Updated April 26, 2022
The 2023 Women’s World Cup, governed by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Learn all about the Women’s World Cup and how teams qualify for their spot in the 2023 tournament.
Table of Contents
- Overview of FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Ways to Qualify for the Women’s World Cup
- List of Confederations and Their Members
Overview of FIFA Women’s World Cup
The Women’s World Cup is a quadrennial – every four (4) years – international women’s tournament that started in 1991 and has been played eight (8) times thus far. Any country that is a member of FIFA, a non-profit organization that oversees international competition for soccer, futsal, and beach soccer, is eligible to qualify for the tournament.
For the upcoming competition, 32 countries will compete in the Women’s World Cup to win the top honor. In order to qualify for the tournament, teams compete during the three years between the tournaments. The 2023 qualifications phase started in September 2021 and will run through February 2023.
Previous winners of the tournament include the United States, Germany, Japan, and Norway.
Timeline of Previous Women’s World Cups
Champions: United States
Runners-up: Norway
Champions: Norway
Runners-up: Germany
Champions: United States
Runners-up: China
Champions: Germany
Runners-up: Sweden
Champions: Germany
Runners-up: Brazil
Champions: Japan
Runners-up: United States
Champions: United States
Runners-up: Japan
Champions: United States
Runners-up: Netherlands
Champions: TBD
Runners-up: TBD
Make sure to check out what FIFA has to say if you want to learn more about the 2023 Women’s World Cup, soccer’s impact on the world, and the future of women’s soccer.
Ways to Qualify for the Women’s World Cup
The Women’s World Cup qualifications process has evolved as the tournament has grown and women’s soccer developed. While each tournament has had a similar structure, the amount of host spots, direct confederation spots, and inter-confederation play-off spots has changed.
For the 2023 Women’s World Cup, 32 countries can qualify for a spot in three ways:
- Be a host country (2 spots awarded)
- Qualifying within a team’s confederation (27 spots awarded)
- Win the top of a team’s group in an inter-confederation playoff (3 spots awarded)
2023 Women’s World Cup Qualification Spots
1. Host countries are qualified automatically
The most straightforward way to gain a spot into the Women’s World Cup is to host. Host countries are automatically qualified to compete in the Women’s World Cup. This will be the first tournament that two countries will be hosting, so both will be entered automatically.
Host Teams Automatically Qualify (2 Spots)
Australia qualified in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and now 2023. They failed to qualify for the 1991 Women’s World Cup. Australia is ranked 11th in the world as of Dec. 10, 2021.
New Zealand qualified in 1991, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and now 2023. They failed to qualify for the 1995 Women’s World Cup. New Zealand is ranked 22nd in the world as of Dec. 10, 2021.
2. Qualifying within a team’s confederation
Qualifying within a team’s confederation is the second way that a country can qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. This is called a direct spot and the most common route that a team takes to get into the tournament.
To clarify, FIFA is broken up into six confederations based on geographic location, and they allot a certain amount of spots to each confederation. It is then up to the confederation to determine the qualifying teams based on inner-confederation tournaments. These inner-confederation tournaments work similar to the Women’s World Cup in that they have a qualification round that deteremines who qualifies to play in the tournament. Once the qualification round is over, the teams move on to the tournaments phase, which can include anything from round-robin to knockout styles of play.
Typically a team can qualify for the Women’s World Cup by winning the top spots in their inner-confederation tournament. However, 27 direct spots have been allotted to only five of the six confederations for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. All but the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) received a direct spot through confederation play.
Below is a list of the confederations, their members, and the December 2021 ranking of each country.
