[Soccer Stadium, credit to Pixabay]

The ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup is taking place from 20 July to 20 August 2023 in Australia and New Zealand. 

It is the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to have multiple host nations and also the first World Cup to be held across multiple confederations, as Australia is part of the Asian confederation while New Zealand is in the Oceanian confederation.

Furthermore, this 2023 Women’s World Cup is the first tournament to feature the expanded format of 32 nations, changed from the previous 24, replicating the same format used in the Men’s tournament. 

The host cities in Australia include Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.

In New Zealand, games will be played in Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton, and the nation’s capital city, Wellington. 

The opening game was played between the co-host New Zealand and Norway at Eden Park in Auckland.

The game ended with a 1-0 New Zealand win. 

Group A consists of Switzerland, the co-host nation New Zealand, Philippines, and Norway. 

After two games, Switzerland now leads the group with 4 points, followed by New Zealand in second place.

Group B consists of Nigeria, Canada, the co-host nation Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.

As of now, Nigeria and Canada will advance to the knockout stage with four points.

Group C consists of Spain, Japan, Costa Rica, and Zambia.

Spain and Japan both have six points after winning their first two games. 

Group D consists of England, Denmark, China, and Haiti.

England leads the group with six points, followed by Denmark and China, both at three points.

Group E consists of the current defending champion United States, Netherlands, Portugal, and Vietnam.

Both the United States and Netherlands are tied at four points, followed by Portugal at three, leaving Vietnam with an early elimination from the tournament.

Group F consists of Brazil, France, Jamaica, and Panama.

Teams in group F have only played one game so far, and Brazil leads the group with their 4-0 win over Panama while the game between France and Jamaica ended in a 0-0 tie.

Group G consists of Sweden, Italy, South Africa, and Argentina. 

In group G, Sweden and Italy both have three points after their first match, while South Africa and Argentina are trailing with one point despite having played an extra game. 

Group H consists of Germany, Columbia, South Korea, and Morocco.

Germany triumphed over Morocco in their 6-0 win, while Colombia beat Korea 2-0.

The knockout (round of 16) will begin on August 5, starting off with a match between the winner of Group A and the runner-up of Group C.

On August 20, the grand final will be played in Stadium Australia, a venue that holds over 82,500 seats.

The Champions will take home ten and a half million dollars, which equates to $270,000 per player. 

The Runners up, third place, and fourth place will win $7.5 million USD, $6.75 million USD, and $6.25 USD respectively.