Australia/New Zealand Favourite to Host 2023 Women's World Cup

Australia and New Zealand are now firm favourites to be named co-hosts of the next FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 following a strong assessment in the official Bid Evaluation Report, giving them a key advantage over Japan and Colombia at the final stage of the process.

With Brazil withdrawing from the race earlier this month, FIFA has now published its report on the final three bids, with the FIFA Council scheduled to hold a decisive vote later this month and announce the winning bid for 2023 on 25 June.

With a bid score of 4.1 out five in that evaluation report, the join Australia/New Zealand bid looks likely to secure that honour and take the Women’s World Cup to Oceania for the first time.

In the same evaluation process, Japan scored 3.9 and Colombia was awarded 2.8.

In FIFA’s risk assessment of the bid, which covers everything from infrastructure to human rights and sustainability, commercial, event services and legal and compliance, the Australia/New Zealand bid was considered low risk in 16 of the 17 sub-categories, with a sole ‘medium’ in government support documents under the legal and compliance banner.

Japan was also considered to be mostly low risk, but was a medium in the same legal criteria, as well as for sustainable event management. Colombia was only deemed low risk for five of the 17 sub-categories and even landed a high risk label in the commercial section.

FIFA requires bids to include a minimum of eight stadiums, with the Australia/New Zealand able to put forward 13 suitable venues in 12 cities across the two countries. FIFA would then determine the selection and final number of stadiums if the bid is successful.

Australia/New Zealand is deemed by FIFA to be the ‘most commercially favourable proposition’. The joint bid, while complex to deliver the tournament because of international borders, also provides an opportunity for ‘unity and cooperation’ as what would be the first joint bid to host the tournament, as well as boosting the development of the women’s game in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Japan bid earned praise from FIFA for ‘very good and professionally managed’ venues, some of which have already hosted major international sporting events. But FIFA has concerns over Colombia’s bid, for which development of the women’s game in the country and wider region is a key focus, with regard to a significant amount of investment that is still needed.

In response to the Australia/New Zealand bid’s leading score, NZF president Johanna Wood said, “We hosted a very successful inspection visit and we are delighted by the FIFA Bid Evaluation Report which reinforces our belief that we would host a technically excellent FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.

“The Report demonstrates many of our key strengths and we are very pleased to have received the highest overall average score of 4.1 out of 5. If successful, we will place the interests of the greatest female footballers in the world at the centre of everything we do, to deliver a FIFA Women’s World Cup™ the global football family can be proud of.”

FFA counterpart Chris Nikou added, “We are confident that our combination of technical excellence, record breaking crowds, commercial certainty, a warm embrace from our 200 different cultures and genuine impact across the region where the legacies will be profound will prove a compelling offer to FIFA and its confederations.

“It will be a tournament of firsts. The first ever co-confederation hosted FIFA World Cup™, the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup™ to be held in the Asia-Pacific region, and the first ever to be held in the southern hemisphere. As One, we believe this represents a compelling offer to the global football family.”  

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