The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

We’re getting closer to the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. From July 20 to August 20, the highly anticipated tournament will take place in ten stadiums in Australia and New Zealand, six in Australia and four in New Zealand. 32 international teams will go head-to-head to be crowned world champions of women’s football.

The last FIFA Women’s World Cup took place in France in 2019. It was watched by 1.12 billion viewers around the world, a record audience for the competition. The final between the Netherlands and the USA pulled in an average live audience of 82.18 million, making it the most watched FIFA Women’s World Cup match ever.

For the 2023 tournament, FIFA has trebled the total prize money to $150 million USD, a 300 percent increase over 2019. This however is still only around a third of the $440 million USD the men received in their last World Cup in Qatar.

Women’s World Cup history

The FIFA Women’s World Cup has been held every four years since 1991. The inaugural tournament was known as the FIFA Women’s World Championship and was held in China. Of the eight tournaments that have been held, four national teams have won them. The USA have won four of the tournaments and remain the current champions after winning in France in 2019. Germany has two Women’s World Cup trophies, and Norway and Japan have one apiece.

Growth of women’s football worldwide

In recent years, women’s football has been one of the fastest growing sports in the UK. The European Championship 2022, which took place in the UK, and which England were crowned champions, cemented the sport’s popularity in Britain. Around the world, women’s football has also been growing in popularity and prestige. The number of spectators watching the matches are breaking records. In March 2022, for example, over 91,500 people watched Real Madrid play Barcelona in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. At the time, it was the highest attended women’s football match of all time.

Part of the growth in the sport is owed to greater TV coverage. Additionally, women’s football has seen considerable growth in participation. FIFA aims to have 60 million women and girls playing football by 2026.

England’s first game at this year’s World Cup is taking place on July 22 in Brisbane against Haiti. The squad’s second game is against Denmark on July 28. The team will then play China in the last group stage on August 1.

Who are the Favourites to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023?

Four-time competition winners and reigning champions the USA are the favourites for this year’s tournament. England are the second favourites, followed by Spain, Germany and then France. The host nation Australia is the sixth favourite to win the 2023 World Cup.

The England captain Leah Williamson has said there is ‘confidence’ within the team that they can win the tournament. The best the Lionesses have performed at a World Cup was in 2015, when they finished in third place. The squad finished fourth in 2019. However, off the back of victory in the Euros 2019, there are greater levels of confidence among the team.

With all eyes on the ten host football stadiums in Australia and New Zealand this summer, the importance of having the right insurance at sporting venues is once again highlighted. For football clubs, or any other sports clubs hosting tournaments and events, it is vital that they have the right cover in place to protect players, officials, spectators, equipment and more.

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