FIFA’s chief women’s football officer Sarai Bareman says she hopes world champions United States are drawn to play their 2023 Women’s World Cup pool games in New Zealand.
In Auckland to promote Saturday’s draw for the tournament, Bareman was asked who she hoped would be drawn to play on New Zealand soil.
Bareman told Newsbub: “Obviously, the world champions.
“Those are the biggest draw cards right … but more than as a football fan, just for the young girls in this country.
“One of the big legacies that we want to leave with this tournament is that women and girls are playing football here, and there’s nothing quite like having a global superstar in your local stadium to entice young girls to come and play.
“The players are accessible, they know that it’s more than just them and the matches they’re playing. They know they’re part of a bigger movement for the women’s game, and that’s going to be awesome across Australia and New Zealand.”
New Zealand-born Bareman told 1News she was keen to show Kiwis just how big an event the Women’s World Cup was going to be.
“The Women’s World Cup in football, in terms of stats, viewership, attendance, absolutely blows the Rugby World Cup out the water,” she said.
“So I’m really excited for Kiwis to see how massive this is.”
1News: Bareman interview
The draw
The draw will take place at Auckland’s Aotea Centre on Saturday October 22, attracting more than 800 football and media visitors from around the world.
Teams have been seeded on their current FIFA world rankings, except for New Zealand and Australia who go into Pot 1 as co-hosts of the tournament.
New Zealand’s Football Ferns will be in Group A of the tournament.
Groups C, E and G will be hosted in New Zealand.
The two biggest drawcard for match attendances are expected to be champions United States and EURO champions England.
Except for European teams, teams from the same confederation can not be drawn in the same group.
Pot 1: New Zealand, Australia, United States, Sweden, Germany, England, France, Spain
Pot 2: Canada, Netherlands, Brazil, Japan, Norway, Italy, China, South Korea
Pot 3: Denmark, Switzerland, Republic of Ireland, Colombia, Argentina, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Jamaica
Pot 4: Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, Morocco, Zambia, playoff winner A, playoff winner B, playoff winner C.
How to buy tickets
READ MORE: Tickets now on sale for 2023 Women’s World Cup and intercontinental play-off series >>>>
READ MORE: 29 countries now confirmed qualifiers for FIFA Women’s World Cup >>>>
Volunteers needed
Applications are open for volunteers who want to help make next February’s FIFA Women’s World Cup play-off tournament a success in Auckland and Hamilton. The tournament will decide the last three teams to qualify for the Women’s World Cup.
The volunteers will help at the stadia, training sites, hotels, Auckland Airport and transport hubs.
For more information and to apply online, go to:
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