Fifa set dates for playoff tournament and 2023 Women’s World Cup

By Samuel Ahmadu
FIFA announced the dates for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on Thursday, with the final tournament scheduled to be held from July 20 to August 20, 2023.

The ninth edition of the global showpiece will be the first with 32 teams, expanded from 24, and 10 stadiums will stage games and starts six weeks later than the last two editions in Canada and France.

Six months earlier, the new play-off tournament will be held from 17 to 23 February 2023 at the same host nations as the ten-team event will battle for the final three spots.

The 2019 final won by the United States was played on 7 July but the 2023 final on 20 August will be played in Sydney.

The final competition will also be held 12 months after the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco 2022, which doubles as the African qualifying tournment for the Women’s World Cup.

The top four teams at the Women’s Afcon in Morocco will qualify for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and two more teams will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.