By Ben Church, Matias Grez, Tara Subramaniam, Hilary Whiteman, Adam Renton and Patrick Sung, CNN
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam in Auckland, New Zealand
Unlike the Olympics, World Cups hold short opening ceremonies and Thursday's one in Eden Park was no different.
The roughly 10-minute ceremony kicked off on a chilly but dry Auckland night celebrating both New Zealand and Australia's indigenous heritage and culture, with Māori and First Nations dancers and singers taking to the center of the field.
Australian musician Mallrat accompanied New Zealand's Benee to sing this year's official FIFA World Cup song Do It Again.
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam in Auckland, New Zealand
Cars and buses taking fans to the opening match of the Women's World Cup at Auckland's Eden Park were facing traffic delays Thursday, owing in part to road closures resulting from this morning's rare mass shooting.
Among those choosing to avoid the delays by walking the final kilometer to the stadium, Giselle Baker told CNN she had hopped off her bus two stops early because of the traffic.
She had left two hours before kick off and yet an hour later had still not reached her destination.
She told CNN she was rushing to meet her family who were already at the stadium but could not enter because she had their tickets.
A record crowd is expected Thursday evening at the city's Eden Park stadium for the tournament opener between the home team Football Ferns and Norway. The 123-year-old stadium has a capacity of more than 40,500 seats for the tournament, according to FIFA.
The opening game is the first of five group matches taking place in Auckland. Eden Park will also host one match in the round of 16, one in the quarterfinals and one in the semis.
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam in Auckland, New Zealand
The ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Auckland on Thursday as co-host New Zealand takes on Norway.
Between July 20 and August 20, 32 teams will compete across 64 matches at 10 different venues, making this year’s tournament the biggest to date.
Here's the teams to look out for:
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam in Auckland, New Zealand
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup gets underway shortly with co-hosts New Zealand kicking off the tournament and the summer of footballing festivities.
The Football Ferns will take on Norway at Eden Park in front of an expected record home crowd.
The team line-ups have just been announced:
Norway, the 1995 World Cup winner, comes into the opening game as the heavy favorite and with star quality all over the pitch — led by talismanic striker Ada Hegerberg. The 2018 Ballon d'Or Féminin winner, awarded to the best women’s player in the world, will be crucial for Norway’s chances of going far in the tournament.
The World Cup loves an underdog story and buoyed by home support, the co-hosts will be hoping to make a memorable start. While New Zealand isn’t expected to set the world alight during the tournament, this World Cup could have a huge impact on football in the country for generations to come.
From CNN's George Ramsay
The ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Auckland on Thursday as co-host New Zealand takes on Norway.
Between July 20 and August 20, 32 teams will compete across 64 matches at 10 different venues, making this year’s tournament the biggest to date.
Here's who to watch out for:
From CNN's Hilary Whiteman in Brisbane, Australia
Move over La’eeb!
The flying white sheet that descended from the mascot-verse to represent the Men’s World Cup in Qatar in 2022 has been replaced with a new cartoon creation.
Women’s World Cup mascot Tazuni is a 15-year-old penguin with a shock of blue hair whose name is a mash-up of the “Tasman Sea” — the stretch of water between Australia and New Zealand — and “unity,” a nod to the co-hosts becoming the first countries to ever share Women's World Cup hosting rights.
As the legend goes, Tazuni took up the sport after joining some children playing on a beach.
“The kids from the beach hand over a personalised football kit, and she confidently strides into the stadium to showcase her talents,” according to the FIFA website.
On Thursday, Tazuni was beside another stretch of water — the Brisbane River — meeting fans at the FIFA Fan Festival in Brisbane or Meanjin, the name used by its traditional owners, the Turrbal people, ahead of the opening ceremony across the Tasman.
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam in Auckland, New Zealand
In Auckland on Thursday, banners and posters emblazoned with the 2023 Women's World Cup slogan "Beyond Greatness" welcomed visitors from across the world, as the city prepared to host the opening game in what is expected to be the biggest women's sporting event in history.
Located in the north of New Zealand’s North Island, Auckland is the country's largest city with a population of approximately 1.6 million.
No stranger to major sporting events, it also hosted the finals of the 1987 and 2011 Rugby World Cups.
This year, it is one of nine World Cup host cities across New Zealand and Australia.
A record crowd is expected Thursday evening at the city's Eden Park stadium for the tournament opener between the home team Football Ferns and Norway. The 123-year-old stadium has a capacity of more than 40,500 seats for the tournament, according to FIFA.
The opening game is the first of five group matches taking place in Auckland. Eden Park will also host one match in the round of 16, one in the quarterfinals and one in the semis.
Festivities paused: In the commercial heart of the city, FIFA is hosting a 2,000-capacity Fan Festival for those unable to travel to the games. The festival, which promises to feature games, food and live performances, will show all 48 of the matches on a 111-feet outdoor screen.
On Thursday, Auckland officials said plans to show the opening match at the festival had been scrapped, “out of deep respect to those who lost their lives” in Thursday’s shooting.
The Fan Festival will open again from midday Friday, the statement added.
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam in Auckland, New Zealand
Addressing Thursday's fatal shooting in host city Auckland, Lynn Williams, a forward with the US Women's National Team, told reporters, "Unfortunately in the US I feel like we’ve dealt with this far too many times."
Following the shooting, which took place near the team's hotel, Williams said "there was definitely a sense of like, let's come together."
While the shooting delayed the team's morning training plans, Williams said, "once we were able to go to training, we have to focus on the job at hand."
The US team plays their first game Saturday, against Vietnam.
The shooting, which took place in the city’s central business district just after 7 a.m. local time Thursday, left three people dead, including the gunman, and injured six others.
New Zealand Police said the shooting -- which saw armed police secure the downtown area -- did not pose a national security risk, as officials confirmed the Women’s World Cup opening ceremony and first game would go ahead as planned.
In a statement, FIFA said it extended “its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims” of Thursday's shooting.
“FIFA has been informed that this was an isolated incident that was not related to football operations and the opening match tonight at Eden Park will proceed as planned,” the statement added.
From CNN's Ben Church
There have been a total of eight previous editions of the Women’s World Cup, but this year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand promises to look very different.
From higher pay to eight new teams, Here's a look at what makes this year’s edition a tournament like no other.
Read more here.
