2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)
Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023
Tournament details
Host countryNew Zealand
Dates18–23 February 2023
Teams10 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Tournament statistics
Matches played7
Goals scored19 (2.71 per match)
Attendance6,261 (894 per match)
Top scorer(s)Cameroon Gabrielle Onguéné
Haiti Roselord Borgella
Haiti Melchie Dumornay
(2 goals each)
← 2019
2027 →

The inter-confederation play-offs[a] of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification determined the final three qualification spots for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. The play-off tournament was used as a test event for New Zealand to host prior to the Women's World Cup. It took place from 18 to 23 February 2023,[2] and featured ten teams split into three groups, with the winner of each group qualifying for the Women's World Cup. New Zealand and guests Argentina also played friendlies against participating teams and each other as part of the event.[1]

Format

On 24 December 2020, the Bureau of the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation and format of the play-off tournament.

  • AFC (Asia): 2 slots
  • CAF (Africa): 2 slots
  • CONCACAF (North, Central America and the Caribbean): 2 slots
  • CONMEBOL (South America): 2 slots
  • OFC (Oceania): 1 slot
  • UEFA (Europe): 1 slot

The play-off tournament was held in New Zealand as a test event prior to their hosting of 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. It featured ten teams, split into three groups of three (Group A and B) or four (Group C). The winner of each group qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup. Four teams were seeded into groups based on the FIFA Women's World Rankings. In Groups A and B, two unseeded teams faced each other in a semi-final. The winner of the semi-final advanced to the play-off final, playing against the seeded team for a spot in the Women's World Cup. In Group C, the two seeded teams faced an unseeded team in the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals faced each other in the play-off final for a spot in the Women's World Cup.[3]

New Zealand and Argentina (confirmed as guests on 8 December 2022) participated in friendly matches as part of the event, first against one of the seeded teams in Groups A and B, and then twice against each other. Friendly matches also took place between the semi-final loser of Groups A and B, as well as the two semi-final losers of Group C, thereby ensuring that all play-off teams played two matches at the event.[3][4]

New Zealand were confirmed as the sole host nation for the play-off tournament on 4 July 2022.[3] Australia were originally planned as co-hosts of the play-offs, with their national team intended to participate in friendly matches.[5]

Qualified teams

The following teams from each confederation qualified for the play-off tournament.

Confederation Qualified as Team
AFC 2022 Women's Asian Cup play-offs runners-up  Chinese Taipei
2022 Women's Asian Cup play-offs third place  Thailand
CAF 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations repechage winners  Cameroon
 Senegal
CONCACAF 2022 W Championship Group A third place  Haiti
2022 W Championship Group B third place  Panama
CONMEBOL 2022 Copa América Femenina fourth place  Paraguay
2022 Copa América Femenina fifth place  Chile
OFC 2022 Women's Nations Cup winners  Papua New Guinea
UEFA Lowest-ranked winners of UEFA play-offs  Portugal

Venues

The two venues for the tournament were confirmed by FIFA on 4 July 2022.[3]

Hamilton Auckland
Waikato Stadium North Harbour Stadium
Capacity: 25,800 Capacity: 22,000

Draw

The play-off draw took place on 14 October 2022, 12:00 CEST (UTC+2), in Zürich, Switzerland.[6][7] Four teams were seeded into groups based on the FIFA Women's World Rankings of 13 October 2022 (shown in parentheses),[8] with a maximum of one seeded team per confederation. The UEFA team was automatically seeded into pot 1, so as to prevent three European teams from being drawn into the same group in the final tournament.[b] The highest-ranked team was placed in slot A1, the second-highest in slot B1, the third-highest in slot C1, and the fourth-highest in slot C2. The remaining six teams were unseeded and drawn into the remaining slots, with the condition that teams from the same confederation could not be drawn into the same group. In the draw, the six unseeded teams were allocated to the first available group sequentially (from A to C, before repeating). After a team was selected, a separate draw then determined the team's position within their respective group for the purposes of the schedule.[10]

