
Australia and New Zealand will host the 2023 Women's World Cup, in a history-making decision announced by the FIFA Council in the early hours of Friday, June 26.
It will be a watershed moment for sport in Australia, signifying the great rise of women's football in recent years.
The FIFA Women's World Cup is the largest women’s sporting event in the world, bringing together 32 nations in 2023, and estimated to attract one billion television viewers globally.
Plus, a record 1.5 million spectators are projected to attend matches in Australia and New Zealand, as they celebrate some of the world's best footballers.
It will also be the first time a FIFA Women’s World Cup is hosted in the Southern Hemisphere.
WE DID IT! 🎉
— Westfield Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 25, 2020
WE ARE HOSTING THE 2023 @FIFAWWC!!!#AsOne
The World Cup will see games played in 13 venues across 12 cities in the two countries, with the opening match played in Auckland, and the final in Sydney.
A number of the players of the Matildas, Australia's national women's soccer team, gathered in the Football Federation Australia offices at 2am this morning, where they heard the landmark news.
Mamamia spoke to Matildas player Kyah Simon about what this announcement means for Australia.
"It's a platform for us to display what female footballers are all about," Simon said.
"We have an opportunity to really inspire a lot of young girls and boys around the country, to live out their dreams and believe in themselves that they could one day represent the country as well."On Thursday night, the Sydney Opera House was lit up with a photo of Matildas player Sam Kerr in preparation for the announcement. Image: Getty.