In depth – Women’s Football World Cup

Just like the men’s World Cup which last took place in late 2022, the Women’s World Cup is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the sport, full of drama, iconic moments and lasting images from each edition. It takes place every four years, as the host nation (or nations) are joined by the highest-ranking international teams from around the world to determine who will emerge as world champion.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is now underway in Australia and New Zealand, and to celebrate, we’ve put together a beginner’s guide to the most important women’s soccer competition in the world.

How it works

While the Men’s World Cup is set to expand its format to include more teams in 2026, the 2023 Women’s World Cup is using the 32-team format favoured by the men’s tournament between 1998 and 2022 – making it the largest Women’s World Cup yet.

The host nation(s) for each tournament qualifies automatically, and is joined by nations from around the world who have qualified from their respective continental confederations: UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (Central America), CONCACAF (South America), CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia) and OFC (Oceania).

Once the qualifying round has concluded, the remaining 32 teams are split into 8 groups of 4. Each team plays the other three teams in its group once, and the top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, consisting of a single elimination, 4-round bracket. The tournament concludes with a 3rd-place play-off between the losers of the two semifinals, followed by the final on August 20th 2023.

World Cup winners, hosts and record holders

The first official edition of the Women’s World Cup was held in China in 1991. There have been 8 editions in total to date, with 4 national teams emerging as victors. 4 of the titles have gone to the US Women’s Team – the dominant side across history and far more successful than their male counterparts – including the previous two tournaments, in 2015 and 2019.  The other three winning sides are Norway, in 1995; Germany, who won consecutive titles in 2003 and 2007; and Japan, who won the Cup in 2011.

Both China and the USA have hosted the tournament twice, while Canada holds the record for highest total attendance of any Women’s World Cup, in 2015. The top scorer in the history of the competition is Marta, who plays for the Brazilian national team and has scored 17 goals during her five World Cup appearances. Marta became the first player to ever score at five World Cups – an accomplishment that was later matched by Christine Sinclair and Cristiano Ronaldo – and she could make it an unprecedented six in a row if she scores this year.

2023 Women’s World Cup – Key Facts

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is unique in many ways: it will be the first of its kind to be hosted by two host nations (Australia & New Zealand), not to mention in the southern hemisphere, where it’s currently winter.

Meanwhile, 8 national teams are due to make their tournament debut. Haiti, Morocco, Panama, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Vietnam, and Zambia will all be competing in the Women’s World Cup for the first time, while the Philippines will be represented for the first time in any FIFA World Cup tournament, Women’s or Men’s.

Here is the full list of nations taking part in the 2023 Women’s World Cup:

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • China
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Denmark
  • England
  • France
  • Germany
  • Haiti
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Morocco
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Norway
  • Panama
  • Philippines
  • Portugal
  • Republic of Ireland
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United States
  • Vietnam
  • Zambia

The tournament kicked off on 20th July at Eden Park in Auckland, with co-host New Zealand beating former champions Norway in the opening match of the group stages. The Word Cup Final is scheduled for 20th August, at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

What to expect

The U.S. women’s national team are favourites to win this year’s edition and complete a hat-trick or “three-peat” of victories. But the Lionesses of England, who were triumphant at the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship, could give them a run for their money and are considered as second-favourites for the title.

Looking ahead, FIFA has not yet announced its decision concerning the host country for upcoming Women’s World Cup tournaments, the first of which will take place in 2027. The international body said it has received four hosting bids for the next tournament— including joint bids from Belgium and the Netherlands, and the U.S. together with Mexico, as well as proposals from Brazil and South Africa. A decision will be made in May 2024.

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