New Zealand Football desires to host the Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2023 – and it is probably possible to accomplish that.
Interim chief government Andrew Pragnell confirmed it would publish an expression of a hobby on March 15, the closing date set with the assistance of Fifa because it launched the bidding system final week.
Three days after that, Fifa will tell the ones fascinated by what is required for them to host the showpiece event of the girls’ sport, while NZ Football will discover if its dream is practical.
“There’s a robust hobby from our facet,” Pragnell said this week. “The telling date may be March 18, when Fifa will launch the bid files.
“That’s critical for us because the clincher could be ensuring that our stadiums fit for motive and meet the bid specifications. We’re excited and interested, but March 18 and what’s within the bid documents might be vital.”
New Zealand has already hosted three age-institution World Cups—the under-17 men’s event in 1999, the under-17 women’s game in 2008, and the under–20 men’s event in 2015—indeed, it is one of merely three nations to accomplish that, alongside Chile, Japan, and Canada, which has hosted four.
The last three hosts of the Women’s World Cup have hosted the other under-20 occasion as part of their arrangements, even though Fifa has not confirmed that will be the case this time.
Regardless, the beneath-20 ladies’ occasion, consisting of sixteen groups, is a smaller logistical exercise than the 24-group beneath-20 guys’ event, leaving the 24-crew Women’s World Cup a logical subsequent step.
NZ Football became interested in web hosting this year’s event, which was previously provided to France, but withdrew at an early stage and signaled it was seeking 2023 as early as 2015.
“I assume our energy lies in a sturdy song report of web hosting events,” Pragnell stated.
“What we are dealing with right here is an event developing tremendously. We’re constructive and enthused, and we’ll work with Fifa to make sure we recognize their expectations and discover any areas of hysteria where a few flexibilities may be carried out.”
The first Women’s World Cup was held in 1991, featuring 12 teams. In 1999, for the third version, it grew to sixteen teams; in 2015, for the 7th version, it increased to 24 units.
With women’s football developing around the sector, it may not be long before it expands to 32 groups. That may close the door to a country of New Zealand’s size—and therefore to Oceania, the most effective confederation—but to host a senior World Cup, whether or not within the men’s or girls’ game.
New Zealand is set to host the women’s cricket and rugby World Cups in 2021 and is a leading contender to host the Netball World Cup in 2023, and Pragnell is keen to look at football in that blend.
“It’s the logical next step in loads of respects,” he said.
“We’ve got a great track file in phrases of event website hosting; we’ve got several different major wearing events, such as netball, cricket, and rugby, coinciding around that duration; it talks honestly nicely to the authorities’ timetable in ensuring there may be gender equality throughout the wearing sphere, and I think it’s an actual opportunity to position ourselves on the map.
“We’re fairly excited about it, and the occasion’s still growing. It is the other aspect. We’re at a point wherein the occasion’s developing at an exponential charge, so we may only have a lot of possibilities to host it within destiny.”
