2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Ipu Wahine o te Ao FIFA i 2023 (Māori)[1]
Tournament details
Host countriesAustralia
New Zealand
Dates20 July – 20 August
Teams32 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s)10 (in 9 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Spain (1st title)
Runners-up England
Third place Sweden
Fourth place Australia
Tournament statistics
Matches played64
Goals scored164 (2.56 per match)
Attendance1,978,274 (30,911 per match)
Top scorer(s)Japan Hinata Miyazawa
(5 goals)
Best player(s)Spain Aitana Bonmatí
Best young playerSpain Salma Paralluelo
Best goalkeeperEngland Mary Earps
Fair play award Japan
← 2019
2027 →
Part of a series on the
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Hosting
Qualification
Matches
People
Promotional and related media
Controversies

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's football championship contested by women's national teams and organised by FIFA. The tournament, which took place from 20 July to 20 August 2023, was jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.[2][3][4] It was the first FIFA Women's World Cup with more than one host nation, as well as the first World Cup to be held across multiple confederations, as Australia is in the Asian confederation, while New Zealand is in the Oceanian confederation. It was also the first Women's World Cup to be held in the Southern Hemisphere.[5]

This tournament was the first to feature an expanded format of 32 teams from the previous 24, replicating the format used for the men's World Cup from 1998 to 2022.[2] The opening match was won by co-host New Zealand, beating Norway at Eden Park in Auckland on 20 July 2023 and achieving their first Women's World Cup victory.[6]

Spain were crowned champions after defeating reigning European champions England 1–0 in the final. It was the first time a European nation had won the Women's World Cup since 2007 and Spain's first title, although their victory was marred by the Rubiales affair.[7][8][9] Spain became the second nation to win both the women's and men's World Cup since Germany in the 2003 edition.[10] In addition, they became the first nation to concurrently hold the FIFA women's U-17, U-20, and senior World Cups.[11] Sweden would claim their fourth bronze medal at the Women's World Cup while co-host Australia achieved their best placing yet, finishing fourth.[12] Japanese player Hinata Miyazawa won the Golden Boot scoring five goals throughout the tournament. Spanish player Aitana Bonmatí was voted the tournament's best player, winning the Golden Ball, whilst Bonmatí's teammate Salma Paralluelo was awarded the Young Player Award. England goalkeeper Mary Earps won the Golden Glove, awarded to the best-performing goalkeeper of the tournament.

Of the eight teams making their first appearance, Morocco were the only one to advance to the round of 16 (where they lost to France; coincidentally, the result of this fixture was similar to the men's World Cup in Qatar, where France defeated Morocco in the semi-final). The United States were the two-time defending champions,[13] but were eliminated in the round of 16 by Sweden, the first time the team had not made the semi-finals at the tournament, and the first time the defending champions failed to progress to the quarter-finals.[14]

Australia's team, nicknamed the Matildas, performed better than expected, and the event saw many Australians unite to support them.[15][16][17] The Matildas, who beat France to make the semi-finals for the first time, saw record numbers of fans watching their games, their 3–1 loss to England becoming the most watched television broadcast in Australian history, with an average viewership of 7.13 million and a peak viewership of 11.15 million viewers.[18]

It was the most attended edition of the competition ever held.[19]

  1. ^ "Ki hea noho ai ngā toki hei te Ipu Poiwhana Wahine ā-Ao 2023 a Fifa". 12 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Everything you need to know about the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  3. ^ Diamond, Drew (12 November 2023). "World Cup legacy continues to take effect in Aotearoa-New Zealand". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  4. ^ "FIFA Council approves further transfer system reforms and announces key FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 dates". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  5. ^ "NZ Football". www.nzfootball.co.nz. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  6. ^ "New Zealand makes history with country's first World Cup victory ever". FOX Sports. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  7. ^ Kassam, Ashifa (21 August 2023). "Spanish FA chief admits kiss 'somewhat tarnished' Women's World Cup win". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  8. ^ Tronchoni, Nadia (20 August 2023). "A Jenni no le gustó el beso de Rubiales, a nosotras tampoco". El País. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Spain's Jenni Hermoso files legal complaint against Rubiales over kiss". Al Jazeera. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Spain win first Women's World Cup, beating England 1–0". Al Jazeera. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  11. ^ "How Spain became the holders of all three Women's World Cups". FIFA.com. FIFA. 20 August 2023. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Sweden win fourth Women's World Cup third-place medal; Australia end up in fourth place in highest ever finish". CBSSports.com. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  13. ^ "USA beat Netherlands for fourth title". BBC. 7 July 2019. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  14. ^ Burhan, Asif (6 August 2023). "Defending Champions USWNT Eliminated From Women's World Cup By Sweden". Forbes. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  15. ^ "As one, Australia rises to celebrate its Matildas and shift its attitude to football". 11 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Suddenly a sports fan: Why the Women's World Cup has converted many of us".
  17. ^ "Matildas mania grips Australia as women's team captures hearts of World Cup host". NBC News. 16 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Matildas take down Cathy Freeman in staggering development after semi-final". 17 August 2023.
  19. ^ reporters, Stuff sports (7 August 2023). "New Zealand and Australia the best attended FIFA Women's World Cup in history". Stuff. Retrieved 21 August 2023.