Stadiums announced for 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Sydney’s Stadium Australia has been chosen to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, one of nine host cities to stage matches.
The tournament, to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will kick-off at Auckland’s Eden Park in July 2023, while the biggest game was predictably locked in for Sydney, with Melbourne missing out.
The MCG, which attracted more than 86,000 fans for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup last year, won’t host any matches, with the better-suited, but smaller, AAMI Park to play host to matches in the city.
Both Australia and New Zealand will host one semi-final each.
In all, 10 stadiums will be utilised for the 64-game tournament, with cities and stadiums chosen after an eight-month review process involving 12 candidate cities and 13 stadiums.
Newcastle, Launceston and Christchurch were the cities that were included in the initial bid document, missed the cut and will not host matches.
The new Sydney Football Stadium which is due for completion next year will host the majority of matches in the NSW capital, while Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium will be the second-largest venue used.
Adelaide’s Coopers Stadium is set to undergo a $45 million upgrade in time for the tournament. Matches will also be played in Perth at HBF Park.
It’s unknown if any upgrade works will be undertaken at the home of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The NSW Government controversially scrapped a proposed $810 million redevelopment of Stadium Australia mid last year.
“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,” Football Australia president Chris Nikou said.
“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.”
The host cities and stadiums are:
Adelaide (AUS) – Coopers Stadium
Auckland (NZ) – Eden Park
Brisbane (AUS) – Suncorp Stadium
Dunedin (NZ) – Forsyth Barr Stadium
Hamilton (NZ) – FMG Stadium
Melbourne (AUS) – AAMI Park
Perth (AUS) – HBF Park
Sydney (AUS) – Stadium Australia & Sydney Football Stadium
Wellington (NZ) – Sky Stadium
