What is interesting about the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. More than 8000 km of flights, record prize money, VAR solutions for the whole stadium

On July 20, the next World Cup among women’s teams started. The tournament, which will be held in two countries – Australia and New Zealand, will definitely go down in history for both innovations and record distances that participants will have to overcome. We talk about all the innovations and records of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Record number of participants

For the first time in the history of the women’s world championship, 32 teams will play in the tournament – the format repeats the world championship among men’s teams in 2022. They are divided into eight groups, the top two of which will advance to the playoffs.

For the first time in their history, the teams of Ireland, Zambia, Panama, Vietnam, Haiti, Portugal, Morocco and the Philippines made it to the World Cup.

Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland;
Group B: Australia, Ireland, Nigeria, Canada;
Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan;
Group D: England, Denmark, China, Haiti;
Group E: USA, Vietnam, Netherlands, Portugal;
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Panama;
Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina;
Group H: Germany, Morocco, Colombia, South Korea

Group stage matches will be held from 20 July to 3 August. The matches of the 1/8 finals will take place from 5 to 8 August. Quarter-final meetings – August 11 and 12. Semi-finals – 15 and 16 August. The match for 3rd place will be played on August 19, the final will take place on August 20.

Record distances

World Cup matches will be held in two countries, nine cities and ten stadiums (two arenas will host World Cup matches in Sydney). In Australia, fights will take place in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. In New Zealand – in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Dunedin.

The distance between, for example, Sydney and Auckland is more than 2000 kilometers. And between the same Sydney and Perth – almost 3,300 kilometers. Not surprisingly, on average, each team will “drive” an average of 2,823 kilometers in the group stage. Ireland was the most unlucky: its “road” in the group will be more than 8,000 kilometers. Almost 8,000 kilometers will have to overcome the Danish team.

250 thousand euros for the championship

FIFA has seriously increased the prize fund of the tournament – up to 110 million euros. Moreover, the players will receive bonuses directly from the International Football Federation: 28,000 euros for participation in the World Cup, 55,000 euros for reaching the playoffs, 178,000 euros for reaching the final, 250,000 euros for winning the tournament.

At the same time, the budget of the World Cup amounted to 140 million euros.

VAR for everyone

For the first time in the history of major FIFA tournaments, VAR decisions will be announced to the entire stadium, as happens in American football.

According to Pierluigi Collina, head of the FIFA refereeing committee, the organization has received requests to make the VAR intervention more understandable for everyone who watches football in the stadium or in front of TV screens, and for the referees “it is quite comfortable.”

star company

This time the World Cup brought together a lot of bright teams. The main favorites, according to Gracenote analysts who modeled the tournament grid, are the four-time world champions – the US team. The Americans should compete with the national teams of Germany, which won the World Cup twice, England, which won the last European Championship, Japan, which also has world-class gold in its collection, France and Sweden.

But for the teams of Brazil, which won the America’s Cup, and China, which won the Asian Cup, experts do not predict great success. Let’s see how their predictions come true.