Football
FIFA Women’s World Cup: All you need to know
The highly anticipated ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is approaching, set to commence on July 20th and featuring an expanded 32-team format, offering a full month of knockout drama.
This guide will explain all you need to know about the upcoming tournament, including the current favourites for the ultimate prize in women’s football.
What is the FIFA Women’s World Cup?
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women’s national teams of the members of FIFA, the sport’s international governing body. The competition has been held every four years and one year after the men’s FIFA World Cup since 1991, when the inaugural tournament, then called the FIFA Women’s World Championship, was held in China.
Where is the Women’s World Cup?
The hosts for the Women’s World Cup are Australia and New Zealand, with matches taking place across 10 stadiums in nine cities. Sydney will have two venues, namely the Sydney Football Stadium and Stadium Australia, which will also host the final.
The remaining fixtures in Australia will be held in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. In New Zealand, matches are scheduled in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, and Hamilton.
Who is in the Women’s World Cup?
Several teams have qualified from their respective regions to participate in this year’s Women’s World Cup:
| Confederation | Teams |
|---|---|
| AFC | Australia, China, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam |
| CAF | Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia |
| CONCACAF | Canada, Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, USA |
| CONMEBOL | Argentina, Brazil, Colombia |
| OFC | New Zealand |
| UEFA | Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland |
Women’s World Cup Format
The opening fixtures of the tournament will be hosts New Zealand vs Norway at Eden Park in Auckland and Australia vs Republic of Ireland at Stadium Australia in Sydney, both taking place on July 20th. The group stage will conclude on August 3rd.
Exciting matches are anticipated in the group stage, such as the clash between four-time winners USA and the ninth-ranked Netherlands, reminiscent of the 2019 final. Another highly anticipated match is France vs Brazil, with France ranked fifth in the world and Brazil the reigning South American champions.
During the group stage, the hosts will each play their respective opening matches, and daily fixtures will take place until August 3rd. The top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16, where group winners will face second-placed teams from other groups. The bottom two teams from each group will be eliminated from the tournament.
Following a rest day on August 4th, the knockout stage will begin with the last-16 fixtures and conclude on August 20th. The matchups for the last-16 will be determined as follows:
| Last 16 ties |
|---|
| A1 vs C2 |
| B1 vs D2 |
| C1 vs A2 |
| D1 vs B2 |
| E1 vs G2 |
| F1 vs H2 |
| G1 vs E2 |
| H1 vs F2 |
Following that, the quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place playoff and final will all take place over a nine-day period between 11th – 20th August.
Who has won the most Women’s World Cups?
The United States has been the most successful team in Women’s World Cup history, having won the tournament four times, including in 2019. Germany has won it twice (in 2007 and 2011), while Norway and Japan have each won it once.
Who will win the Women’s World Cup?
Current holders USA are more often than not considered the frontrunners to lift the Women’s World Cup, and lead the betting in the outright market at 9/4.
Reigning European champions England are also expected to perform well at 7/2, though they have faced injuries to key players like Beth Mead, Fran Kirby, and captain Leah Williamson, which will likely affect their campaign.
Other serious contenders include Spain at 6/1 and Germany, ranked second globally, at 7/1. The biggest odds to lift the trophy in Sydney are the Philippines at a massive 3000/1.
