New Zealand's Football Ferns will open the tournament as planned at Eden Park in the city against Norway on Thursday at 7pm local time (0700 GMT), in what is likely to surpass the host nation's previous biggest crowd for an international football match.
Australia's Matildas will begin their campaign against the Republic of Ireland at 1000 GMT in front of a sellout crowd of around 70,000 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney – a record attendance for a women’s football match in the country.
Women were banned from official facilities in England, the home of the game, until 1970, and female players faced similar discrimination in many other countries.
But the sport has achieved greater prominence in recent years, with large increases in women players and spectators globally.