Pot 1 (seeded) Pot 2 (unseeded)
  1.  Portugal (23) (A1)
  2.  Chile (38) (B1)
  3.  Chinese Taipei (40) (C1)
  4.  Papua New Guinea (50) (C2)
  1.  Thailand (41)
  2.  Paraguay (51)
  3.  Haiti (56)
  4.  Panama (57)
  5.  Cameroon (58)
  6.  Senegal (84)

Squads

Main article: 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup play-off tournament squads

Each team had to provide to FIFA a preliminary squad of between 35 and 55 players, which was not to be published. From the preliminary squad, each team had to name a final squad of up to 23 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers). Players in the final squad could be replaced due to serious injury or illness up to 24 hours prior to the team's first match.[1]

Schedule

The match schedule and venues, without kick-off times, were confirmed on 4 July 2022.[3] The kick-off times were confirmed on 5 November 2022, after the play-off draw.[11] The semi-finals took place from 18 to 19 February, while the finals took place from 22 to 23 February 2023.[12]

All times listed are local, NZDT (UTC+13).

Group A

The winner of Group A entered Group E in the final tournament.

Bracket

Semi-finalFinal
      
22 February 2023 – Hamilton
 Portugal2
18 February 2023 – Hamilton
 Cameroon1
 Cameroon2
 Thailand0

Semi-final

Cameroon 2–0 Thailand
  • Onguéné 79', 81'
 Report
Attendance: 1,021

Final

Portugal 2–1 Cameroon
 Report
Attendance: 1,132

Group B

The winner of Group B entered Group D in the final tournament.

Bracket

Semi-finalFinal
      
22 February 2023 – Auckland
 Chile1
18 February 2023 – Auckland
 Haiti2
 Senegal0
 Haiti4

Semi-final

Senegal 0–4 Haiti
Report
Attendance: 925

Final

Chile 1–2 Haiti
 Report
Attendance: 1,157

Group C

The winner of Group C entered Group F in the final tournament.

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
19 February 2023 – Hamilton
 
 
 Chinese Taipei2 (2)
 
23 February 2023 – Hamilton
 
 Paraguay (p)2 (4)
 
 Paraguay0
 
19 February 2023 – Auckland
 
 Panama1
 
 Papua New Guinea0
 
 
 Panama2
 

Semi-finals

Papua New Guinea 0–2 Panama
Report
Attendance: 746

Final

Paraguay 0–1 Panama
Report
Attendance: 476

Goalscorers

There were 19 goals scored in 7 matches, for an average of 2.71 goals per match.

2 goals

1 goal

Qualified teams for FIFA Women's World Cup

The following three teams qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Team Qualified on Previous appearances in FIFA Women's World Cup
 Haiti 22 February 2023 0 (debut)
 Portugal 22 February 2023 0 (debut)
 Panama 23 February 2023 0 (debut)

Associated friendly matches

Friendly matches were scheduled during the play-off tournament in New Zealand. They had no bearing on qualification, but were considered by FIFA to be part of the event.[1]

New Zealand 0–5 Portugal
Report
Attendance: 3,788[20]
Argentina 4–0 Chile
 Report
New Zealand 0–2 Argentina
Report
Attendance: 3,622[23]
Thailand 1–1 Senegal
 Report
New Zealand 0–1 Argentina
Report
Attendance: 3,914[27]

Discipline

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for receiving a red card, which could be extended for serious offences.[1]

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

Player Offence(s) Suspension(s)
Cameroon Fatima Komé Red card in Women's Africa Cup of Nations repechage vs Botswana (17 July 2022) Group A semi-final vs Thailand (18 February 2023)
Cameroon Ange Bawou Red card in Group A semi-final vs Thailand (18 February 2023) Group A final vs Portugal (22 February 2023)

Player of the Match award

A player of the match was named for each game at the tournament, including friendlies.

