ZURICH: FIFA has set out the schedule for the inspection visits to the four bidding member associations for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The dates are:

Colombian Football Association (29 January – 1 February)

Brazilian Football Association (3 February – 6 February)

Football Federation Australia and New Zealand Football (17 February – 22 February)

Japan Football Association (24 February – 27 February)

The 2023 finals, building on the record-breaking 2019 edition, will be the first featuring 32 teams.

In Shanghai last October FIFA Council confirmed that it will invest $1bn in women’s football over the course of the 2019-2022 cycle, as a result of an agreement on further dedicated funding to the of $500m.

Overall assessment

A FIFA statement said:

The FIFA delegation will conduct visits to specific locations as well as working meetings with the bid committees, the main purpose of which will be to assess certain technical aspects contained in the bid books and discuss the overall plans for women’s football development in the respective countries. All cities to be visited have been chosen after consultation with the respective bid committees. The visits to the member associations represent only one part of the overall assessment process implemented by FIFA. For an overview of the full evaluation process, please see the following guide.

The findings of the FIFA delegation will be included in the Bid Evaluation Report that will be published on FIFA.com. All eligible bids will be presented to the FIFA Council, which is set to select the host(s) of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 at its meeting in Addis Ababa in June 2020. The selection of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 host(s) by the FIFA Council will be open and each ballot and the related votes will be made public.

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