- Senator the Hon Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Women
- Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Minister for Youth and Sport
Australia and New Zealand have won their bid to host the premier event in women’s football – the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Marise Payne and Minister for Youth and Sport, Richard Colbeck, said the two countries were perfectly placed to make the most of the Women’s World Cup and lift the women’s competition to new heights.
“This is a great win for two true sports-loving nations,” Minister Payne said. “Football is the most universally followed of sports and the World Cup is one of the biggest events in the world.
“Australia and New Zealand are ready to host a fantastic tournament for fans at home and around the globe to enjoy.
“The 2023 World Cup will strengthen our already solid reputations as world leaders in women’s sport.”
Minister Colbeck said we had already witnessed the capacity of both nations to host world-class sporting events.
“This will be another opportunity to put on a showcase for hundreds of millions of football fans around the globe,” he said.
Minister Colbeck said the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will also be a tournament of firsts.
“This will be 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,” he said.
The Australian Government provided $5 million to Football Federation Australia (FFA) over three years from 2016-17 to develop the joint bid “As One” with New Zealand Football.
It will be the largest FIFA Women’s World Cup in history, with FIFA expanding it from 24 to 32 teams.
Minister Payne said the host nations would use the opportunity to drive the rising popularity of women’s football, creating greater opportunities for women and girls in sport.
“Australia and New Zealand are strong believers in the capacity of sport to empower women and girls,” Minister Payne said.
“This competition will champion the further development of women’s football in both our countries, the Asia-Pacific region and globally, creating a profound and enduring legacy for the women’s game,” she said.
“This will inspire the next generation of female footballers.”
The Federal Government’s support for the event aligns with both health and sports initiatives under the national sport plan – Sport 2030 – to inspire girls and women to participate in sport and increase their physical activity.
Minister Colbeck said Sport 2030 has a key focus on improving attitudes towards gender equality in sport.
“The Government is passionate about raising the profile of women’s sport and driving increased participation in sport by both girls and women,” he said.
“Hosting the Women’s World Cup will showcase improving attitudes towards gender equality in sport and strengthen Australia’s reputation as a world leader in promoting women’s sport and as a premier host of major international sporting events.”
The past two years have seen landmark achievements in Australia for women in sport, including football, with improved pay and conditions and record crowds turning out to support our female athletes.
Australia and NZ have a successful history of both staging and co-hosting major international sporting events – most recently the Rugby League World Cup 2017 and the Cricket World Cup 2015.
Australia most recently hosted the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, whose final attracted the largest crowd ever for a women’s sporting event in this country, with over 86,000 fans attending.