Confederation Tournaments and Qualifications (27 Spots)
Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Allotted 5 Direct Spots and 2 Play-Off Spots, Not Including the Host – FINISHED
AFC Timeline – FINISHED
Sept. 17, 2021 – Feb. 6, 2022
Qualification round: Sept. 17, 2021 – Oct. 24, 2021
Final tournament: Jan. 20 – Jan. 27, 2022
Quarter-final: Jan. 30, 2022
Semi-final: Feb. 3, 2022
Final: Feb 6, 2022
Play-offs: Feb 2 – Feb 6, 2022
2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Knockout Results
Continued on to AFC play-off round
Continued on to AFC play-off round
Continued on to AFC play-off round
Already qualified, did not continue to AFC play-off round
2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Play-Off Results
Q = Qualified for 2023 Women’s World Cup
H = Host for 2023 Women’s World Cup
IC = Qualified for inter-confederation play-offs
AFC members qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup by winning the top spots in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The Women’s Asian Cup hosted twelve members of the AFC confederation, and the top four (4) teams that made it to the semi-finals qualified for the Women’s World Cup. China (first place), South Korea (second place), Japan, and Philippines gained their Women’s World Cup entrance on January 30, 2022. This will be the Philippines debut in the Women’s World Cup tournament.
The final spot of the AFC was given to Vietnam, which qualified for the Women’s World Cup for the first time on February 6, 2022. They gained their entrance by winning the play-off phase of the Women’s Asian Cup. The play-off phase consisted of the three (3) non-host quarter-final losers: Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand. These three teams played a round-robin style tournament where the best team, Vietnam, earned that fifth spot into the Women’s World Cup.
The remaining two teams that lost the round-robin play-off phase, Chinese Taipei and Thailand, will move on to play in the inter-confederation play-offs.
About the AFC 2023 Women’s World Cup Qualification Teams
Japan qualified in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and now 2023. Japan is ranked 13th in the world as of Dec. 10, 2021.
South Korea qualified in 2003, 2015, 2019, and now 2023. South Korea is ranked 18th in the world as of Dec. 10, 2021.
China qualified in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2019 and now 2023. China is ranked 19th in the world as of Dec. 10, 2021.
Philippines did not qualify for the previous eight (8) Women’s World Cups and will make their debut in 2023. Philippines is ranked 64th in the world as of Dec. 10, 2021.
Vietnam did not qualify for the previous eight (8) Women’s World Cups and will make their debut in 2023. Vietnam is ranked 32nd in the world as of Dec. 10, 2021.
Confederation of African Football (CAF)
Allotted 4 Direct Spots and 2 Play-Off Spots
CAF Timeline
Oct. 18, 2021 – Jul. 23, 2022
First round: Oct. 18 – Oct. 26, 2021
Second round: Feb. 16 – Feb. 23, 2022
Final tournament: Jul. 2 – Jul. 17, 2022
Quarter-final: Jul. 14, 2022
Semi-final: Jul. 18, 2022
Third-place match: Jul. 22, 2022
Final: Jul. 23, 2022
2022 CAF Africa Women Cup of Nations Results
Q = Qualifies for 2023 Women’s World Cup
IC = Qualifies for inter-confederation play-offs
CAF members can qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup by winning the top four (4) spots in the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations. The Africa Women Cup of Nations tournament will be held in July 2022 in Morocco.
Two additional teams from the CAF will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
About the CAF 2023 Women’s World Cup Qualification Teams
TBD
Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)
Allotted Direct 4 Spots and 2 Play-Off Spots
CONCACAF Timeline
Feb. 16 – Jul. 20, 2022
Preliminary competition: Feb. 16 – Apr. 12, 2022
Second round: Feb. 16 – Feb. 23, 2022
Final tournament: Jul. 4 – Jul. 11, 2022
Caribbean Zone Final Round: TBD
Central American Zone: TBD
Semi-final: Jul. 14, 2022
Third-place match: Jul. 18, 2022
Final: Jul. 18, 2022
2022 CONCACAF W Championship Results
Q = Qualifies for 2023 Women’s World Cup
IC = Qualifies for inter-confederation play-offs
CONCACAF members can qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup by winning the top spots in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. The CONCACAF W Championship will host eight teams with two groups of a single round-robin phase. The top two (2) winners of each group will qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The third-place teams from both groups will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
In addition to qualifying for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the top team of each group will earn a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics in France. The second and third place teams of each group will advance to the Olympics’ inter-confederation play-offs.
