From February 17 to February 23, 2023, Hamilton and Auckland will host the first tournament, in which 10 teams will battle for the remaining three FIFA berths (www.FIFA.com) 2023 Women’s World CupTM; A crucial test event in the run-up to 2023 is the Play-Off Tournament.
The first-ever Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be held in Waikato Stadium in Hamilton/Kirikiriroa and North Harbour Stadium in Auckland/Tmaki Makaurau, it was announced today (FWWC2023).
Ten teams will compete in the event, which will be held in New Zealand from February 17–23, 2023, for the final three qualifying positions for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand the following year.
Sarai Bareman, the FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, commented on the announcement, claiming that the new league will provide more teams a chance to compete at the top level.
“The decision in 2019 to expand the FIFA Women’s World Cup from 24 to 32 teams, has already had a significant impact on the wider growth and development of the women’s game. More nations now have the chance to play on the world’s biggest stage and this all starts with the Play-Off Tournament.
“I cannot wait for fans to get their first taste of what to expect later next year when the Play-Off commences before the biggest women’s sporting event in the world kicks-off in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand on 20 July 2023.”
In addition, as a bonus for the crowd, three friendlies will be played between the top-seeded team in the competition and a different, as-yet-unconfirmed, illustrious guest team.
The 10 qualifying teams and their international fans will be warmly welcomed by Kiwis, according to FWWC2023 New Zealand COO Jane Patterson.
“The Play-Off Tournament and the friendlies will provide fans of all ages the opportunity to watch nations from around the world vie for the final three qualification spots as the excitement continues to build towards FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.”
Patterson added that the Play-Off Tournament would be a key test event for hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup five months later.
“It will provide FIFA, Host Cities, stadiums, training sites and Government the opportunity to test readiness of operations, infrastructure and resources. Organising a competition the size and scale of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is a hugely exciting opportunity, so to host the Play-Off Tournament and test readiness will be a real asset.”
New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell says the tournament is just the first step in a very exciting year for women’s football.
“To have so much international football right here on our doorstep is very exciting for Aotearoa New Zealand and there is more to come.
“With so much top football on display we know Kiwis will get behind our Football Ferns with the global spotlight on them in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.”
The match schedule is currently available via the following link (https://fifa.fans/3bOpqzo), which was initially used to advertise the format for the participating teams in December 2020.
There will be 10 teams competing in the Play-Off Tournament, with two each from Asia, Africa, North and Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and Oceania (one).
The remaining eight teams must win their respective regional tournaments to join the two Asian countries, Chinese Taipei and Thailand, which have already announced their participation.
Prior to the “One Year to Go” milestone on July 20, qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is progressing quickly. Teams from Africa, North and Central America, Oceania, and South America will qualify for tournaments across four confederations during the month of July. The remaining qualifying will be completed in Europe in the windows of September and October.
China People’s Republic, Japan, Korea Republic, Philippines, and Vietnam are from Asia, and France, Spain, Sweden, and Denmark are from Europe. They will be joining the two host nations, Australia and New Zealand, at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
Keep up with the most recent information on FWWC23 tickets by visiting https://fifa.fans/3yi2ZtW. Later in the year, more details on tickets for the Play-Off Tournament will be made available.