Australia and New Zealand’s joint-bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 has been strengthened following the federation’s Bid Evaluation Report, with the countries receiving the highest overall average score.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) and New Zealand Football (NZF) were one of three bids submitted for evaluation to host the next Women’s World Cup, with the Colombian Football Association (CFA) and Japan Football Association (JFA) also applying.
FIFA has reported that the Australia-New Zealand bid scored 4.1 out of 5 and was “the most commercially favourable proposition” when taking into consideration the financial commitments made by the governments of both countries.
NZF President, Johanna Wood, stated: “We hosted a very successful inspection visit and we are delighted by today’s FIFA Bid Evaluation Report which reinforces our belief that we would host a technically excellent FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
“The report demonstrates many of our key strengths and we are very pleased to have received the highest overall average score of 4.1 out of 5. If successful, we will place the interests of the greatest female footballers in the world at the centre of everything we do, to deliver a FIFA Women’s World Cup the global football family can be proud of.
“With technical excellence, commercial certainty and a historic tournament of firsts, Australia-New Zealand offers FIFA a unique opportunity to move the dial for women’s football. We have proven this before and can be trusted to achieve this again.”
FIFA’s bid evaluation report highlighted the federation’s infrastructure, travel hub concept, player-centric plans, along with the two nations’ stadium and football facilities as some of the key reasonings to the bid’s high score. In addition, through match scheduling across four time zones, the bid has the potential to deliver matches which can be favourable to broadcasters in established and emerging markets.
Even though New Zealand and Australia received the highest average score, the federation may still not be announced as the tournament’s host with Japan also boasting an impressive 3.9 score and Columbia scoring 2.8. The FIFA Council will vote to decide the host of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 on 25 June this year.
FFA President, Chris Nikou, concluded: “I am delighted that we have scored so strongly in FIFA’s Bid Evaluation Report and been described as offering ‘the most favourable commercial proposition’.
“We are confident that our combination of technical excellence, record breaking crowds, commercial certainty, a warm embrace from our 200 different cultures and genuine impact across the region where the legacies will be profound will prove a compelling offer to FIFA and its confederations.
“We are two nations from two confederations, united in proposing a historic and exciting step forward for world football. It will be a tournament of firsts. The first ever co-confederation hosted FIFA World Cup, the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in the Asia-Pacific region, and the first ever to be held in the southern hemisphere. As one, we believe this represents a compelling offer to the global football family.”