Match Player of the Match Opponent Ref.
Women's World Cup qualification
1 Cameroon Gabrielle Onguéné  Thailand [29]
2 Haiti Roselord Borgella  Senegal [30]
3 Paraguay Alicia Bobadilla  Chinese Taipei [31]
4 Panama Marta Cox  Papua New Guinea [32]
5 Portugal Tatiana Pinto  Cameroon [33]
6 Haiti Melchie Dumornay  Chile [34]
7 Panama Lineth Cedeño  Paraguay [35]
Friendly matches
1 Portugal Ana Capeta  New Zealand [36]
2 Argentina Florencia Bonsegundo  Chile [36]
3 Argentina Mariana Larroquette  New Zealand (first match) [37]
4 Thailand Phornphirun Philawan  Senegal [38]
5 Chinese Taipei Lee Hsiu-chin  Papua New Guinea [39]
6 Argentina Mariana Larroquette  New Zealand (second match) [40]

Notes

  1. ^ Officially known as the Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023.[1]
  2. ^ In the final tournament draw, geographical constraints dictated that teams from the same confederation could not be drawn into the same group except for UEFA teams, for which there was at least one and no more than two per group. However, as the final tournament draw was held before the completion of the play-offs, the play-off winners would be represented by placeholders which adhered to the geographical constraints of only the seeded team(s) of each play-off group. Therefore, teams from the same confederation might ultimately end up in the same final tournament group.[9] However, FIFA wished to avoid the unlikely possibility of a final tournament group containing three UEFA teams, if the UEFA team in the play-offs were to be unseeded. Therefore, the UEFA team was automatically seeded into pot 1 of the play-off draw, regardless of their ranking.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Regulations – Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023" (PDF). FIFA. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  2. ^ "FIFA Council approves further transfer system reforms and announces key FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 dates". FIFA. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e "New Zealand to host first ever FIFA Women's World Cup Play-Off Tournament". FIFA. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Ford Football Ferns to take on Argentina at Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023". NZ Football. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Update on FIFA Women's World Cup and men's youth competitions". FIFA. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Draw for the Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 to take place on 14 October". FIFA. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Play-off Tournament draw throws up intriguing clashes". FIFA. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Women's Ranking: 13 Oct 2022". FIFA. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Draw Procedures for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023" (PDF). FIFA. October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Draw Procedures for the Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Kick-off times confirmed for Play-Off Tournament in Aotearoa New Zealand". FIFA. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Match Schedule – Play Off Tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023" (PDF). FIFA. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Cameroon–Thailand: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Portugal–Cameroon: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Senegal–Haiti: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Chile–Haiti: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Chinese Taipei–Paraguay: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Papua New Guinea–Panama: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Paraguay–Panama: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Ferns fall to Portugal". New Zealand Football. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  21. ^ "New Zealand–Portugal: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  22. ^ "Argentina–Chile: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  23. ^ Rollo, Phillip (20 February 2023). "Football Ferns have goal ruled out in 2-0 defeat to Argentina in Hamilton". Stuff. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  24. ^ "New Zealand–Argentina: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  25. ^ "Thailand–Senegal: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  26. ^ "Chinese Taipei–Papua New Guinea: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  27. ^ "Ferns' goalscoring woes continue as Argentina win 1–0 in tight contest". Friends of Football. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  28. ^ "New Zealand–Argentina: Key details and streaming info". FIFA. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  29. ^ "Super-sub Onguene fires Cameroon through to face Portugal". FIFA. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  30. ^ "Haiti outclass Senegal to set up Chile decider". FIFA. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  31. ^ "Paraguay rally to win shootout and book play-off final". FIFA. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  32. ^ "Wonder goals take Panama past PNG". FIFA. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  33. ^ "Portugal seal their spot amid stoppage-time drama". FIFA. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  34. ^ "Dumornay at the double as Haiti make history". FIFA. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  35. ^ "Cedeno heads Panama to first Women's World Cup". FIFA. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  36. ^ a b "Portugal thump Ferns, Argentina overwhelm Chile". FIFA. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  37. ^ "Argentina prevail as New Zealand's winless run continues". FIFA. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  38. ^ "Senegal fight back to draw with Thailand". FIFA. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  39. ^ "Chinese Taipei end adventure Down Under with 5–0 win". FIFA. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  40. ^ "Larroquette strikes again as New Zealand's winless run continues". FIFA. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.