2023 Women’s Football World Cup: Australia, NZ join forces for bid

MELBOURNE: Australia and New Zealand Friday launched a joint bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which officials said would help supercharge female sport in the region.

Governing body FIFA plans to increase the number of teams to 32 for the tournament from 24 at this year’s event in France. “Australia and New Zealand have a successful history of both staging and co-hosting major international sporting events,” said Australian Sports Minister Richard Colbeck.

“We have the infrastructure, expertise and enthusiasm to co-host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.” Eight nations have expressed interest in hosting the 2023 tournament, according to FIFA, with Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, South Korea and South Africa also in the running. New Zealand Sports Minister Grant Robertson said the joint bid was an opportunity for the two countries to showcase their commitment to women’s sport.