The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off this week in what is expected to be the biggest sporting event of the summer.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s highly anticipated World Cup:
The tournament starts on July 20 and ends on Aug. 20.
The first games on Thursday will be: New Zealand vs Norway, and Australia vs the Republic of Ireland.
Where is the World Cup?
The 2023 Women’s World Cup is being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Matches will be held in nine cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Hamilton. The championship match will be held in Sydney.
What is the time difference between New Zealand/Australia and the U.S.?
The tournament’s location presents a major time difference for viewers in the U.S.
Wellington, New Zealand, is 16 hours ahead of New York, and 19 hours ahead of Los Angeles. And Sydney, Australia, is 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
Most of the group stage games will start late at night or early in the morning for east coast viewers.
What channel is the Women’s World Cup on?
For U.S. viewers, the World Cup will be broadcast by Fox
FOX,
and games will appear on the flagship Fox channel, Fox Sports 1, as well on Telemundo in Spanish.
Fox is part of nearly all major cable bundles, and cord-cutters can stream the games on YouTubeTV, FuboTV
FUBO,
Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV.
When does the USWNT play?
As part of the group stage, the United States Women’s National Team has its first game on Friday, July 21, against Vietnam at 9 p.m. EST.
The U.S. will then compete against the Netherlands on July 26 and Portugal on Aug. 1, and then compete in the knockout stage if they advance.
Who won the last Women’s World Cup?
The U.S. won the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, after beating the Netherlands in the final, as well as the 2015 World Cup in Canada.
The U.S. has a total of four Women’s World Cup titles, the most of any nation in the world, while the U.S. men’s team has never won the World Cup.
When was the first Women’s World Cup?
There have only been eight Women’s World Cups in history with the first tournament occurring in 1991, while the men’s version of the tournament first started in 1930.
Only four countries have won the women’s tournament: the U.S., Germany, Norway and Japan.
Who are the Women’s World Cup favorites?
Below are the betting odds for the 2023 World Cup from DraftKings
DKNG,
Sportsbook:
- USA: +250
- England +250
- Spain +450
- Germany +650
- France +1000
- Australia +1200
- Sweden +1400
- Netherland +2000
- Brazil: +2500
- Canada: +3500
- Japan: +3500
- Norway: +4000
- Denmark: +6500
- Italy: +8000
- New Zealand: +15000
For those not familiar with oddsmaking, a “+” symbol indicates an underdog. For example, a $100 bet placed on a +450 side would net a $450 profit, in addition to getting back your original $100.
What is the Women’s World Cup prize money?
The 2023 Women’s World Cup has $150 million in prize money, up 300% from the $30 million in total given out in 2019.
While a significant increase, the amount is still much lower than the $440 doled out at the 2022 men’s tournament in Qatar. FIFA, which organizes the World Cup, said it’s an “objective” to achieve pay parity between the men’s and women’s tournaments by 2027.
Below are the player and nation financial allocations for the 2023 Women’s World Cup:
Player financial allocation:
- Group stage: $30,000
- Round of 16: $60,000
- Quarter Final: $90,000
- Fourth place: $165,000
- Third place: $180,000
- Second Place: $195,000
- Champions: $270,000
Nation financial allocation:
- Group stage: $1,560,000
- Round of 16: $1,870,000
- Quarterfinal: $2,180,000
- Fourth place: $2,455,000
- Third place: $2,610,000
- Second place: $3,015,000
- Champion: $4,290,000
Each player is guaranteed $30,00 for participating in the tournament, up from $14,000 in 2019.
That’s significant for many of the players, who in some cases don’t have club teams that pay salaries, are semi-pros or even amateurs.
What’s the latest on the gender pay gap in U.S. soccer?
As stated above, pay equity for tournament prizes is not the same for World Cup winners between the men and women’s tournaments, but what about in the U.S.?
U.S. women soccer players last year reached a landmark agreement with the sport’s American governing body to end a six-year legal battle over equal pay, a deal in which they are promised $24 million plus bonuses that match those of the men.
The U.S. Soccer Federation and the women announced a deal that will have players split $22 million, about one-third of what they had sought in damages. The USSF also agreed to establish a fund with $2 million to benefit the players in their post-soccer careers and charitable efforts aimed at growing the sport for women.
The USWNT routinely advocated for pay parity during tournament appearances over the past decade.
In addition to equal pay, high-profile players on the USWNT like Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd, among many others, have publicly opposed forms of discrimination off the soccer field. These causes include advocating for gender rights, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights and the Black Lives Matter movement.
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