Women's World Cup 2023 kicks off

Over the next four weeks, 32 teams will compete across 64 matches at 10 venues in Australia and New Zealand.

Opening Day brought its share of thrills on the pitch, with a big upset win for one host country and a tense match that ended in victory for the other. As the soccer world turns its attention to the women's tournament, the World Cup has also highlighted a number of issues off the pitch.

• Fairytale start for New Zealand: It was a cheerful atmosphere in Auckland, New Zealand, as the home side scored an upset victory over Norway. This marked New Zealand's first Women's World Cup victory, and the team got to do it in front of a roaring 42,000 spectators in the friendly confines of Eden Park. The game set a New Zealand soccer match attendance record — for both men's and women's play. Norway is considered one of the tournament favorites and will look to right the ship.
• Cagey win for Australia: Steph Catley, Australia's stand-in captain, had the weight of the nation on her shoulders as she stepped up to take the match-winning penalty in the second half against the Republic of Ireland. Wearing the armband in place of the injured Sam Kerr, Catley held her nerve and secured the win in her team's opening match. Irish fans, meanwhile, still found something to cheer about: Their squad went toe-to-toe with a powerhouse of women's soccer and more than held their own. That's impressive for the country's Women's World Cup debut.

• Tragedy close to home: A rare multiple-victim shooting in Auckland just hours before the tournament opened rattled the city where tens of thousands had just gathered to watch New Zealand play. Authorities have given no indication the shooting had anything to do with the competition, but it frayed nerves and led to the canceling of a designated fan zone downtown.
• Highlighting women's pay: A subject of particular interest in the US gains a global audience this month: the issue of equal pay for women's athletes. Soccer players at the 2023 Women’s World Cup will on average earn just 25 cents for every dollar earned by men at their World Cup last year, a new CNN analysis found.
• Making history: For the first time ever, a total of 32 teams will vie for this year’s Women's World Cup prize – the most countries to ever compete at the tournament. That larger field makes room for eight nations that have never competed at a World Cup finals before: Haiti, Republic of Ireland, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Vietnam and Zambia.

The US plays its first match against Vietnam Saturday afternoon in Auckland, New Zealand. While the game kicks off at 1 p.m. local time, for Americans watching from home, that's actually 9 p.m. ET on Friday.

According to sports data company Gracenote, the US is the favorite to win the tournament with a 18% chance of success.

For the first time ever, a total of 32 teams will vie for this year’s Women's World Cup prize – the most countries to ever compete at the tournament.

The bumper number of teams means there is space for eight nations who have never made an appearance at a World Cup finals before: Haiti, Republic of Ireland, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Vietnam and Zambia are all making their debut at the competition this year.

Ireland lost to co-host country Australia in the team's first match on Thursday. It's set to take on Canada next week.

World No. 77 Zambia is the lowest-ranked team in the tournament and its achievement of reaching the finals has been rewarded with group games against Spain, Japan and Costa Rica.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan women’s team has continued the incredible rise of football in the country.

The Atlas Lionesses reached the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations last year – a tournament hosted in the country – before being beaten by South Africa.

It comes as the men’s side reached the semifinals at Qatar 2022 – the first African nation to do so

Haiti, ranked 53rd in the world, is another debutant which will be looking to upset the odds in Australia and New Zealand.

While the new additions can be seen as progress for the tournament, there are fears that it could lead to some one-sided matches.

In the 2019 edition, the USWNT beat Thailand 13-0 in a match which sparked debate over the disparity between nations – with some countries struggling to find resources to compete with the sport’s powerhouses.

All eyes will be on this year’s minnows who will be hoping to avoid such embarrassment on the global stage.

Steph Catley, Australia's stand-in captain, had the weight of the nation on her shoulders as she stepped up to take the match-winning penalty in the second half against the Republic of Ireland.

"It's hard to put into words to be honest," she told British broadcaster ITV. "It's been such a big build-up for us.

"We've had a lot of adrenaline and excitement coming into the game, we had some moments where we had to work through that.

"Obviously, we didn't have Sammy [Kerr]. I've had conversations with [head coach] Tony [Gustavsson] about it, about me potentially needing to take one if the opportunity came up, and I felt confident to do it.

Despite a disappointing result against Australia, Ireland's fans have much to cheer about.

Their side showed it can go toe-to-toe with a powerhouse of women's soccer and was only denied a memorable result by a second-half penalty.

While the Irish players trudged off the pitch in Sydney, fans watching in Brisbane could see the positives.

"Disappointing but very uplifting," Ireland fan Sean Stanley told CNN, while he attended a fan park in the city.

"We know we’re good defensively and we did that well tonight and we showed attacking threat as well. It’s 1-0, it’s unfortunate, but that’s it."

The match was Ireland's first ever game in the Women's World Cup, but there was no sign of nerves.

On another day, Ireland might have found an equalizer after piling the pressure on the Matildas in the final few moments.

Ireland fan John McGarry told CNN that he was proud of how the players represented the country.

"We can’t take away from the Girls in Green here," he said.

Australia's Women's World Cup opener against the Republic of Ireland set a new single-game attendance record for a women's soccer match in the country, with 75,784 fans watching the Matildas' 1-0 win at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

Expect to see more attendance records set at this World Cup, with almost 1.4 million tickets already sold, surpassing the previous record set at Canada 2015.

Australia manages to hold on to record its first win of this year's Women's World Cup.

The co-host had to weather a mighty Irish storm in the final few moments but defended resolutely when it mattered.

The full-time whistle was greeted with celebrations on the pitch and from fans packed into Stadium Australia.

Disappointment for Ireland which stepped up on its tournament debut, but a magical opening day for both co-hosts as they both take three points.

Australia certainly has lots of support in Sydney for its opening match but, despite the game being held on the other side of the world, plenty of Irish fans are making their voices heard.

While many Irish spectators are already living in Australia, some have made the trip over to watch their side play in the Women's World Cup for the first time.

Oscar, Kerryn, Joshua and Samantha have traveled all the way from Limerick, Ireland, to be inside Stadium Australia — a roughly 10,800-mile trip one way. 

They won't be too happy with the result so far and their team is holding on a bit now with five minutes left to play.

Deafening sound inside the stadium as Australia finally has the breakthrough... but Ireland is furious.

The Matildas have been piling on the pressure since the restart and were rewarded with a penalty after Hayley Raso was clumsily brought down in the box.

Ireland's players protested the decision, but the referee had very little choice.

Captain Steph Catley stepped up and fired her spotkick into the top corner of the net. The crowd liked that one.