philippines, July 25
- Switzerland vs Norway, July 25
- Switzerland vs New Zealand, July 30
- Norway vs Philippines, July 30
Group B
- Australia vs Republic of Ireland, July 20
- Nigeria vs Canada, July 21
- Canada vs Republic of Ireland, July 26
- Australia vs Nigeria, July 27
- Canada vs Australia, July 31
- Republic of Ireland vs Nigeria, July 31
Group C
- Spain vs Costa Rica, July 21
- Zambia vs Japan, July 22
- Japan vs Costa Rica, July 26
- Spain vs Zambia, July 26
- Japan vs Spain, July 31
- Costa Rica vs Zambia, July 31
Group D
- England vs Haiti, July 22
- Denmark vs China, July 22
- England vs Denmark, July 28
- China vs Haiti, July 28
- China vs England, August 1
- Haiti vs Denmark, August 1
Group E
- USA vs Vietnam, July 22
- Netherlands vs Portugal, July 23
- USA vs Netherlands, July 27
- Portugal vs Vietnam, July 27
- Portugal vs USA, August 1
- Vietnam vs Netherlands, August 1
Group F
- France vs Jamaica, July 23
- Brazil vs Panama, July 24
- France vs Brazil, July 29
- Panama vs Jamaica, July 29
- Panama vs France, August 2
- Jamaica vs Brazil, August 2
Group G
- Sweden vs South Africa, July 23
- Italy vs Argentina, July 24
- Argentina vs South Africa, July 28
- Sweden vs Italy, July 29
- Argentina vs Sweden, August 2
- South Africa vs Italy, August 2
Group H
- Germany vs Morocco, July 24
- Colombia vs South Korea, July 25
- South Korea vs Morocco, July 30
- Germany vs Colombia, July 30
- South Korea vs Germany, August 3
- Morocco vs Colombia, August 3
Women’s Football World Cup 2023 Favourites
USA are favourites, ahead of reigning European champions England, with Spain, Germany and France the closest outsiders.
Throwback to the Last Women’s Football World Cup
The previous edition of the Women’s Football World Cup was held four years ago – just like the men’s version, this is a quadrennial tournament.
It was the second edition to feature 24 teams, with eight from Europe; five from Asia; three from North America, Central America and the Caribbean; three from Africa; two from South America; and from Oceania. The two remaining berths went to the host nation and the winner of a play-off.
France were chosen as the hosts. Initially England, South Korea, New Zealand and South Africa announced an intention to bid for the rights, but the Koreans were the only ones who proceeded all the way to the ballot. France ultimately triumphed with 17 votes to five.
Nine venues were chosen to stage the matches: Paris, Lyon, Nice, Grenoble, Montpellier, Reims, Rennes, Le Havre and Valenciennes. The opening game took place at the Parc des Prince in the capital, with the final held at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
The group stage consisted of 36 games. The top two in each of the six groups advanced automatically to the knockout phase, where they were joined by the four third-place finishers with the best records. For Nigeria and Cameroon, a return of one win and two defeats was sufficient for progression.
The knockout stage began with a round of 16, followed by quarter-finals and semi-finals. The final was contested by the USA and the Netherlands. The American team won 2-0 thanks to goals from Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle, helping the national team win its fourth title.
The Women’s Football World Cup 2019 was considered a great success on and off the pitch. A combined 1.12 billion people watched the action across all platforms, according to FIFA, and the tournament is credited with boosting the popularity of the women’s game in numerous different countries. The hope is that the upcoming edition in Australia and New Zealand will do the same. With 32 nations taking part for the first time, the Women’s World Cup 2023 promises to be the biggest and best yet.