Australia and New Zealand mark 100-day countdown to Women's World Cup

SYDNEY : Women's World Cup co-hosts Australia and New Zealand marked the 100-day countdown to the global soccer showpiece on Tuesday with a call for gender equity in sport and a rallying cry for fans to get behind the event.

The 32-team tournament, the first Women's World Cup in the southern hemisphere, will kick off in Sydney and Auckland on July 20 when Australia's Matildas and New Zealand's Football Ferns play their opening matches.

"In just 100 days' time, we will witness the world's best football players on our shores, right here in Australia and New Zealand," Women's World Cup CEO David Beeche said at a launch at Sydney Football Stadium.

"The two opening matches, the first at Eden Park in Auckland and the second here in Sydney later that day, mean July 20 2023 will be one of the biggest days in women's football history.

"But this women's tournament is not just about football, it's about celebrating women's sports and women's empowerment all over the world."

Hopeful the Matildas can have a deep run on home soil, Australia has boosted funding for elite women's programmes in recent years but the country is ill-equipped to handle an expected rise in grassroots participation, officials say.

"Currently, only 40 per cent of football facilities nationwide are classified as female-friendly," Football Australia said in a statement.

"It is imperative that we invest in our 2,400+ community clubs across the country to ensure they are adequately prepared for the expected surge in female participation, and participation in the sport more broadly."

'UNITY BEAT'

New Zealand is staging its third global sporting event in less than two years, having hosted the women's Rugby World Cup and women's Cricket World Cup last year.

Rugby World Cup