(Reuters) – Australia and New Zealand will co-host the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, making it the first tournament to have more than one host nation.
The global soccer showpiece, which has been expanded to 32 teams from 24, gets underway on July 20 when New Zealand take on Norway at Eden Park in Auckland.
Holders United States begin their quest for a record-extending fifth title against Vietnam on July 22, while European champions England kick off their campaign against Haiti later the same day.
The following are the eight groups in the tournament:
GROUP A: New Zealand (co-hosts), Norway, Philippines, Switzerland.
GROUP B: Australia (co-hosts), Canada, Nigeria, Ireland.
GROUP C: Costa Rica, Japan, Spain, Zambia.
GROUP D: China, Denmark, England, Haiti.
GROUP E: Netherlands, Portugal, United States, Vietnam.
GROUP F: Brazil, France, Jamaica, Panama.
GROUP G: Argentina, Italy, South Africa, Sweden.
GROUP H: Colombia, Germany, South Korea, Morocco.
The group stage will be a round-robin format, with each of the 32 teams playing three matches. The teams will get three points for a win and one for a draw. The top two in each group advance to the round of 16.
The first knockout round kicks off on Aug. 5, followed by the quarter-finals from Aug. 11 and the semi-finals from Aug. 15.
The knockout rounds feature one-off matches which can go to extra time and then penalties to decide the winner.
The third-place playoff between the two losing semi-finalists takes place on Aug. 19 at Lang Park in Brisbane.
WHEN IS THE WORLD CUP FINAL?
The World Cup final will be held on Sunday, Aug. 20. The match will kick off at 1000 GMT (8 p.m. local time).
WHICH STADIUM IS HOSTING THE FINAL?
Stadium Australia in Sydney will host the World Cup final. It is the largest venue being used for the tournament and seats some 70,000 spectators.
WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES?
Bookmakers William Hill and Ladbrokes have listed holders and four-time champions United States as the favourites.
(Compiled by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
