The ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ was co-hosted by Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in what was a record-breaking tournament – on and off the pitch.
The month-long festival of football in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand was a tournament of firsts, as 32 nations competed in two host nations and across two confederations, and Spain were crowned world champions for the first time in their history thanks to a 1-0 victory against England in the final in Sydney. Under the new 32-team format, including eight teams making their debut at the finals, unforgettable moments and iconic images were created, none more so than New Zealand’s Hannah Wilkinson’s emotional celebration after scoring the only goal in the co-hosts’ 1-0 opening-night victory against Norway. The unpredictability and upsets continued throughout the tournament, culminating in two first-time finalists battling it out for the trophy and Spain beating pre-final favourites England to win their maiden senior title. From the first goal scored in Auckland on day one, to Olga Carmona’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™-winning goal in the final, the tournament did just what its slogan promised it would and went Beyond Greatness™.
In the host countries, we had almost two million spectators in the stadiums – full houses everywhere – and two billion watching all over the world.
A changing of the guard
With eight teams making their debut at the tournament, which comprised 32 nations for the first time, the gaps between the world’s best and the rest had closed, or even vanished, by 2023. Prior to kick-off, only four teams had won the FIFA Women’s World Cup before, and each member of that elite quartet had bowed out by the quarter-finals. In their place rose the likes of Australia, England and, of course, Spain – all of whom eclipsed their best previous performance. Added to that mix was an impressive Colombia team, who performed gallantly throughout, and ended the tournament as South America’s best-performing side. Africa was also better represented than ever before in the knockout rounds, with a record three teams – Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa – all qualifying from their respective groups.
New stars are born
As legends of the game, including Marta and Megan Rapinoe, bade farewell to the greatest stage of all, a fresh crop of fledgling icons emerged. Linda Caicedo and Lauren James electrified the group stage, while Kyra Cooney-Cross, Salma Paralluelo and Elin Rubensson became increasingly prominent – and impressive – as the knockout rounds progressed.
Balance of power shifts
When Germany defeated Morocco 6-0 in their Group H opener, not many would have predicted that the Atlas Lionesses would progress and that the two-time champions would bow out at the group stage. However, that was what happened – just a day after Jamaica had held Brazil to qualify at the South American champions’ expense. Next to be departing earlier than expected was one of the great nations of women’s football – the USA – who endured their earliest-ever exit, missing out on a medal for the first time in their history.
High drama from the spot
The manner of that USA defeat will live long in the memory. Sophia Smith and Rapinoe missed penalties which would have won a shoot-out that was ultimately settled by Lina Hurtig. An even more heart-stopping shoot-out followed in the last eight, with Australia keeper Mackenzie Arnold saving four penalties – in between missing a spot-kick of her own – as the co-hosts’ last-16 tie with France reached an incredible climax.
Glorious goals
A record number of goals were scored at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, and the quantity was more than matched by the quality. From Caicedo’s fancy footwork and fantastic finish, through thunderbolts from Braun and Brugts, to the Sam Kerr strike that nearly lifted the roof off Sydney’s Stadium Australia, there was something for everyone.
2023 - the year the game went Beyond Greatness™
Two billion people watched on television and almost two million fans, a new record, attended matches, with the final figure standing at a staggering 1,978,274.
Having won the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ in 2022, Spain became the first nation to hold all three global titles simultaneously. Salma Paralluelo is the first player to win all three of these FIFA competitions.
Spain became the fifth team to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup, joining the USA, Norway, Germany and Japan.
FIFA’s digital platforms, including FIFA.com, FIFA+ and FIFA+’s FAST channels, received over 50 million visitors throughout the tournament – a 130% increase on France 2019.
A record 163 goals were scored, comfortably surpassing the previous benchmark of 146 set at both Canada 2015 and France 2019.
Zambia’s Barbra Banda scored the 1,000th goal in Women’s World Cup history.
Over three quarters of a million fans attended the FIFA Fan Festival™ sites over the course of this edition.
The peak number of viewers in Australia for their semi-final game against England – the most-watched television broadcast for any programme in the country since records began.
A tournament of firsts on the pitch
-
First FIFA Women’s World Cup to be staged in two countries
-
First senior FIFA tournament hosted in Oceania
-
First FIFA Women’s World Cup with 32 teams and 64 matches
-
First FIFA tournament to be staged in two confederations
-
First tournament at which nations from all six confederations won a match
-
First in fan attendance
And off the pitch
-
First with dedicated Team Base Camps
-
First with a coordinated Legacy Working Group
-
First to honour Indigenous people and culture
-
First with FIFA Fan Festivals
-
First with ring-fenced performance-based funding for all 736 players
Fan experience
The FIFA Fan Festival™ in all nine Host Cities across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand went beyond football. They offered fans a vibrant destination to enjoy the best in football, music, entertainment, local culture, food and games. The FIFA Fan Festival (formerly FIFA Fan Fest) has been a regular feature of the FIFA World Cup™ since 2006, but the tournament in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand was the first to offer this unique fan experience in all Host Cities of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
FIFA Fan Festivals
Australia
-
Adelaide/Tarntanya – Festival Plaza
-
Brisbane/Meaanjin – South Bank Parklands
-
Melbourne/Naarm – Federation Square
-
Perth/Boorloo – Forrest Place
-
Sydney/Gadigal – Tumbalong Park
Aotearoa New Zealand
-
Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau – The Cloud
-
Hamilton/Kirikiriroa – Claudelands Event Centre
-
Wellington/Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Shed 6
-
Dunedin/Ōtepoti – Dunedin Town Hall & Glenroy Auditorium
FIFA Fan Festivals in numbers
FIFA Fan Festivals held in Host Cities
Total number of volunteers
Highest single-day attendance of fans visiting the FIFA Fan Festival in Melbourne/Naarm (Federation Square)
Volunteers
Volunteers contributed greatly to the overall FIFA Women’s World Cup and fan experience. The thousands who supported the tournament became part of FIFA’s global community, with each member of the volunteer workforce creating their own unique experience.
-
95% of volunteers from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
-
68 nations and all six confederations represented in the volunteer team