• 64 matches to be played, hosted by New Zealand and Australia.
• Matches to take place in various stadiums across both countries.
• Group stage played in a round-robin format with 32 teams

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 kicked off on Thursday with a magnificent opening ceremony in Auckland.

The 10-minute ritual celebrated indigenous ancestry and culture in both New Zealand and Australia, with Mori and First Nations dancers and singers performing.

Mallrat from Australia and Benee from New Zealand sang the official FIFA World Cup song ‘Do It Again’ this year.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup, now in its ninth iteration, will include 64 matches, with New Zealand meeting Norway in the tournament opener today at Eden Park in Auckland before co-hosts Australia take on the Republic of Ireland in front of 80,000 fans in Sydney.

This will be the first FIFA Women’s World Cup with two host countries.

Lang Park, Hindmarsh Stadium, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Perth Oval, Stadium Australia, Sydney Football Stadium, Dunedin Stadium, Eden Park, Waikato Stadium, and Wellington Regional Stadium will host matches.

The group stage will be played in a round-robin format, with each of the 32 teams playing three matches. The top two in each group advance to the round of 16. The knockout stages began on August 5, and the final will be held on August 20 at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged fans on Wednesday to “seize the moment” and purchase the remaining Women’s World Cup tickets.

“My only message that I want to get out here is to seize the moment, to be proud of what you have been able to achieve here, in New Zealand, and in Australia,” Infantino told reporters in Auckland.

“Be proud of what will be the largest event — not just a sporting event — ever organised here,” he continued.

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