Melbourne – Australia’s sporting capital – will take its place among the host cities for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with confirmation this morning that AAMI Park will be awarded several games.

The marquee global tournament for women’s soccer will be staged across Australia and New Zealand and the ninth edition will make history as the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere. It will also be the first to be co-hosted by two confederations and the first edition to feature 32 teams, an increase of eight since France 2019.

A landmark outcome for women’s soccer on both sides of the Tasman Sea, the tournament promises to further popularise the sport in the Asia-Pacific region and drive increased participation by women and girls.

The tournament is forecast to deliver record-breaking crowds across 64 games in a five-week period in July/August 2023, building on a total broadcast audience of more than 1 billion at France 2019. Schedules and draws will be set closer to the start of the tournament.

Victoria is a natural home for major sporting events. The FIFA Women’s World Cup will join a myriad of global events to have been held in the state, stretching from the 1956 Olympic Games to the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the final of the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at the MCG on International Women’s Day.

The show-stopping tournament decider welcomed an Australian record crowd for a women’s sporting fixture of 86,174 as Australia defeated India.

For more information on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, visit footballaustralia.com.au/fwwc2023.