The biggest show in women’s sport gets underway on Thursday, when the 2023 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Auckland.
New Zealand will take on Norway in the first of 64 matches to be held at 10 venues over 32 days. Matildas’ first game kicks off at 8pm on Thursday, July 20 from Sydney Olympic Park.
In the run-up to one of the world’s biggest sporting tournaments coming to Australia and New Zealand, here’s everything you need to know.
The Matildas start their home game for the World Cup in Sydney on July 20
Important data
July 20 – Opening match between New Zealand and Norway (Auckland)
July 20 – Australia v Ireland (Sydney)
July 27 – Australia v Nigeria (Brisbane)
July 31 – Australia v Canada (Melbourne)
August 20 – World Cup Final (Sydney)
Hosts
This is the first ever jointly hosted Women’s World Cup, with Australia and New Zealand each welcoming a side to the draw.
The opening match between New Zealand and Norway will be played at Auckland’s Eden Park.
The host cities in Australia are Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, while in New Zealand they are Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton and Wellington.
Sydney’s Stadium Australia will hold the final along with a semi-final. Eden Park will host the other semi-final, while Brisbane will host the third place play-offs.
Format
The competition has expanded from 24 teams to 32 teams, which are divided into eight groups of four.
The group winners and runners-up advance to the round of 16.
Who is going to win?
American superstars Megan Rapinoe (left) and Alex Morgan (right) celebrate after winning the 2019 World Cup final
Defending champions USA are always in the mix, looking forward to an unprecedented third consecutive title, but they’ve been crushed by injuries.
European champion England and Olympic finalist Sweden are also among the favourites, while two-time winner Germany has emerged as a real smoker after reaching the European Championship final.
A change of coach could be just what a chronically underperforming French side needs to take that next step.
Spain and Canada will try to overcome dramas off the field, while Japan should never be written off.
What about Australia?
Matildas fans will hope that the side can go further than ever before in a World Cup
The Matildas reached the last eight in 2007, 2011 and 2015 and won their first knockout match at a senior World Cup in 2015. They were knocked out in the round of 16 in 2019.
Superb recent results against England, Sweden, Spain and France will see the Matildas move into real contender territory as they take heart from their outstanding Olympics.
Playing Olympic champion Canada in the group stage is tough, and the path through the knockout stage is likely to be easier if Australia can finish top and avoid an R16 clash with likely Group D winner England.
What do they win?
Players each earn a record $270,000 ($A404,000) purse for winning the title.
Every player involved in the tournament is guaranteed to receive at least $30,000 ($45,000), while the average salary in the women’s game worldwide is $14,000 ($21,000).
What is the tournament mascot?
Pictured with American star Megan Rapinoe, Tazuni is the official mascot of the 2023 Women’s World Cup
Tazuni is a “fun, soccer-loving penguin” who, according to FIFA, fell in love with soccer while playing on the beach with some kids. The penguin is based on the Eudyptula minor species endemic to New Zealand and Australia. The name Tazuni is a fusion of her home – the Tasman Sea – and ‘unity’, described as a key value of the event.