2023 Women’s World Cup: Storylines to watch as USWNT prepares to take aim at historic three-peat

The men’s FIFA World Cup came to a dramatic conclusion Sunday with Argentina securing a thrilling win over France in penalty kicks, and luckily there’s no reason to bottle up even a drop of that enthusiasm. The U.S. Women’s National Team takes center stage in just seven short months, as the four-time champions look to defend their 2019 title in Australia and New Zealand at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

For the first time, the Women’s World Cup will feature 32 teams – eight more than in 2019. Several nations are set to make their debut, including Vietnam, which will face the USWNT in its opening group-stage match on July 22 at Eden Park in Auckland. The tournament kicks off with a doubleheader on July 20, with co-hosts New Zealand and Australia taking on Norway and the Republic of Ireland, respectively.

But the news gets better: Team USA is back in action next month in New Zealand, where they’ll conclude a six-day training camp with a two-game series on Jan. 17 and 20 against the co-host nation. What’s more, the USWNT also will participate in the SheBelieves Cup over Feb. 16-22 and will host Brazil, Canada and Japan in the four-team tournament. All four have already qualified for the 2023 World Cup and are ranked in the top 11 in the world — with the U.S. at No. 1, Canada at No. 6, Brazil at No. 9 and Japan at No. 11.

Additionally, Women’s World Cup action begins in February with a play-in tournament, where 10 teams will vie for the final three spots in 2023 tournament.

As for prize money, while the final numbers have yet to be released, it’s expected that the FIFA will more than double the prize money for 2023. In 2019 in France, the women’s prize money was $30 million — with the U.S. women winning $4 million — and