Fifa Women’s World Cup: Team base camps revealed for next year’s tournament in New Zealand

Specialist Multimedia Sports Journalist·NZ Herald·

12 Dec, 2022 02:30 AM3 mins to read

United States celebrate with the trophy after winning the 2019 Women's Fifa World Cup final. Photo / AP

New Zealand football fans will have a unique opportunity to engage with some of the best female players on the planet next year, after confirmation of the team base camps for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.

Sixteen teams will be here for the group stages and in a new initiative for the tournament, each squad will have a dedicated training site and accommodation, that they will return to after each match, regardless of where they are playing around the country.

On Monday Fifa confirmed the ‘home away from home’ for each competing nation, with sites spread across seven cities in New Zealand.

As well as Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch and Wellington — which are the four cities hosting matches — there will also be teams based in Tauranga, Palmerston North and Christchurch.

The initiative will extend the footprint of the tournament and provide for some special memories, with organisers promising that teams will hold some open training sessions, where the public will be invited to attend.

It should be a boost for the tournament’s legacy, as young players (in particular) will get to see their heroes up close, while local club members could be involved in roles around the base camps.

As an example, the United States — one of the most high profile teams in any sport around the world and two-time defending champions — will be based in the humble surrounds of Bay City Park in Browns Bay, the home of East Coast Bays AFC.

The Football Ferns have chosen Keith Hay Park, where Auckland United FC play, as their base.

There are a total of seven teams staying in Auckland and the others include Norway (Seddon Fields/Western Springs AFC), the Philippines (Olympic Park/Bay-Olympic FC), Vietnam (Fred Taylor Park/Waitakere City FC), Italy (Shepherds Park/Birkenhead United AFC) and Argentina (Michaels Ave Reserve/Ellerslie AFC).

Zambia will be in Hamilton, while the Netherlands have selected Tauranga and Spain opted for Palmerston North.

Sweden and South Africa are in Wellington, with Costa Rica and Japan in Christchurch and Switzerland coming to Dunedin.

Following October’s draw, the qualified teams visited the short-listed sites and then submitted their preferred options to Fifa, ranked from first to third choice.

Following those selections, Fifa confirmed the base camps for the respective teams.

There were nine prospective host clubs in Auckland, with another eleven possible venues around the country. Sites in Napier and Rotorua were among those that missed out, along with McLennan Park (Papakura City FC) and Mangere Central Park (Manukau United).

While there is no fixed date, teams are expected to arrive up to two weeks before their first match, while all squads will be in New Zealand within seven days of the tournament’s opening match on July 20.