2023 Women’s World Cup Cup, Day 1: Match thread and discussion

The 2023 Women’s World Cup is finally here, and 32 teams enter it with hopes of lifting the trophy in a month’s time in Sydney. This is the first Women’s World Cup with 32 teams, and it’s the first edition to feature two host nations. New Zealand/Aotearoa and Australia both carry with them the hopes of a nation, and we will get to see both hosts in action on this first day.

The first match is New Zealand taking on Norway, and it’s a big test for the Football Ferns. Norway has a beast of an attack, with one of the world’s best players in Ada Hegerberg and another dynamite talent in Caroline Graham Hansen that can score a ton of goals. New Zealand hopes to get off on the right foot in front of their home fans, and captain Ali Riley hopes to quarterback her team to an opening match victory.

In the second opener, Australia will take on the Republic of Ireland before a sold out Stadium Australia. Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, and the rest of the Matildas hope to show out against an Irish team that can play tough and take any team out of their comfort zone.

Later on tonight, Nigeria and Canada will battle in what will be a pretty interesting matchup. Canada comes into the match hoping they can build on their gold medal win at the 2020 Olympics, but Nigeria is here to show that people should not sleep on their abilities. It makes for a wonderful first full day of action at the Women’s World Cup.

How to watch

Group A - New Zealand vs. Norway

Location: Eden Park, Auckland

Kick-off time: 3:00am Eastern, 12:00am Pacific

Available TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Available streaming: Fox Sports (App/Website), Peacock (App/Website), Telemundo (App/Website), FuboTV (Free Trial)

Group B - Australia vs. Ireland

Location: Stadium Australia, Sydney

Kick-off time: 6:00am Eastern, 3:00am Pacific

Available TV: Fox (English), Universo (Spanish)

Available streaming: Fox Sports (App/Website), Peacock (App/Website), Univision Now (App/Website), FuboTV (Free Trial)

Group B - Nigeria vs. Canada

Location: AAMI Park, Melbourne

Kick-off time: 10:30pm Eastern, 7:30pm Pacific

Available TV: Fox (English), Universo (Spanish)

Available streaming: Fox Sports (App/Website), Peacock (App/Website), Univision Now (App/Website), FuboTV (Free Trial)

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