By Daily Sports on June 26, 2020

Australia and New Zealand have beaten Colombia to win the bid to host the 2023 Women's World Cup.

In the vote by the FIFA Council, Australia and New Zealand beat Colombia 22-13 to host the tournament, which is being expanded to 32 teams.

The 2019 World Cup in France was hailed as a watershed for global interest in the women's game, with record-breaking audiences of 1.2 billion people tuning in during the monthlong event.

The final, in which U.S. women's national team beat the Netherlands 2-0 to win their fourth World Cup, was the most watched Women's World Cup match ever, leading FIFA president Gianni Infantino to drive the campaign to increase the field to 32 teams from 24 for 2023.

Initially, there were four bids to host the 2023 tournament, but Japan and Brazil dropped out before the final vote, citing the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We did it. We freaking did it,” Chelsea and Matildas star Sam Kerr said on Twitter after the announcement.

“I’m lost for words and want to say congratulations to Australia and New Zealand on this amazing achievement,” Socceroos legend Tim Cahill tweeted.

Japan dropping out was seen as a boost to the joint bid from Australia and New Zealand. However, sources told ESPN on Wednesday that the voting would be close, with as many as 12 votes undecided going into Thursday.

The joint bid from Australia and New Zealand ranked highest in FIFA’s technical evaluations, while Colombia ranked the lowest of the three bids evaluated.

The level of infrastructure and commercial opportunities was highlighted in the report as an advantage for the joint bid, but there were concerns over the logistics of hosting a tournament across the two countries.

“As the first joint (and cross-confederation) bid to host a FIFA Women’s World Cup, it also offers the opportunity for unity and cooperation with a view to boosting the development of the women’s game across the Asia-Pacific region – which would be hosting the tournament for the first time,” the report said.

“A joint bid, however, can also be a more complex undertaking, since it requires the management of cross-border components for the delivery of the event.”

Colombia met the minimum requirements for hosting a tournament but “would need a significant amount of investment and support” before it would be ready to host the tournament, according to the FIFA report.

The governing body also stated there would be “clear risks that the necessary improvements would not be carried out” in time for the tournament.

Neither Australia nor New Zealand has hosted a World Cup. In 2010, Australia bid to host the 2022 World Cup – which will be held in Qatar – but was eliminated in the first round after receiving just one vote. (ESPN)

•PHOTO: Gianni Infantino 

Source Daily Sports

Posted June 26, 2020

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