FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 kicks off in Australia and New Zealand.

All eyes are in Oceania for The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia/ New Zealand 2023 which started today. The tournament will take place in nine cities from today until 20th August where the champion of the FIFA women’s World Cup will be crowned.

Is the United States Women Soccer team going to defend their title having won the previous two 2015 and 2019?

Is the Argentine women’s soccer team going to replicate what their men did in Qatar?

Maybe we are going to see an underdog rise to the upper echelons of the World Cup history.

NEW FORMAT

This World Cup comes with changes. What used to be a tournament for 24 teams is now increased to 32 teams making it the same number of teams just like the men’s World Cup from 1998 to 2022.

It is the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to have more than one host nation, and also 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.

FIFA used to pay prize of directly to national associations for both men and women’s world cup but when the association received complaints from women about the embezzlement of funds, FIFA decided to pay both the national associations and the players.

DEBUTANTS.

Just like any competition or athletics event, there one or two players or teams who get the opportunity to cut their teeth and showcase their depth and what they’re made of to spectators and the soccer world can boast of many of such prowess.

On the back of the aforementioned, the FIFA Women World is not devoid of debutants. Out of the 32 teams, only 20 were in the previous 2019 tournaments. Which means there are 12 debutants who are hoping to write their names in the history books come what may.

Haiti, Morocco, Panama and the Philippines, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Vietnam and Zambia will be making their debuts at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This World Cup will be the first ever FIFA tournament Philippines have taken part in. This is Panama’s, Portugal’s and Vietnam’s first ever FIFA women’s competition, having only taken part in various FIFA men’s tournaments. Zambia made history as the first landlocked country in Africa to qualify for a World Cup for either sex. Morocco became the first-ever Arab country to qualify for the Women’s World Cup, while the Republic of Ireland marked their first-ever debut at any senior women’s tournament. Can any of the aforementioned debutants stop some of the big names from clinching the title? Time is definitely the right answer. Vietnam open its World Cup group stage with one of the best women’s teams in the world the US women’s soccer team; defending champions as well.

When the group stages were announced, many sports pundits across the globe saw this very fixture as one the fixtures beyond just soccer or football as its is called elsewhere. This is dated back to Vietnam US war in the 60s and which saw many casualties and anytime these two names are mentioned in the same room, the war finds a way to be part of the conversation. The beautiful thing is, this is sports and it’s meant to promote love , peace and unity and the world awaits such a healthy exercise.