FIFA Women’s World Cup welcomed to Aotearoa New Zealand

Representatives from FIFA and the 39 qualified teams for the tournament and Play-Off Tournament were amongst the manuhiri at the pōwhiri, led by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei at Karanga Plaza.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s spokesperson for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Deputy Secretary, Chris Bunny says hosting the Draw in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland presented a unique opportunity to formally welcome the tournament to Aotearoa New Zealand.

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ Draw(external link)

“The Draw is the main event in the build up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup and is an internationally significant event in its own right, with millions watching on around the world,” says Chris.

“We wanted to use this opportunity to put our best foot forward and show FIFA, the teams and the rest of the world what they can expect of us as co-host of next year’s tournament.”

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is the largest women’s sporting event on the planet, captivating an audience of more than one billion people across the globe and next year’s event will be the biggest yet, with 32 teams competing for the first time.

New Zealand Story Group CEO David Downs says there will be widespread benefits for Aotearoa New Zealand from hosting an event of this size and significance.

New Zealand Story Gourp website(external link)

“Co-hosting an event of this magnitude allows us to showcase Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique culture and offering to the world through the spirit of manaakitanga as we welcome manuhiri to our home again.

“Our international connections and relationships will flourish as countries unite through this global sporting spectacle. With the eyes of the world on us, our reputation as a place to visit, do business and host world-class events will be significantly enhanced.”

Aotearoa New Zealand is co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 with Australia from 20 July to 20 August next year across nine host cities – four in Aotearoa New Zealand (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Dunedin) and five in Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth).

Hamilton and Auckland will also host the first ever FIFA Women's World Cup Play-Off Tournament from 17 to 23 February 2023 to determine the final three qualifiers for next year’s world cup.