2023 Women’s World Cup Team Base Camps confirmed by FIFA

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FIFA
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FIFA has confirmed the short-listed Team Base Camp options that will be available for selection by participating teams (Participating Member Associations: PMAs) for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

In what arrives as a first for the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament, competing countries will use dedicated Team Base Camps in next year’s tournament in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

A Team Base Camp (TBC) is the ‘home away from home’ for a PMA during the competition period and includes an accommodation and training site pairing for the entire delegation.

In Australia, 35 Team Base Camp options have been shortlisted across five Host Cities and 11 other regional centres, for the 16 Participating Member Associations that will play group matches in Australia.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, 21 TBC options have been shortlisted across four Host Cities and five other regional centres, for the 16 PMAs that will play group matches in Aotearoa New Zealand.

After the Draw for the Tournament in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau on October 22, 2022 – the 29 qualified PMAs will be able to visit the various TBC sites in the country where they are drawn to play their group matches and submit to FIFA their preferred TBC choices. FIFA will then confirm the selected TBCs by the end of 2022.

The three PMAs that will qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 via the Play-Off Tournament in February 2023 will select their TBC after qualification.

Appearing on the shortlist does not equate to a pairing’s automatic confirmation as a TBC. It simply means the venue has passed a thorough evaluation process and is eligible for selection by a PMA.

In addition to the TBCs, Venue Specific Team Hotel and Venue Specific Training Sites pairings aligned to the 10 match venues have been confirmed. There are two per host city – eight in Aotearoa New Zealand and 10 in Australia – and these will primarily be used for match preparation activities on the day before match days.

In addition, the location of the headquarters for the referees’ training base has also been confirmed as the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre.

FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 is the first to be co-hosted, the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere and the first with 32 teams – up from 24 in 2019.

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Football Victoria marks World Autism Understanding Month with Expanded Inclusion Program

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Image Credit: Football Victoria

Football Victoria has marked World Autism Understanding Month with a series of practical inclusion initiatives delivered in partnership with Aspect, reinforcing the governing body’s commitment to making football accessible for autistic participants across all levels of the game.

The partnership, now in its second year, has moved beyond awareness into structural change. Environmental assessments have been completed across multiple programs and match days, including at Collingwood City FC and the All-Abilities League match day at Northcote City FC. Each assessment identifies accessibility barriers and provides concrete inclusion principles integrated into the physical and operational realities of football environments.

Ahead of the 2025 Football For All Gala Day, Aspect conducted an environmental assessment of The Home of the Matildas, informing the development of a Visual Story designed to help participants with autism understand the venue and event before arriving. The same approach has been applied to FV’s GO Camps program, giving participants and families the information they need to engage with confidence.

Aspect has also delivered multiple education sessions for coaches throughout the partnership, with a dedicated session for referees held on April 20, the first of its kind, extending autism understanding across match officials and into all parts of the game day experience.

Football Victoria has also joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Initiative, with training and education to be rolled out across the organisation in the coming months, strengthening its capacity to recognise and support participants with non-visible disabilities.

The initiatives reflect a recognition that access to sport is not guaranteed by an open registration form. For many participants with autism and their families, the barriers are environmental, informational and social; and removing them requires sustained investment in education, assessment and design.

UEFA reaffirm partnership with Oceania Football Confederation

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Image credit: UEFA.com

Last week, UEFA signed a Memoriam of Understanding (MoU) with Oceania’s football governing body to continue its commitment  to football in Oceania.

 

United through football

While being two governing bodies separated by distance, the MoU stands as a symbol of unity and collaboration which supports mutual growth.

The agreement will run until 2031, displaying both parties’ commitment to long-term development through football.

“Europe and Oceania are connected by a shared belief in the importance of investing in people as the foundation of football’s future,” said UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin, via press release.

“This Memorandum of Understanding brings together UEFA’s experience in elite development and education with OFC’s clear focus on nurturing young talent and strengthening football leadership.”

Furthermore, OFC President, Lambert Maltock, also expressed his confidence in the agreement to support players and pathways alike.

“Our partnership with UEFA reflects a shared commitment to developing the game at every level – from grassroots to elite,” said Maltock.

“By investing in our people and working collaboratively, we are building a more connected, capable and globally competitive football ecosystem for Oceania.”

 

What the agreement promises

Continuing UEFA’s recent MoUs with CAF (Africa), Concacaf (North, Central America and the Caribbean) and CONMEBOL (South America), the partnership will seek to address several key aspects. These include:

  • Youth football opportunities – supporting OFC’s annual boy’s and girl’s U15 tournaments.
  • Knowledge exchange – reciprocal observer programmes at club finals and national team tournaments.
  • Football development – delivered through the UEFA Together programme.
  • Coach education – sharing of technical expertise and learning activities.
  • Refereeing – opportunities to referee youth tournaments, courses and technical programmes.

Moreover, the agreement outlines a commitment to ensuring football remains a tolerant and inclusive sport, capable of uniting communities and empowering individuals.

Therefore, the MoU between UEFA and the OFC is symbolic of aligned values, principles and vision for the future of football in both regions.

 

Final thoughts

An alliance of this nature – especially in these uncertain times for global cooperation – is vital.

Football has the power to unite like nothing else.

So governing bodies must recognise the value of connecting across cultures, countries and continents, not only for what it can do for football, but how it can promote fundamental values within the sport as a whole.

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