AUCKLAND: The ninth Women’s World Cup and by far the biggest in the tournament’s history kicks off on Thursday with co-hosts New Zealand and Australia in action, with record attendances expected at both their matches.

What began as a 12-team tournament in 1991, the Women’s World Cup has steadily grown in stature and expanded to 32 teams — the same as the men’s tournament.

It also marks the first time two countries are co-hosting the tournament as the quadrennial event arrives in the southern hemisphere for the first time.

New Zealand kick things off in Auckland against former cha­mpions Norway while Aust­ralia host Ireland, with both matches set to welcome more than 100,000 fans in total.

“It will set the tone for a Women’s World Cup that I expe­ct to become a watershed moment in global women’s sports,” FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bare­man said.

The 2015 edition in Canada welcomed a record 1.3 million-plus fans at stadiums but the 2023 tournament is expected to beat that mark with nearly 1.4 million tickets sold so far.

The pressure is on New Zealand, however, not just as co-hosts but also because they have never won a match at the World Cup in five prior appearances.

They are long odds to beat Norway, who have a Ballon d’Or winner in their midst. Ada Hegerberg returned to the national team last year after a five-year exile and she is looking to put their disappointing group stage exit at the European Championships in the rear-view mirror.

“We must play every match as if it’s our last,” she said. “We need to really bleed for each other and bleed for our uniform, because nothing comes free.”

Australia will be led by Sam Kerr, a Golden Boot favourite and an icon in the sport after the Chelsea forward became the first woman to grace the global cover of the highly-popular video game FIFA 23.

With 55 goals in her last 72 internationals, Australian fans will hope to catch a glimpse of her trademark cartwheel-backflip goal celebration. On the biggest stage, on home soil.

“It’s about entertainment and having fun and showing what football is about. Maybe it might [happen], maybe it won’t,” Kerr said.

This World Cup is not just bigger in terms of the number of competing nations.

FIFA has tripled the prize money compared with 2019 in France — when the United States retained the trophy — and the total pot, which also covers compensation for clubs releasing players, is up from $50 million four years ago to $152 million.

It is a vast hike on the $15 million offered in 2015, and confirmation that it is a boom time for women’s football.

Four years on from dominating in France, the top-ranked Americans remain favourites to secure a record-extending fifth World Cup triumph with a new generation of players.

However, the landscape has changed irrevocably through the World Cup cycle, with money, talent and professionalism shifting to the sport’s traditional European heartlands.

Once a cut above, the United States are now just one of a raft of nations with credible hopes of hoisting the trophy come the Sydney final on Aug 20.

Germany, France, Sweden and European champions Eng­l­and all fancy their chances, while Australia’s in-form ‘Matildas’ expect to go far.

“The expectations are really high and yes, we have a dream,” said England coach Sarina Wiegman.

England play their first game against Haiti — one of a raft of World Cup debutants — in Brisbane on July 22, while the USA begin their trophy defence the same day against another debutant in Vietnam.

Olympic champions Can­a­da, who upset the U.S. in the Tokyo Games semi-finals, also cannot be discounted as they look to give 40-year-old Christine Sinclair a first title at her sixth World Cup.

Debutant nations like Morocco, the first Arab side to qualify for the tournament, hope their presence will open minds and break boundaries for women and girls back home.

“We will represent all Arabs in this great event that anyone hopes to participate in. We feel great joy and pride,” said Morocco captain Ghizlane Chebbak.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2023