There’s a lot to look forward to in 2023 in the world of women’s football. Here’s some highlights to keep an eye on.
INTERNATIONAL
FIFA World Cup 2023
This year’s showpiece is without doubt the 2023 FIFA World Cup.
Held across Australia and New Zealand in a total of ten venues – Stadium Australia; Sydney Football Stadium; Lang Park; Melbourne Rectangular Stadium; Perth Rectangular Stadium; Hindmarsh Stadium; Eden Park; Wellington Regional Stadium; Forsyth Barr Stadium; and Waikato Stadium – from 20th July to 20th August, it will be the first World Cup to be held across multiple confederations.
It will also be the first Women’s World Cup to feature 32 teams. 29 have already secured their spot with the final three places being decided by an Inter-confederation Play-Off tournament. This will be played in New Zealand from 18-23 February.
England and the Republic of Ireland will both play a big part in next summer’s action. Ireland will open the tournament in a mouth-watering encounter with Australia in Sydney. They will both compete in Group B with Nigeria and Canada.
The Lionesses will kick off their tournament two days later against either Senegal, Haiti or Chile. They are in Group D which also contains Denmark and China PR.
Check out the full schedule and more information here.
Finalissima 2023
The inaugural Finalissima will take place at Wembley Stadium on 6th April.
The Euro 2022 winners, England, will take on the Copa América champions, Brazil. The match forms part of the cooperation between UEFA and CONMEBOL.
You can still buy tickets for the game here.
U17s + U19s aim for the European Championships
U17s:
Round 2 of Qualifying takes place early this year, with all games set to be played by 30th March.
England, Republic of Ireland and Wales sit in League A and have the opportunity of qualifying to the European Championships.
England are in Group 2 alongside Norway, Belgium and Croatia, who will host the mini tournament from 12-18 March. The Republic of Ireland will travel to France in Group 5 where they will be joined by the hosts, Italy and Kosovo from 23-29 March. Wales are in Group 7 alongside the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden. They will travel to the Netherlands from 8-14 March.
The seven group winners and hosts Estonia will progress to the 2023 U17 Euros to be held from 14-26 May. If Estonia top their group, the best runner-up will also qualify.
Northern Ireland and Scotland sit in League B and will competing for promotion to League A for next season’s Round 1 of qualifying.
Find out more information here.
U19s:
Round 2 of Qualifying for this year’s U19 European Championships takes place between 1-11 April.
England and the Republic of Ireland will both feature in League A. Ireland will travel to hosts Norway in Group 1 along with Germany and Croatia. England are in Group 4 and will travel to hosts Spain along with Slovenia and Belarus. These matches will take place from 5-11 April.
The seven group winners and hosts Belgium will progress to the 2023 U19 Euros to be held from 18-30 July. If Belgium, top their group, the best runner-up will also qualify.
Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland sit in League B and will competing for promotion to League A for next season’s Round 1 of qualifying.
Find out more information here.
February Internationals
To date, three international friendly tournaments have been announced for the first international window of the year:
Arnold Clark Cup
The 2023 Arnold Clark Cup will be held from 16-22 February across England.
The Lionesses, Korea Republic, Italy and Belgium will face each other in double-headers at Milton Keynes, Coventry and Bristol to get their hands on the trophy.
Here’s the full fixture list:
Thursday 16th February:
- Italy v Belgium (Stadium MK; 16:45 GMT)
- England v Korea Republic (Stadium MK; 19:45 GMT)
Sunday 19th February:
- England v Italy (CBS Arena; 15:15 GMT)
- Korea Republic v Belgium (CBS Arena; 18:15 GMT)
Wednesday 22nd February:
- Korea Republic v Italy (Ashton Gate; 16:45 GMT)
- England v Belgium (Ashton Gate; 19:45 GMT)
Find out more and buy your tickets here.
Rachel Daly + Millie Bright celebrate England’s Arnold Clark Cup victory
SheBelieves Cup
The eighth edition of the SheBelieves Cup will take place in America from 16-22 February.
The full schedule is:
Thursday 16th February:
- Japan v Brazil (Exploria Stadium, Orlando; 21:00 GMT)
Friday 17th February:
- USA v Canada (Exploria Stadium, Orlando; 00:00 GMT)
Sunday 19th February:
- USA v Japan (Geodis Park, Nashville; 20:30 GMT)
- Brazil v Canada (Geodis Park, Nashville; 23:30 GMT)
Wednesday 22nd February:
- Canada v Japan (Toyota Stadium, Frisco; 22:00 GMT)
Thursday 23rd February:
- USA v Brazil (Toyota Stadium, Frisco; 00:00 GMT)
Find out more here.
Tournoi de France
The Tournoi de France will be held in Angers and Laval from 15-21 February, featuring France, Denmark, Norway and Uruguay.
Full schedule is:
Wednesday 15th February:
- France v Denmark (Laval)
- Norway v Uruguay (Angers)
Saturday 18th February:
- Denmark v Norway (Laval)
- France v Uruguay (Angers)
Tuesday 21st February:
- Denmark v Uruguay (Laval)
- France v Norway (Angers)
Find out more here.
More:
The Cyprus Cup will be held from 13-23 February 2023. Participating teams and schedule are still to be announced. Information about a potential Algarve Cup is also still to be released.
Euro 2025 host decided
UEFA will select the host for the 2025 European Championships on 25th January.
There have been four confirmed bids. Poland, France and Switzerland have all confirmed their interest while a joint bid has also been submitted by Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