See the list of CONCACAF members.
About the CONCACAF 2023 Women’s World Cup Qualification Teams
TBD
South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL)
Allotted 3 Direct Spots and 2 Play-Off Spots
CONMEBOL Timeline
Jul. 8 – Jul. 30, 2022
First stage: Jul. 8 – Jul. 21, 2022
Second stage: TBD
Fifth-place match: Jul. 24, 2022
Semi-finals: Jul. 25 – Jul. 26, 2022
Third-place match: Jul. 29, 2022
Final match: Jul. 30, 2022
2022 CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina Results
Q = Qualifies for 2023 Women’s World Cup
IC = Qualifies for inter-confederation play-offs
CONMEBOL members can qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup by winning the top spots in the 2022 Copa América Femenina. All ten (10) CONMENOL members are eligible to play in the Copa América Femenina. The top three (3) winners will qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Two additional teams from the CONMEBOL will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
See the list of CONMEBOL members.
About the CONMEBOL 2023 Women’s World Cup Qualification Teams
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)
Allotted 0 Direct Spots and 1 Play-Off Spot, Not Including the Host
OFC Timeline
Jul. 5 – Jul. 31, 2022
First stage: Jul. 13 – Jul. 20, 2022
Second stage: TBD
Quarter-final stage: Jul. 23 – Jul. 24, 2022
Semi-final: Jul. 26 – Jul. 27, 2022
Third-place match: Jul. 29, 2022
Final: Jul. 30, 2022
2022 OFC Women’s Nations Cup Results
Q = Qualifies for 2023 Women’s World Cup
H = Host for 2023 Women’s World Cup
IC = Qualifies for inter-confederation play-offs
Unlike other confederations, OFC members cannot qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup by winning the top spots in the 2022 OFC Women’s Nations Cup. This is because the OFC was not allotted direct spots for any teams other than the co-host, New Zealand.
Even though OFC members are unable to join directly through a confederation tournament win, they can advance to inter-confederation play-offs. Only the top team from the OFC Women’s Nations Cup will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
Allotted 11 Direct Spots and 1 Play-Off Spots
UEFA Timeline
Sept. 16, 2021 – Oct. 11, 2022
Group stage: Sept. 16, 2021 – Sept. 6, 2022
Play-offs: TBD
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup UEFA Qualification Group Results
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup UEFA Qualification Play-Off Results
Q = Qualifies for 2023 Women’s World Cup
IC = Qualifies for inter-confederation play-offs
UEFA members can qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup by winning the top spots in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup UEFA qualification competition. Eleven (11) spots, more than double any other confederation, are allotted to UEFA members. Nine (9) of the spots are the winners of the group stage, which is comprised of 51 teams broken into nine (9) groups.
The nine (9) second-place teams of the group phase go on to the play-off phase. The top two (2) teams of the play-off phase, with a combined group and play-off record, will also qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The third-place team of the play-off phase will be eligible to play in the inter-confederation play-offs.
About the UEFA 2023 Women’s World Cup Qualification Teams
Sweden qualified in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and now 2023. Sweden is ranked 2nd in the world as of Mar. 25, 2022.
Spain qualified in 2015, 2019, and now 2023. They did not qualify in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, or 2011. Spain is ranked 7th in the world as of Mar. 25, 2022.
Denmark qualified in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2007, and now 2023. They did not qualify in 2003, 2011, 2015, or 2019. Denmar is ranked 15th in the world as of Jun. 17, 2022.
France qualified in 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, and now 2023. They did not qualify in 1991, 1995, 1999, or 2007. France is ranked 3rd in the world as of Mar. 25, 2022.
