FIFA awards 2023 Women's World Cup to Australia and New Zealand

The joint bid by Australia and New Zealand to host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup has been successful with the Council of world football’s governing body voting overnight to stage the tournament in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time.

The combined bid received 22 votes to rival potential host Colombia’s 13.

Australia and New Zealand had received public backing from the Asian Football Confederation, which has seven votes, and won support from all members of the council from the Confederation of African Football and Concacaf, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean.

However, it failed to secure the backing of European football body UEFA, the confederation with the largest number of members on the FIFA Council.

Both Football Federation Australia (FFA) and New Zealand Football (NZF) were delighted their ground-breaking joint bid to host the tournament was successful, promising to deliver record-breaking crowds and long-term participation growth in the game.

NZF President and FIFA Council Member, Johanna Wood stated “Australia and New Zealand will not only host a FIFA Women’s World Cup™ that is the largest tournament ever run, but it will also be a catalyst for ensuring the development of women’s football continues in the Asia-Pacific region and globally.

“Our two nations have worked together to deliver an exceptional, historic bid and I would like to thank FIFA and the whole football family for giving us this opportunity. The FIFA Women’s World Cup™ 2023 will bring us all together in a celebration of our shared loved of football.”

FFA President, Chris Nikou added “(this) will be ground-breaking in many ways. Not only will it be the first ever co-confederation hosted FIFA World Cup and the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup in the Asia-Pacific region, but we will unlock the huge potential for growth in women’s football in the Asia-Pacific region.”

FIFA’s technical reports on the remaining bids gave the Australia and New Zealand bid a score of 4.1 out of five and Colombia a score of 2.8.

Among other nations that had been looking to host the tournament, Brazil withdrew its bid on 8th June while Japan pulled out of the race on 22nd June.

Image: The Sydney Opera House lights up in celebration of the Australia and New Zealand bid to host the Women’s World Cup 2023 (top, courtesy of Arthur Stanley) and members of FFA’s Board, management, and staff along with Matildas players, Football Fern Rebekah Stott and Federal Minister for Sport, Senator Richard Colbeck celebrate in the early hours of this morning at FFA Headquarters in Sydney (below, courtesy of ther FFA).