The preliminary round groups for the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be drawn in Auckland on October 22, the world governing body FIFA said.
The opening ceremony and the opening game of the ninth Women’s World Cup will also take place in New Zealand’s megacity on July 20, 2023. The finale will take place in Sydney on August 20, 2023.
The eight preliminary round groups with the 32 participating national teams will now be drawn. The drawn group decides whether to play in Australia or New Zealand. At the 2019 World Cup in France, where the USA defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the final, only 24 teams took part.
Largest single event in women’s sport
“Preparations in Australia and New Zealand for the biggest single event in women’s sport are on track. The tournament has enormous potential to inspire even more girls and women to get involved in football,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura.
France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam have already qualified alongside the two hosts Australia and New Zealand. The German selection missed out on early World Cup participation in mid-April due to a surprising defeat in Serbia. Before the final games in Turkey and Bulgaria in September, however, the DFB women have a three-point lead over pursuers Serbia. Only the first in the group qualifies directly, the second has to go to the playoffs.
The World Cup qualification will enter the decisive phase in the coming months. Teams from Africa, Central and North America, South America and Oceania will play for a World Cup ticket in their confederations’ qualifying tournaments from July to October. The last three spots will be awarded in a playoff tournament in which ten teams will participate.