Auckland Celebrates Draw Announcement For FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

The Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 took place at Aotea – Te Pokapū Aotea Centre on Saturday night, revealing the match fixtures for the 32 teams competing in the tournament.

The globally televised draw show confirmed Argentina, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Spain, USA, Vietnam and Zambia will be playing group stage matches in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in July next year.

The opening match of the tournament is set with Norway drawn to take on New Zealand at Eden Park.

Richard Clarke, Director of Arts, Entertainment and Events at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited welcomes the news of the teams who will play in Auckland.

“We cannot wait to extend our manaakitanga to these world-class teams and the significance of last night’s draw is not lost on us.

“The impact these teams will have on Auckland is huge. They bring with them thousands of supporters who will all need accommodation, food and transport while they are here – this is a massive boost for our economy,” Clarke says.

Current world champions, the USA, have one of the biggest travelling fan bases, estimated at 40,000.

And first-time World Cup competitors Philippines, Vietnam and Zambia are bound to have a legion of followers make the trip here too.

A total of 32 countries will compete in the tournament creating excitement around the world.

“This is an amazing opportunity for the more than 220 ethnicities that call Auckland home, and particularly for the young girls and women among them to have these international teams playing here,” Clarke says.

One of the biggest sporting events to be held in New Zealand, the tournament will leave a lasting legacy for the region – helping to inspire the next generation of athletes and ensuring visitors to our region have unforgettable experiences.

In total, Auckland will host nine matches at Eden Park, including the opening match featuring the Football Ferns, five other group stage matches, a round of 16 match, a quarter-final and a semi-final.

The Group A winner from the Play-Off Tournament, taking place 18-23 February 2023 in Auckland and Hamilton, will be the final team confirmed to play in Auckland in the group stage matches.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 kicks off on 20 July 2023.

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2023

• The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the world’s premier women’s sporting tournament. The competition is held every four years from June – August.
• The full list of venues earmarked by FIFA for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 can be found here.
• In June 2020, New Zealand was awarded hosting rights for the tournament alongside Australia, marking the first time the event has been held in the Southern Hemisphere or been jointly hosted by two confederations.
• Independent assessments estimate that FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will generate 130,000 visitor nights for Auckland and boost the region’s economy by approximately NZD $60 million.
• Additionally, the global reach through international broadcast is expected to be higher than the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France which was watched by 1.12billion viewers.
• The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 in Canada demonstrated the significant spectator appeal of the tournament, attracting 1.35 million spectators, 84,000-day visitors and 174,000 visitors making an overnight visit to one of the official host cities.
• New Zealand hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2015 – the first time the event was held in New Zealand and the third time on Oceanian soil. A total of 52 matches were played in seven host cities.

BY THE NUMBERS – THE FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2023

• Two – number of host countries.
• Nine – number of matches to be held in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
• Nine – number of host cities in New Zealand and across the Tasman.
• 32 – total number of teams (eight groups of four teams playing round robin, with the top two teams advancing to the ‘round of 16’).
• 32 – total number of tournament days, including seven rest days.
• 64 – total number of matches.
• 130,000 forecast visitor nights for Auckland.
• $60,000,000 – estimated contribution to regional GDP in Auckland.
• 1.12 billion – international broadcast reach of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019.

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