2023 Women's World Cup

Aug. 08, 2023

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is the 9th edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August 2023. The 2023 Women's World Cup will feature 32 teams for the first time ever.

The competition was held in nine cities in both countries, including four in New Zealand and five in Australia. The opening ceremony of the 2023 Women's World Cup will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, and the final will be played in Sydney, Australia.

POPULOUS, one of the world's leading sports architects, is dedicated to creating the most suitable professional venues for the world's most influential sport and has been involved in five Women's World Cups. These include the 1999 Women's World Cup in the United States, the 2003 Women's World Cup in the United States, the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada, the 2019 Women's World Cup in France, and the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

All 64 matches of the Women's World Cup will be played in 10 stadiums in 9 cities in 2 countries, and POPULOUS designed five of them, accounting for 50% of the total, and is proud to provide more than 250,000 live seats for football lovers around the world. The relevant venues are:

01/ Eden Park Stadium

The stadium is New Zealand's national stadium, located in New Zealand's largest city Auckland (Auckland), can accommodate 50,000 people. This iconic stadium has an illustrious history and New Zealanders are proud of all that is here.

Eden Park Stadium was built in 1900, originally as a cricket ground, and later began to host various sports such as rugby and football. It was rebuilt in 2010 for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, designed by POPULOUS.

The stadium is also no stranger to international women's sporting events - in the final of the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup (postponed to November 12, 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic), New Zealand team the Black Ferns defeated England's Red Roses there, Won the world championship for the sixth time. Eden Park Stadium will host nine matches of the 2023 Women's World Cup, including the opening match on July 20 and the subsequent first group match, five other group matches, one round of 16 knockout match, one quarter-final and one semi-final.

640 (1).jpg

640 (2).jpg

02/ Dunedin Stadium

Aka: The 30,000-capacity Forsyth Barr Stadium, designed by POPULOUS, is located in Dunedin, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island.

The stadium has twice been a World Cup venue - for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup - and is the only stadium in New Zealand to be fully covered by ETFE membranes - a necessity given the inclement weather that can occur in the South Island region. Due to its resemblance to a greenhouse, The stadium has earned the nickname "The Glasshouse".

Dunedin Stadium will host six group matches of the 2023 Women's World Cup.

640 (3).jpg

640 (4).jpg

03/ Wellington Regional Stadium

Aka: Sky Stadium, a 39,000-capacity stadium in the heart of Wellington, New Zealand's capital, that hosted parts of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and 2015 Cricket World Cup.

New Zealanders affectionately named The stadium "The Cake Tin," thanks to POPULOUS's unique bowl-like design for it.

Wellington Regional Stadium will host nine matches of the 2023 Women's World Cup, including seven group matches, one round of 16 knockout match and one quarter-final. It is tied with Eden Park Stadium as the venue with the most matches played during the Women's World Cup.

640 (6).jpg

640 (5).jpg

04/ Brisbane Stadium

Also known as Suncorp Stadium or Lang Park Stadium with a capacity of 52,000.

Located in the heart of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia, the stadium is home to POPULOUS's Asia Pacific headquarters. Its history dates back to the early 19th century and was rebuilt in 2003 to be recognised as one of the best rugby and football stadiums in the world, designed by POPULOUS. It has hosted various sporting events such as the Rugby World Cup, the 'Battle of Brisbane' boxing match and seven matches in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Following Brisbane's successful bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, the stadium was also identified as the venue for the Olympic Rugby Sevens and men's and women's football finals.

Brisbane Stadium will host eight matches of the 2023 Women's World Cup, including five group matches, one round of 16 knockout match, one quarter-final match and a third-place match on August 19.

640 (7).jpg

640 (8).jpg

05/ Stadium Australia

Aka: The 85,000-seat Accor Stadium, which was masterplanned and architecturally designed by POPULOUS as well as the recently completed venue upgrade.

The stadium is located in Sydney Olympic Park and has witnessed many important events or key moments in Australian football history. Before the Women's World Cup, it had been the site of other major international sporting events - most famously on September 15, 2000, when Australian track and field athlete Cathy Freeman stood in the middle of the water to light the Sydney Olympic flame, which slowly rose from the water to the main torch tower.

As one of the most high-profile venues for the 2023 Women's World Cup, Stadium Australia will host five matches, including a group stage match, a round of 16 knockout match, a quarter-final, a semi-final and the closing ceremony and final on August 20.

640 (10).jpg