2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup ‘wide open,’ says Canadian coach

Each participating player at this World Cup is guaranteed at least $30,000 for participating in the tournament, with the amount rising to $270,000 for players on the winning team.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is already setting records. But there have been growing pains getting to Thursday’s kickoff.

The hope is the focus will now remain on football. Canada coach Bev Priestman predicts the expanded tournament will deliver heaps of entertainment and drama, across nine host cities in Australia and New Zealand.

“It’s tighter than it’s ever been. The women’s game is more exciting than it’s every been,” she said. “And for me, to look at a 32-team World Cup across two nations in this part of the world, there’s a whole host of firsts in this World Cup. And it’s going to be super-exciting to be part of.”

The tournament is the largest Women’s World Cup ever – and the first in the Southern Hemisphere. FIFA has already boasted of record attendance with the previous mark of 1,353,506 spectators, set in Canada in 2015, already surpassed with close to 1.4 million tickets sold.

Tickets have been bought in 182 different countries with Canada ranking in the top 10 in terms of sales.

A modest 12 teams contested the first women’s tournament in 1991 in China, eventually increasing to 24 eight years ago in Canada and now 32 with No. 21 Portugal, No. 22 Ireland, No. 32 Vietnam, No. 46 Philippines, No. 52 Panama, No. 53 Haiti, No. 72 Morocco and No. 77 Zambia joining the party for the first time.

History suggested the newcomers are in for a rude welcome.

FIFA says of the 17 teams that have made their Women’s World Cup debuts this century, 11 failed to win a match at their debut tournament. Only three survived the group phase to make the knockout rounds – with Switzerland, the Netherlands and Cameroon moving on in 2015 in Canada.