riday 13 December

Dunedin a potential host city for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

(Dunedin, 13 December 2019): Dunedin has joined the Australia-New Zealand bid to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will arrive at FIFA headquarters in Zurich today.

If the bid is successful, Dunedin is expected to hold several games during the tournament, which will be shared with other host cities across Australasia, including Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

John Christie, Enterprise Dunedin Director says “Hosting such an event will have significant benefits for Dunedin; with the economic impact expected to be more than $10m. Just as important is the opportunity to showcase women’s international sports, which has been growing rapidly in the last decade.”

Dunedin's involvement with international sporting events continues to be one of the city's strengths, having successfully hosted numerous tournaments across the codes, including a number of games as part of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The Forsyth Barr Stadium has played a key role in enabling the city to attract such high calibre events.

DVML CEO Terry Davies says, “It would be terrific to be part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 under the roof and a fantastic opportunity for southern fans to witness quality international football.”

Should it be successful, the joint bid will become part of football history as the first ever FIFA tournament hosted across two separate football confederations.

New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell, says “New Zealand Football and Football Federation Australia are excited to be joining together ‘As One’ to bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. The impact of hosting such a prestigious and popular event on our shores would be massive – not just in a sporting sense but for the country as a whole. We’re very excited about this opportunity, particularly the chance to bring a world-class event to our regions and cities.”

ENDS

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