Football Federation Australia (FFA) today recognised and applauded the unanimous decision made by the FIFA Council on Wednesday to expand the FIFA Women’s World Cup from 24 to 32 nations, commencing with the next edition of the tournament to be held in 2023.

Following the FIFA Council’s decision to expand the size and format of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, FFA today announced it intends to reconfirm its position as a Bidding Nation for the tournament in 2023, however like all prospective host nations will keenly await the updated requirements documentation due to be delivered by FIFA later this month.

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“Australia stands ready to work with FIFA to deliver an historic 32 nation FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023,” FFA Chair, Mr Chris Nikou, said.

“The groundwork that has been completed by our Bid Team, which includes gaining the official support of the New South Wales Government as recently as Tuesday this week, means that Australia is well advanced in many of the elements required to Bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. This follows an earlier commitment of support for FFA’s bid by the Commonwealth Government of Australia, including the provision of $5m in funding to prepare a bid.

“FFA will await the updated documentation from FIFA and, once received, will work diligently with relevant stakeholders to adjust features of our original and ongoing planning to address the expanded competition requirements.

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“Australia’s appetite to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 is only enhanced by the news received overnight. We are resolute in our belief that a FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted in Australia offers truly limitless possibilities that will not only herald a new chapter in women’s football, but also provide a platform for change that can transcend the game across the region and beyond.”



As part of FIFA’s announcement overnight, it was confirmed that the deadline for Bid Book submissions will be in December 2019, with the expected appointment of host(s) to occur in May 2020.