3. Winning the top of a team’s group in an inter-confederation playoff
If a country is not hosting and their team does not qualify via their confederation, they still have a chance to make it to the 2023 Women’s World Cup by winning the top of their group in an inter-confederation playoff. This play-off style tournament will take place in February 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.
Each confederation is allotted a certain amount of spots that can compete in the inter-confederation play-offs. For this tournament, ten (10) teams will be placed into three (3) groups and Australia and New Zealand will join in Groups 1 and 2, for a total of twelve (12) teams. For Groups 1 and 2, Australia and New Zealand’s games will be considered friendlies since they have already qualified. Ultimately, the top team in each group, excluding Australia and New Zealand, will qualify for a spot in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
2023 Women’s World Cup Inter-Confederation Play-Off Spot Allocation
Inter-Confederation Play-Offs (3 Spots)
Inter-Conference Timeline
Feb. 17 – Feb. 23, 2023
Play-offs: TBD
Inter-Conference Play-Off Results
Q = Qualifies for 2023 Women’s World Cup
Inter-Conference 2023 Women’s World Cup Teams Qualified
TBD
List of Confederations and Their Members
FIFA consists of six confederations from different continents . Below are the members of each confederation and their FIFA women’s world ranking as of December 10, 21.
AFC – Asian Football Confederation in Asia and Australia
AFF – ASEAN Football Federation
- Australia (11)
- Brunei (N/A)
- Cambodia (N/A)
- Indonesia (94)
- Laos (84)
- Malaysia (88)
- Myanmar (47)
- Philippines (64)
- Singapore (134)
- Thailand (38)
- Timor-Leste (N/A)
- Vietnam (32)
CAFA – Central Asian Football Association
- Afghanistan (160)
- Iran (70)
- Kyrgyzstan (126)
- Tajikistan (138)
- Turkmenistan (N/A)
- Uzbekistan (45)
EAFF – East Asian Football Federation
- China (19)
- Chinese Taipei (39)
- Guam (97)
- Hong Kong (77)
- Japan (13)
- Macau (N/A)
- Mongolia (127)
- North Korea (10)
- Northern Mariana Islands (N/A)
- South Korea (18)
SAFF – South Asian Football Federation
- Bangladesh (143)
- Bhutan (168)
- India (55)
- Maldives (152)
- Nepal (103)
- Pakistan (N/A)
WAFF – West Asian Football Association
- Bahrain (87)
- Iraq (N/A)
- Jordan (63)
- Kuwait (N/A)
- Lebanon (140)
- Oman (N/A)
- Palestine (128)
- Qatar (N/A)
- Saudi Arabia (N/A)
- Syria (N/A)
- United Arab Emirates (106)
- Yemen (N/A)
CAF – Confédération Africaine de Football in Africa
CECAFA – Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations
- Burundi (N/A)
- Djibouti (N/A)
- Eritrea (N/A)
- Ethiopia (123)
- Kenya (146)
- Rwanda (157)
- Somalia (N/A)
- South Sudan (175)
- Sudan (N/A)
- Tanzania (150)
- Uganda (156)
- Zanzibar (N/A)
COSAFA – Council of Southern Africa Football Associations
- Angola (139)
- Botswana (154)
- Comoros (171)
- eSwatini (166)
- Lesotho (163)
- Madagascar (173)
- Malawi (153)
- Mauritius (176)
- Mozambique (165)
- Namibia (145)
- Seychelles (N/A)
- South Africa (56)
- Zambia (98)
- Zimbabwe (120)
UNAF – Union of North African Football Federations
- Algeria (79)
- Egypt (96)
- Libya (N/A)
- Morocco (78)
- Tunisia (74)
UNIFFAC – Central African Football Federation’s Union
- Cameroon (53)
- Central African Republic (N/A)
- Chad (N/A)
- Congo (111)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (114)
- Equatorial Guinea (72)
- Gabon (132)
- São Tomé and Príncipe (N/A)
WAFU-UFOA – West African Football Union
- Benin (142)
- Burkina (N/A)
- Cape Verde (N/A)
- Gambia (121)
- Ghana (57)
- Guinea (133)
- Guinea-Bissau (N/A)
- Ivory Coast (61)
- Liberia (159)
- Mali (82)
- Mauritania (N/A)
- Niger (161)
- Nigeria (41)
- Senegal (89)
- Sierra Leone (135)
- Togo (N/A)
CONCACAF – Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football in North America and Central America
CFU – Caribbean Football Union
- Anguilla (N/A)
- Antigua and Barbuda (167)
- Aruba (172)
- Bahamas (N/A)
- Barbados (144)
- Bermuda (147)
- Bonaire (N/A)
- British Virgin Islands (N/A)
- Cayman Islands (N/A)
- Cuba (91)
- Curaçao (169)
- Dominica (155)
- Dominican Republic (113)
- French Guiana (N/A)
- Grenada (158)
- Guadeloupe (N/A)
- Guyana (90)
- Haiti (62)
- Jamaica (51)
- Martinique (N/A)
- Montserrat (N/A)
- Puerto Rico (107)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis (137)
- Saint Lucia (148)
- Saint Martin (N/A)
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (151)
- Sint Maarten (N/A)
- Suriname (129)
- Trinidad and Tobago (73)
- Turks and Caicos Islands (174)
- United States Virgin Islands (162)
NAFU – North American Football Union
- Canada (6)
- Mexico (27)
- United States (1)
UNCAF – Central American Football Union
- Belize (164)
- Costa Rica (36)
- El Salvador (119)
- Guatemala (80)
- Honduras (115)
- Nicaragua (117)
- Panama (58)
CONMEBOL – Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol in South America
- Argentina (34)
- Bolivia (93)
- Brazil (7)
- Chile (37)
- Colombia (26)
- Ecuador (66)
- Paraguay (50)
- Peru (67)
- Uruguay (71)
- Venezuela (52)
OFC – Oceania Football Confederation in Oceania
- American Samoa (141)
- Cook Islands (105)
- Fiji (68)
- French Polynesia (104)
- Kiribati (N/A)
- Solomon Islands (116)
- Tonga (91)
- Tuvalu (N/A)
- Vanuatu (122)
- UEFA (170)
- New Caledonia (101)
- New Zealand (22)
- Niue (N/A)
- Papua New Guinea (49)
- Samoa (109)
UEFA – Union of European Football Associations in Europe
- Albania (76)
- Andorra (170)
- Armenia (130)
- Austria (21)
- Azerbaijan (83)
- Belarus (54)
- Belgium (20)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (69)
- Bulgaria (81)
- Croatia (59)
- Cyprus (124)
- Czech Republic (24)
- Denmark (14)
- England (8)
- Estonia (108)
- Faroe Islands (99)
- Finland (28)
- France (4)
- Georgia (125)
- Germany (3)
- Gibraltar (N/A)
- Great Britain (N/A)
- Greece (60)
- Hungary (43)
- Iceland (16)
- Ireland (31)
- Israel (75)
- Italy (15)
- Kazakhstan (86)
- Kosovo (110)
- Latvia (112)
- Liechtenstein (N/A)
- Lithuania (102)
- Luxembourg (118)
- Malta (95)
- Moldova (100)
- Montenegro (85)
- Netherlands (5)
- North Macedonia (131)
- Northern Ireland (46)
- Norway (12)
- Poland (30)
- Portugal (29)
- Romania (42)
- Russia (25)
- San Marino (N/A)
- Scotland (23)
- Serbia (40)
- Slovakia (44)
- Slovenia (48)
- Spain (9)
- Sweden (2)
- Switzerland (17)
- Turkey (65)
- Ukraine (35)
- Wales (33)
Now knowing how teams qualify for the Women’s World Cup, do you have any predictions of who else will make it in?
